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Spain: Deal to end soccer rights war

June 22, 2009

From David Del Valle in Madrid

Spain's largest pay TV group Sogecable and Mediapro, main shareholder in commercial TV channel La Sexta, have signed an agreement to bring an end to their fierce war over TV football rights that has taken them to Courts.

The three years deal will allow Sogecable-controlled digital DTH platform Digital Plus to continue broadcasting Sunday games exclusively and offering matches from the Spanish League and the King's Cup on pay-per-view. Similarly, La Sexta will offer free-to-air one match a week.

This football agreement forms part of a greater cooperation between both companies which are in talks to merge and set up a holding company including commercial TV channels Cuatro (8.6 per cent of average share) and La Sexta (5.5 per cent). Both parties have given themselves a period of one month to come up with the merger details.

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