Telefonica, the telecom giant, has once again secured domestic broadcast rights for Spain's top-tier men's football league, LaLiga. The deal covers the second half of the 2024-25 season and extends through to the end of the 2026-27 season.
Originally, Telefonica secured these rights in a late 2021 deal but had to undergo another process due to regulatory concerns. However, this recent announcement confirms that Telefonica will continue its commitment towards broadcasting five out of ten weekly LaLiga games via Movistar Plus. The total cost for this commitment is estimated at €1.29 billion ($1.40 billion).
In addition to these games, Telefonica will also cover three full game weeks in each of the seasons from 2025-26 and 2026-27.
DAZN and Telefonica will continue to share rights
The renewed agreement means that Telefonica will continue sharing domestic rights with streaming giant DAZN for a second time. An initial agreement between Telefonica, DAZN and LaLiga was struck in December 2021 which ran until the end of 2026-27.
However, after being urged by CNMC (the Spanish competition regulator), these rights were re-tendered as it was argued that at the time of striking an original deal; Telefonica should not have been allowed to buy rights for over three years due to its ownership stake in Digital Plus - a satellite TV business.
Many regulatory hurdles had to be overcome for this deal
After restrictive term limits were lifted following CNMC's intervention; Telefonica participated in a new tender process which allowed them to extend their contract length equaling that with DAZN’s tie-up with La Liga.
LaLiga released statement:
“They promoted this award due to the legal uncertainty that could arise from Telefonica’s commitments in the Digital+ merger.”
“It manages to maintain the disruptive configuration resulting from the recent domestic market awards, which has led to a better distribution of content and thus facilitates greater access … for fans.”
It is important to note that this new tender does not affect any rights held by DAZN, which also runs through 2026-27.
Telefonica's renewed commitment to LaLiga not only ensures that fans will continue to enjoy top-tier Spanish football games but also highlights the telecom giant's dedication towards sports broadcasting. Despite regulatory hurdles, Telefonica has managed to secure a deal that aligns with its long-term strategy and benefits all parties involved - LaLiga, DAZN and of course, the fans.
