Spanish pay-TV operator Sogecable will have complete access to the country’s top flight football after a Madrid court told rights agency Mediapro to hand back the broadcast rights to first and second divisions. It was also ordered to pay Sogecable €105 million and a potential €31 million to cover interest and cost while the ruling goes through the judicial system.
The court has also ordered current accounts to be frozen and a hold placed on Mediapro shares in companies including Gol TV and GAMP, which controls TV channel La Sexta.
In requiring Mediapro to return all the contracts it manages on behalf of football clubs Sogecable, operator of the Digital+ pay-TV package and the Canal+ brand in Spain, becomes the rights holder to the matches from June 21 and into next season.
The ruling made public yesterday (June 24) is dated June 21, one day before the Commercial Court No. 7 in Barcelona granted Mediaproducción SLU’s (Mediapro) request for insolvency protection.
