Published:
25-Sep-08
Gol TV, the football channel operated by Mediapro, the Barcelona-based sports rights company, has launched on Spain's smaller cable systems and as part of the IPTV service Orange. The move increases the pressure on Sogecable, which dominates the pay-TV market via its Digital Plus platform and is locked in battle with Mediapro over the exploitation of TV rights to Spanish league football.
Mediapro soft-launched Gol TV earlier in the month but has quickly secured carriage for the channel on cable providers Euskaltel and Telecable, on several smaller cable systems networks and on Orange TV. The channel will be marketed as part of the basic package of all four services, which are available to around 490,000 TV subscribers. Mediapro does not, it appears, have a carriage deal with the largest cable operator Ono, contrary to press reports.
As well as some matches from la Liga, Gol TV will feature an impressive array of matches from the Italian, German, French, Portuguese and Dutch leagues. Mediapro has made widely-publicised plans to launch a pay football channel on digital terrestrial, although this would require a change in the law. As well as assembling a large portfolio of rights, Mediapro has acquired the Spanish rights to the UEFA Champions League from the 2009/10 season.
Our take...
The launch of Gol TV on cable and IPTV is certain to increase the pressure on Sogecable, which has enjoyed a near-monopoly on the provision of sports on pay-TV. Digital Plus transmits one match a week from La Liga on a pay basis and up to six matches a week on pay-per-view.
Sogecable and Mediapro are in dispute over a joint venture agreed in July 2006 in which they pooled their sports rights, with Sogecable (via its subsidiary AVS) exploiting pay and PPV rights and Mediapro have the rights to sell one match a week to free TV and all matches in the international market. Sogecable alleges that Mediapro has supplied matches to its part-owned free to air channel la Sexta in breach of contract and that it has underpaid fees to Sogecable. On its side, Mediapro feels it is disadvantaged by the contract because since agreeing the deal it has acquired rights to all but three of the major clubs in La Liga.
To make matters more complicated, Sogecable's owner Prisa has invited bids for Digital Plus as part of a strategic review. Companies reported to be interested in the DTH platform include BSkyB, Vivendi, Telefonica and Ono.
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