LaLiga president Javier Tebas has recently expressed his skepticism about the feasibility of pan-European soccer broadcast rights deals for a single competition. This comes amidst ongoing attempts to consolidate the market, which have been met with various challenges due to the fragmented nature of the European market.
Tebas notes that such deals would be "very difficult" and potentially less financially viable for leagues due to the diverse and segmented nature of Europe's media landscape. Traditionally, European sports properties have adopted a market-by-market approach when it comes to media rights sales. However, streaming services like Amazon Prime Video and DAZN are increasingly demanding global rights.
For instance, both platforms currently broadcast the UEFA Champions League in several markets. Disney+ also holds a pan-European deal for broadcasting UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL).
UEFA's global package strategy
In an attempt to increase its deal value, UEFA is preparing to allow broadcasters bid for Champions League rights in multiple countries simultaneously. They plan on creating a 'first pick' global package aimed at attracting major players like Netflix.
However, Tebas argues that domestic leagues may not follow this trend due to limited interest beyond their home countries.
LaLiga president, Javier Tebas, said:
“The European market is completely fragmented, we have 300 million inhabitants in all of Europe. In Spain, people look for Spanish football games, we’re not looking at Italian or UK football games, so it is very difficult.
“We are far more fragmented, and the per capita income is higher so people can actually pay [for pay-TV subscriptions]. Maybe a premium offering can go on to conquer new digital worlds instead of the traditional world, by attracting subscribers, users and data. But we would not manage to get by [financially].”
LaLiga's experimental approach
Despite these concerns, LaLiga is adopting an experimental approach towards overseas markets. In the UK, it has awarded Disney+ exclusive primetime airing of one game each Saturday - a move that complements its more comprehensive deal with Premier Sports.
Moreover, LaLiga has also struck a clips and highlights deal with Sky Sports while maintaining its global digital content agreement with DAZN. Tebas referred to these ventures as "very good experiments", indicating potential future strategies despite his doubts about YouTube’s ability “to penetrate Europe successfully”.
While there are clear challenges associated with pan-European broadcast deals, the changing landscape of sports broadcasting and the rise of streaming services are pushing leagues to explore new strategies. LaLiga's experimental approach may provide valuable insights into how domestic leagues can successfully navigate these changes while maintaining their financial viability.
