SporTV, a Brazilian pay-television operator owned by commercial broadcasting giant Globo, has secured the broadcast rights to soccer’s Saudi Pro League (SPL) competition. This move is set to further expand the SPL's broadcast distribution in Brazil.
The deal includes not only the main league games but also the King's Cup knockout competition and the season-opening tournament. As part of this agreement, Sportv will cover two matches per gameweek from the division that features several prominent Brazilian players. The coverage will commence on August 19 with the Saudi Super Cup semi-final between Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad.
Expansion of SPL’s broadcast coverage in Brazil
This new development complements existing arrangements for SPL's broadcast coverage in Brazil. The league already has a deal to showcase six other games per round on Goat's YouTube channel, three of which are exclusive broadcasts.
However, due to this pre-existing agreement with Goat, Globo cannot disseminate its own Saudi Pro League coverage onto its GE TV YouTube channel; hence all games must remain on linear TV. In addition to these deals, there is also an arrangement with free-to-air network Band that holds a specific Saturday time slot for broadcasting SPL matches. These agreements were facilitated by IMG - a major sports agency and commercial partner of the SPL.
IMG media’s managing director for soccer, Robert Klein, said:
“If the league’s ambition is not matched [by the broadcaster] in terms of the content we’re giving to them – if some of the assets are not being utilized, this is not the right partner for us. These are intense discussions, it’s not just about the money.”
“If the league’s ambition is not matched [by the broadcaster] in terms of the content we’re giving to them – if some of the assets are not being utilized, this is not the right partner for us. These are intense discussions; it’s not just about the money.”
Brazilian players in the spotlight
Brazilian players have been consistently present at top levels within Saudi soccer. In fact, Brazil is the most-represented non-Saudi nationality in the competition, with 19 players (12.5% of the league) hailing from the country.
This includes stars like Galeno, Roger Ibanez (Both Al-Ahli), Malcom, Marcos Leonardo, Renan Lodi (all Al-Hilal), Fabinho (Al-Ittihad), and more.
The consistent presence of Brazilian players in Saudi soccer aligns well with SPL’s stated aim to expand its global footprint. With a significant number of Brazilian players participating in the league and now expanded broadcast coverage through Sportv, Brazil has become a key target market for SPL's international expansion strategy.
