Mediapro mulls ‘pulling out’ of Spanish football as rights battle gears up

Spanish broadcaster, producer and pay TV channel provider Mediapro is mulling a plan to pull out of Spanish football and may withdraw from the game with the next round of bidding for La Liga rights, according to financial daily El Español.

According to the paper, citing unnamed sources, Mediapro boss Jaime Roures plans to refocus the company on production of series and movies. Mediapro currently holds the rights to La Liga until the end of the next season.

According to El Español’s sources, Roures has decided that the current battles over rights generate unnecessary strife. Mediapro has had fractious relations with pay TV platform operators over the commercialisation of the rights.

The news follows a report, also by El Español, that Spanish pay TV platforms were mulling a move to have Mediapro categorised as an intermediary, which might bid for rights without having the ability to commercialise them in its own right.

A similar legal battle is underway in Italy, where a Milan court recently suspended the award of Serie A rights to Mediapro after receiving a complaint by Sky.

Spain’s telecom operators have complained about inflation in the price of football rights. Mediapro current holds the rights to Champions League football, aired on the BeIN Sports channel.