Spain's LaLiga and France's Ligue 1 football leagues were unavailable to Indian viewers over the past weekend. This unexpected blackout was due to non-payment issues with media company Galaxy Racer (GXR).
In a significant move last year, LaLiga signed an exclusive six-year deal with GXR for media rights in the Indian subcontinent, covering seasons from 2024-25 through 2029-30. However, this agreement has run into serious problems within its first season itself. Similarly, France’s Professional Football League (LFP) sold broadcasting rights for Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches to GXR for at least four seasons from 2024-25 through 2027-28. The Iris Sport Media agency brokered this deal and continues managing it.
While coverage of LaLiga stopped abruptly over the past weekend, broadcasts of Ligue 1 have been absent in India for two weeks now. Interestingly though, coverage of Italy’s Serie A – another league whose broadcast rights are held by GXR – remained available on the company's website during this period. The deals had initially surprised many Indian media companies due to GXR's lack of experience as a broadcaster in the market. The Dubai-based firm is primarily known for its involvement in esports and gaming rather than traditional sports broadcasting.
Technical issues or payment problems?
On Friday, a post on @GXR_World handle stated that they would not be streaming LaLiga matches due to technical issues while assuring fans that they were working towards resolving these problems quickly. However, it is worth noting that earlier in the season too, GXR cited technical difficulties as reasons behind its inability to stream some LaLiga matches. These were confirmed as genuine technical issues and not related to payment.
GXR's deal with LaLiga was not their first collaboration. In 2022, the two entities formed a 15-year joint venture aimed at transforming LaLiga’s presence in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Indian subcontinent. However, this relationship only covers sponsorship and partnerships, excluding media rights brokering.
Declining value of football league rights in India
The value of broadcasting rights for international football leagues has generally been declining in India over recent cycles. Rights-holders have found it challenging to generate strong competition among broadcasters for all but major cricket properties and top-tier properties with broad global appeal like the Premier League.
In conclusion, while GXR's ventures into sports broadcasting seemed promising initially, these recent developments have cast a shadow over its future prospects in this domain. It remains to be seen how these issues will be resolved and what impact they will have on football fans across India.
