Spanish public-service broadcaster, RTVE, has successfully retained the rights to the Copa del Rey, Spain's domestic knockout cup soccer competition. The renewed two-year agreement will cover the 2025-27 cycle and provide live and exclusive coverage of 116 matches per season.
RTVE has been granted exclusivity on both free-to-air and pay-TV channels after acquiring the main package of rights on offer. This deal does not include coverage for the qualifying phase or final match.
The broadcaster's previous agreement covered three seasons, during which it had rights to broadcast 15 matches free-to-air each season, including semi-finals and finals. However, this time around, RTVE has secured a more comprehensive package.
Tender process managed by LaLiga
The tender process for these coveted broadcasting rights was managed by LaLiga on behalf of RFEF national federation. The top-flight Spanish league set a deadline of October 22nd for bids.
LaLiga announced that it achieved a significant increase in value for this rights package compared to its predecessor – an impressive rise of approximately 15%. This suggests that the deal could be worth around €20 million.
In contrast with this new arrangement, in the last three-year cycle Telefonica-owned Movistar Plus held the main package of broadcasting rights as a pay-TV operator. LaLiga initially went to market with six lots available at the start of this month when it began its tender process for Copa del Rey broadcasting rights.
Breakdown of available lots
Lot 1 (awarded to RTVE) was split into four options covering live game broadcasts while Lots 2,3,and 5 encompassed game summary rights. Lot 4 offered broadcasters live rights to 20 games from the preliminary phase of each Copa del Rey. Lot 6 contained rights to show 64 matches live and exclusively in public establishments, which will be sold on a non-exclusive basis.
LaLiga plans to continue negotiations for the remaining packages, with Movistar Plus and DAZN expected to compete for some game coverage. The Spanish league has been mandated by RFEF to sell rights for all rounds of the Copa del Rey except the final.
Barcelona emerged as champions in last season's Copa del Rey final, defeating their arch-rivals Real Madrid with a scoreline of 3-2 in an exhilarating final match. This new deal marks a significant milestone for RTVE and is sure to bring exciting coverage of Spain's premier domestic knockout cup soccer competition directly into homes across Spain.
