Broadcasters won't break current contracts for ESL' says Mediapro boss

League has reportedly held talks with the likes of Disney, Facebook and Amazon

By Jenny Priestley

Published: April 20, 2021

League has reportedly held talks with the likes of Disney, Facebook and Amazon

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Jaume Roures, the head of Spanish media company Mediapro, says he believes broadcasters won't break their current rights deals with local leagues and UEFA in order to join the proposed European Super League.

Mediapro currently broadcasts LaLiga matches, and holds the TV licensing rights to UEFA Champions League in Spain.

Speaking to Reuters, he said he believes the new competition is not likely to succeed.

International TV broadcasters have contracts (with UEFA) until 2024, nobody is going to break those contracts now. The only thing that the current move does is to create unease, said Roures.

It won't succeed. There is no other way out.

Media analyst Paolo Pescatore tells TVBEurope the announcement of the ESL is clearly driven by the club owners to take greater ownership in the wake of current and further declines in domestic broadcast TV deals.

Amid reports the League has held talks with the likes of Disney, Amazon and Facebook, Pescatore adds, Expect to see a bidding frenzy for the TV rights among providers including the streamers. This potentially represents a massive opportunity for exclusivity on a global basis.

Streamers mean more eyeballs which in turn leads to more revenue. The current sports rights landscape is fragmented. Its purely coincidental the leading global streamers are American. There are of course other disruptive players like Bein / Al Jazeera to throw into the mix, he continues.

Current rights broadcasts will be concerned about affiliating with the new league given their current contractual obligations. Hence why a potential bidding frenzy among OTT providers awaits (assuming this movement still proceeds)!

Pescatore adds that in light of the backlash from fans, pundits, and even governments, it is highly unlikely that anyone would want to be associated with this movement. Having said this, you cannot ignore the calibre of the clubs involved (at the moment). This would represent an opportunity (and big bet) for a player with serious aspirations to disrupt the norm.

Fans are already showing resentment towards forking out more on existing subscriptions. Ultimately this will drive fans to watch any games (available today and in the future) via illegal streams.

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