The Spanish competition commission has opened proceedings against broadcasters and football clubs over the award of broadcast rights to the country’s domestic games.
The commission says that an investigation had uncovered a series of agreements between Sogecable, operator of the Digital+ DTH platform, and rights holder Mediapro concerning coverage of the Primera Liga and the King’s Cup. The two companies are currently engaged in a protracted legal battle over football rights.
The competition commission has also named a series of regional channels and the publicly owned bank Caja Madrid.
The commission has said that the current agreements meant the rights would not be open to other broadcasters until the conclusion of the 2008-9 season.