Amazon is looking to partner with one of Spain’s main telecommunications companies to bid for what is likely to be the most expensive package of La Liga television rights, according to unnamed company sources cited by Spanish daily El Espanol. Bidding for rights to air live games from Spain’s top-tier league for the next three seasons (2019-22) is set to begin in April, with the e-commerce giant keen on taking part in the auction for smaller packages including online rights and the 'partidazo' (match of the day). However, the report says Amazon also wants to bid for the most lucrative package of eight exclusive La Liga games per match day currently owned by Mediapro.
Amazon has already informally contacted La Liga to express its interest in entering the fray, said the report, adding that the company is also in talks to present a joint offer with a leading Spanish telecommunications operator such as Telefonica’s Movistar+, Vodafone or Orange.
A joint bid would help operators finance the skyrocketing costs of football rights, after having announced that they are unwilling to pay the current market prices, while Amazon would boost its Prime Video service in Spain, which is lagging behind the 2 million-plus subscribers of Netflix and HBO.
