Sky Sports lost their rights to broadcast La Liga after two decades this month, and the new deal could see massive changes in the way we watch football in the future.
Eleven Sports, owned by Leeds United supremo Andrea Radrizzani, beat the satellite giants to the three year deal, and they could even look to secure some Premier League coverage as they venture into the UK for the first time. Eleven already broadcast in Italy, Poland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Taiwan, Singapore and America, and have the rights to Ligue 1, Serie A and Bundesliga in these markets, aswell as Formula One. They now have to come to a decision on how to broadcast in the UK.
In the most recent Premier League TV auctions, two packages – each containing twenty matches – went unsold, and Eleven are now hoping to pick these up to bolster their growing portfolio. This would signal a huge shift in how football is distributed and broadcast on these shores.
The deal for La Liga is what’s known as an “over the top” deal, which means they can broadcast via a website or app, or even launch their own channel in the UK. Perhaps most interestingly, though, it also means that they can sell games on an individual basis to other broadcasters. So, in theory, we could see El Clasico or huge Premier League games on terrestrial TV next season if it benefits Eleven to sell it on. Say, for free or favorable advertising.
No Surprise
The fact that Sky Sports didn’t retain Spanish football probably doesn’t come as a surprise to regular viewers. Over the duration of the last deal – which cost them just eighteen million pounds – the quality of the coverage has been scaled way back. Instead of the lavish sets and regular magazine shows, all we now get is five minutes buildup from the (superb) commentators, a low budget (but again very good) half hour highlights show, and a podcast, which is to be fair also excellent. However, it is a massive step backwards from what we used to enjoy. Of course, the ridiculous kickoff times don’t help matters; ten matches each week, and ten different kickoff times. Not conducive to producing quality regular content. And not forgetting they abandoned the Copa del Rey too, broadcasting only the final for the last couple of seasons instead of the quarter finals onwards.
What this does mean for Sky is that they now have some huge gaps to fill in their schedule. Last year they rebranded their sports channels, and losing La Liga means they now have hours and hours of airtime to fill. They may choose to go after Serie A, as BT Sports’ deal with the Italian top flight runs out at the end of the season. And Sky’s own Eredivisie package also expires this month, so they could make a play for that again. As for the rights to Bundesliga and Ligue 1, BT still holds those rights for the foreseeable future.
The Future
We should all be very interested – and perhaps excited – for what this new deal could mean. It all depends of course on how Eleven decide to broadcast their content. If they go for streaming only, then this could pave the way for services such as Netflix and Amazon to put in serious bids next time around. Both were rumoured to have been interested during the last round of auctions, but considering there are still two unsold packages, those reports may be wide of the mark.
What this does mean, though, is that there is finally some competition for Sky and BT. Sure, we are not going to see Sky’s position as the main broadcaster come under threat anytime soon, but it may force them to rethink how they do things, and how much they charge their customers. From a consumer’s point of view, it does mean yet another subscription if we want to watch La Liga, which in this day and age will not sit well with some. For me, though, there is one simple solution: I’ll be subscribing to Eleven Sports, and cancelling Sky Sports.
Let me know what you think of these developments, and what you think it could mean in future? And will you pay another subscription to watch La Liga, or perhaps those other two Premier League packages? Leave a comment below, or get me on twitter: @gamerjamesfm.
GamerJamesFM 