Spanish regulator cuts soccer deals to three years
April 20, 2010
From David Del Valle in Madrid
Spain's National Competition Commission (CNC) has limited to three years the duration of contracts between TV operators and football teams to broadcast the matches “to guarantee free competition in the market”.
The CNC has imposed fines of E150,000, E100,000 and E25,000 on Sogecable, Mediapro and Audiovisual Sport, respectively for “an anticompetitive deal” among them over football TV rights.
The CNC three years limit, though, contradicts the new Overall Law to come into force in May, which allows football TV rights to be held for up to four years, authorising the present contracts until the 2013-2014 football season.