Facebook to Champions League, La Liga rights

Facebook will not be renewing its rights deals for Champions League football in Latin America, nor La Liga football in India.

In a piece written for Sportico, Rob Shaw, Facebook’s director of sports league and media partnerships, revealed the decision whilst explaining that the company also chose not to bid in the current round of NFL rights.

“We weren’t involved in those discussions,” Shaw said of the NFL talks. “We also didn’t bid to extend our UEFA Champions League and La Liga agreements. We still have excellent partnerships with these leagues, but the reality is that traditional media rights deals like these aren’t compatible with our current video business model. We also don’t think they’ll create the most sustainable value for the industry moving forward.”

Facebook has streamed Champions League games to Latin America since 2018, with exclusive free-to-air rights for 32 live matches each season, including the final. The current deal concludes on May 29th.

Facebook’s La Liga deal also began in 2018 and ends this season, giving Facebook the rights to show every La Liga match for free to users in India. Advanced-television