Very interesting set of acquisitions and regulatory decisions which created an environment for this:
Spanish broadband and telecommunications company Telefónica acquired the domestic rights for €600 million for the 2015/16 season.
Vodafone and Orange were able to acquire the broadcast rights from Telefónica as a result of Telefónica’s recent acquisition of pay-TV operator Canal Plus – which will also broadcast the top two divisions of Spanish league football - the Liga BBVA and Liga Adelante - together with the Copa del Rey for the 2015/16 season. Under the conditions imposed by the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC) on Telefónica’s acquisition, the operator is obliged to open one hundred percent of its "premium" channels and cannot hold exclusivity.
Thus, Vodafone TV will broadcast ten weekly games from La Liga, including every game featuring Barcelona and Real Madrid. The platform will also show games from the Spanish cup, the Copa del Rey. The Vodafone TV service includes TiVo, fibre-to-the-home, control over the live broadcasts, HD and a system to watch three channels simultaneously.
Meanwhile Orange TV will broadcast league and cup games at the price of €9.95 per month to Orange customers in HD across multiple devices including smart TV’s, smartphones, tablets and PCs.
With arrangements like this, will Orange and Vodafone just simulcast the Canal Plus/Telefonica coverage or will they have their own production teams etc?
Edit: Never mind, this article confirms the deals with Vodafone and Orange are wholesale carriage agreements.
Is that Telefonica price of Euros 600m the total domestic rights value?
Euros 600m = £420m
Compares to Sky/BT paying £1,006m under current deal and £1,712m from 2016/17 - and that's just for live rights - ie excludes MOTD, Football First, clips etc.
Of course would expect PL rights to be much higher but surprised we are talking quadruple (using 16/17 - OK, not direct comparison - but this was a new auction, just done now).
Is that Telefonica price of Euros 600m the total domestic rights value?
Euros 600m = £420m
Compares to Sky/BT paying £1,006m under current deal and £1,712m from 2016/17 - and that's just for live rights - ie excludes MOTD, Football First, clips etc.
Of course would expect PL rights to be much higher but surprised we are talking quadruple (using 16/17 - OK, not direct comparison - but this was a new auction, just done now).
Quadruple does seem a large differential. Given the economic situation in Spain, it does seem that the consumer market probably can't bear the kinds of subscription charges which are more affordable in the UK. €9,99 per month for that Orange package of live league and cup games looks like an absolute steal compared to our 'junior' provider which is treble that (in sterling).
pretty sure they said it would be on sky and virgin too. Will be FTA on them i guess?
BT Showcase is Freeview only. Believe the plan is to make BT Sport Europe FTV for the free matches. No point in BT taking out additional capacity on satellite and cable when it already has channels in place there.
Other La Liga deals confirmed in a recent article are: Italy: Fox Sports Netherlands: Sport 1 Greece: OTE Ten other territories: The agency MP & Silva (Japan, Nordic countries, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.) http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2015/07/30/mp-silva-strengthens-relationship-with-laliga/
BT Showcase is Freeview only. Believe the plan is to make BT Sport Europe FTV for the free matches. No point in BT taking out additional capacity on satellite and cable when it already has channels in place there.
Virgin Media are testing a new SD channel right now called BT Extra so could be Showcase or just a channel slot for BT Sport Extra.
Other La Liga deals confirmed in a recent article are: Italy: Fox Sports Netherlands: Sport 1 Greece: OTE Ten other territories: The agency MP & Silva (Japan, Nordic countries, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.) http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2015/07/30/mp-silva-strengthens-relationship-with-laliga/
I believe that the rights in he Netherlands, Italy and Greece remained with the existing broadcasters so this must give some hope to Sky.
Advert on Sky short while ago previewing the football this season they'll be showing - Prem league, Football League, Scottish League, Dutch League, MLS, Euro Qualifers, Copa Del Ray
No mention of La Liga which possibly just means no UK rights holder announced yet rather than Sky having lost it.
Apparently Mediapro gave up their domestic rights for Real and Barca in exchange for international rights meaning the new centralised deal comes into effect a year early. So the smaller clubs will benefit. Apart from elche who were demoted despite finishing 13th - their 'crime' was owing money to the wrong 'person' ie the taxman
Charles Sale reporting developments of "Sky’s La Liga surrender"
A further sign that Sky Sports massively overspent in paying £11million a match for their Premier League coverage is the fact they ceded the Spanish football contract to arch-rivals BT Sport without a fight.
It is understood that Sky made a far bigger first-round offer for La Liga, but were upset enough about the tender going to a second round that they withdrew from a contest BT believed they had no chance of winning.
With Spanish clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid being such big TV attractions in the English market, cost-cutting after that PL gamble can be the only reason for Sky’s surrender.
Charles Sale reporting developments of "Sky’s La Liga surrender"
A further sign that Sky Sports massively overspent in paying £11million a match for their Premier League coverage is the fact they ceded the Spanish football contract to arch-rivals BT Sport without a fight.
It is understood that Sky made a far bigger first-round offer for La Liga, but were upset enough about the tender going to a second round that they withdrew from a contest BT believed they had no chance of winning.
With Spanish clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid being such big TV attractions in the English market, cost-cutting after that PL gamble can be the only reason for Sky’s surrender.
I know Sale is posted on here a lot, but I just can't see that happening. As much as La Liga is obviously not in the league of some of Sky's other rights, surely they wouldn't be petty enough to give the rights up entirely? I just don't see that being true. Also seems strange to me the line about BT "believing they had no chance". BT have money. If they wanted it they could submit a competitive bid so that line makes no sense to me. Happy to admit I'm wrong if it does get confirmed that BT have the rights, however.
