Sportfive, the international sports marketing agency, has renewed its contract as the exclusive distributor of international media rights to Portuguese soccer’s top-tier Primeira Liga. The new agreement extends their partnership until the end of the 2027-28 season.
Under this agreement, Sportfive will continue to sell rights to the league, known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, in global markets outside Portugal. There are only limited territorial exceptions. The agency is tasked with increasing both the value of the league’s rights and its global visibility.
The sales process was managed by Sport TV, a national pay-TV operator and dominant domestic rights-holder. It is also an exclusive distributor of global media rights to Primeira Liga.
Building on previous agreements
This renewal builds on an original two-year agreement between Sportfive and Primeira Liga that ran from 2020-21 through 2022-23 season covering global sales outside Portugal and selected territories. This partnership was later extended to cover seasons from 2023-24 through 2024-25.
The renewal comes at a time when governing body Liga Portugal is preparing to transition towards a centralized rights model for Primera Liga and second-tier Liga Portugal 2 from the 2028-29 season onwards. This move aims at eradicating wealth inequality among top and bottom clubs within these leagues. Currently, broadcast rights in Primeira League are marketed individually by clubs rather than centrally by the league itself. For instance, heavyweight teams like Sporting Lisbon, Benfica, and Porto receive significantly more revenue for broadcast rights covering their home games compared to other sides.
However after years of calls for adopting a centralized system similar to those used in rival European leagues for better wealth redistribution, the Portuguese government approved this change in February 2021.
Future plans for Liga Portugal
Liga Portugal and the country's soccer federation (the FPF) are now working on establishing a new body to handle these sales. It was reported that Liga Portugal is considering selling off a stake in this new commercial vehicle. The governing body has hired Oakvale Capital advisory and consultancy firm to advise on the sale.
Thomas Klingebiel, president of media at Sportfive, said:
“This renewal represents an important milestone in our long‑term relationship with the Portuguese Football League and with Sport TV.
“Moving to a global representation model reflects both the growing international appeal of Portuguese football and the trust placed in Sportfive to maximize its value worldwide. We are proud to continue building the league’s international presence over the coming seasons.”
According to Bloomberg, Liga Portugal plans on taking presentations from interested parties at an investor day towards the end of April. In response to this report, Oakvale confirmed its collaboration with Liga Portugal but declined to provide additional details.
