Broadcaster Mediapro has again won the exclusive rights to air live games from the Champions League on its beIN Sports channel over the next three seasons, beating out bids from Mediaset, TVE, Atresmedia and TV3, reports local daily El Espanol. The deal raises the possibility that no Champions League games will be available on free-to-air TV in Spain for the first time. According to the report, Mediapro paid over EUR 1 billion to keep hold of the rights, over 30 percent than the amount paid for the previous three-season deal.
The broadcaster will now negotiate the sale of rights to Telefonica, Vodafone and Orange, who are unlikely to want to refrain from airing games even though both Orange and Vodafone last month said they wouldn’t be taking part in the "irrational race" for the broadcasting rights, the costs of which have skyrocketed and can longer be monetised.