It seems that La Liga have introduced a minimum 'score' for bids if no bidder reaches the score then they are free to negotiate with bidders to get an argeement. I think that's what's happened but I can't see Sky huffing lie Charles Sales says and leaving a clear field for BT
Seems very sure of himself in the way that's written. It's contradictory though - says Sky made a "far higher offer" in round 1 but then withdrew "which can only be down to cost-cutting" - so which one is it?
Either way if there's any truth in this, should we expect an announcement tomorrow? Would be a nice way for BT to launch BT Sport Europe, that's for sure.
Sale takes a lot of stick on DS but when he says something has actually happened (as distinct from what may happen in the future) then it is highly likely that he is right.
I doubt Sky would have walked away as in reducing their offer allowing BT to win with a lower bid but it's entirely possible Sky would not increase their original offer and BT then subsequently outbid them.
Sale takes a lot of stick on DS but when he says something has actually happened (as distinct from what may happen in the future) then it is highly likely that he is right.
I doubt Sky would have walked away as in reducing their offer allowing BT to win with a lower bid but it's entirely possible Sky would not increase their original offer and BT then subsequently outbid them.
That would certainly be believable, but he seems to be saying that Sky got angry at the bidding going to a second round and walked away entirely. That I find difficult to believe, but the way the article has been written, he does seem very certain.
The next few days will be interesting leading up to the announcement, that's for sure.
That would certainly be believable, but he seems to be saying that Sky got angry at the bidding going to a second round and walked away entirely. That I find difficult to believe, but the way the article has been written, he does seem very certain.
The next few days will be interesting leading up to the announcement, that's for sure.
He does say Sky "withdrew" but it's entirely possible they could have withdrawn after BT had made a bid higher than Sky's original bid.
Without knowing the precise ins and outs we'll never know.
However I agree it would be very surprising if Sky had allowed BT to ultimately win with a bid lower than Sky's original bid - but I doubt that is what has actually happened as it would make no sense.
And indeed Sale doesn't actually say that BT won with a bid lower than Sky's original bid - Sale's article would not actually be inconsistent with the position being as per the first paragraph of this post.
Comments
Very interesting set of acquisitions and regulatory decisions which created an environment for this:
Bet Sky fans are gutted. Another reason to cancel !!
We still don't know about UK rights yet
This is for Spain only.
Edit: Never mind, this article confirms the deals with Vodafone and Orange are wholesale carriage agreements.
http://www.sportbusiness.com/sport-news/orange-and-vodafone-pick-laliga-rights-tve-nets-highlights-deal
Euros 600m = £420m
Compares to Sky/BT paying £1,006m under current deal and £1,712m from 2016/17 - and that's just for live rights - ie excludes MOTD, Football First, clips etc.
Of course would expect PL rights to be much higher but surprised we are talking quadruple (using 16/17 - OK, not direct comparison - but this was a new auction, just done now).
Quadruple does seem a large differential. Given the economic situation in Spain, it does seem that the consumer market probably can't bear the kinds of subscription charges which are more affordable in the UK. €9,99 per month for that Orange package of live league and cup games looks like an absolute steal compared to our 'junior' provider which is treble that (in sterling).
Italy: Fox Sports
Netherlands: Sport 1
Greece: OTE
Ten other territories: The agency MP & Silva (Japan, Nordic countries, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.)
http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2015/07/30/mp-silva-strengthens-relationship-with-laliga/
Virgin Media are testing a new SD channel right now called BT Extra so could be Showcase or just a channel slot for BT Sport Extra.
I believe that the rights in he Netherlands, Italy and Greece remained with the existing broadcasters so this must give some hope to Sky.
Oops.
http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/la_liga_to_belgium_with_eleven_sports_partnership
No mention of La Liga which possibly just means no UK rights holder announced yet rather than Sky having lost it.
A further sign that Sky Sports massively overspent in paying £11million a match for their Premier League coverage is the fact they ceded the Spanish football contract to arch-rivals BT Sport without a fight.
It is understood that Sky made a far bigger first-round offer for La Liga, but were upset enough about the tender going to a second round that they withdrew from a contest BT believed they had no chance of winning.
With Spanish clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid being such big TV attractions in the English market, cost-cutting after that PL gamble can be the only reason for Sky’s surrender.
No way does Sky walk away from La Liga rights tender, just no!
Seems very sure of himself in the way that's written. It's contradictory though - says Sky made a "far higher offer" in round 1 but then withdrew "which can only be down to cost-cutting" - so which one is it?
Either way if there's any truth in this, should we expect an announcement tomorrow? Would be a nice way for BT to launch BT Sport Europe, that's for sure.
I doubt Sky would have walked away as in reducing their offer allowing BT to win with a lower bid but it's entirely possible Sky would not increase their original offer and BT then subsequently outbid them.
The next few days will be interesting leading up to the announcement, that's for sure.
He does say Sky "withdrew" but it's entirely possible they could have withdrawn after BT had made a bid higher than Sky's original bid.
Without knowing the precise ins and outs we'll never know.
However I agree it would be very surprising if Sky had allowed BT to ultimately win with a bid lower than Sky's original bid - but I doubt that is what has actually happened as it would make no sense.
And indeed Sale doesn't actually say that BT won with a bid lower than Sky's original bid - Sale's article would not actually be inconsistent with the position being as per the first paragraph of this post.