Host Broadcasting Services (HBS) has been awarded a five-year contract to produce and distribute matches from the top two divisions of Spanish soccer, replacing long-serving partner Mediapro.
Infront-owned HBS was initially created to produce the television and radio feeds for the 2002 Fifa World Cup in South Korea and Japan and has covered every edition of the tournament since. It now produces events in multiple sports, including the Rugby World Cup and the Roland Garros tennis tournament.
HBS has formed a joint-venture with Italian firm NVP to fulfil its obligations of the contract with LaLiga, which comes into effect at the start of the 2025/26 season.
“It is a great privilege for HBS to have been appointed by LaLiga,” said Dan Miodownik, HBS chief executive.
“We are very proud of our track record globally, and entering a new territory and partnership with such an esteemed client is an exciting opportunity. Along with NVP we look forward to working with LaLiga to bring innovative and engaging coverage to audiences over the coming years.”
“We are extremely proud to partner with HBS on this prestigious project,” added Massimo Pintabona, NVP chief executive. “This achievement confirms our commitment to excellence, continuous development and innovation. We look forward to contributing to the continued success of LaLiga with our expertise and dedication.”
Mediapro, which has been LaLiga’s production partner for more than 20 years, has reacted angrily to the decision. Despite LaLiga’s assertion that HBS achieved the highest scores in terms of technical and financial evaluation, MediaPro has argued its bid was more impressive and cost-effective. In a lengthy statement, it expressed doubts over HBS’ ability to deliver the contract and confirmed it planned to challenge the ruling.
‘It is unprecedented that LaLiga has instead awarded the contract to a more expensive bidder — a Swiss-based supplier with no technical infrastructure in Spain and no prior experience in producing a full-season football competition of this scale,’ Mediapro said in a statement.
‘Laliga’s decision is neither fair nor objective and we believe that it may jeopardise the production of the matches at the start of the season. It will undoubtedly harm the clubs and the competition both economically and in broadcast quality.
‘[Mediapro] is committed to defending its reputation — and that of its professionals — and will contest the outcome of the tender process through all available channels, both nationally and internationally.’
MediaPro remains LaLiga’s international audiovisual agency until the end of the 2028/29 season, tasked with selling the league’s international rights. That contract was extended in 2023, however the renewed arrangement excluded the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and North America, where LaLiga already has regional sales partners. MediaPro also owns the rights to air one game a week from LaLiga on its Gol TV free-to-air (FTA) channel.
The loss of the LaLiga production contract follows the high profile termination of MediaPro’s rights deal with French soccer’s Ligue 1, and the subsequent shuttering of the Telefoot subscription service, in 2020 and the withdrawal and sale of the OneSoccer platform in Canada last year.
The US is one of LaLiga’s most important markets, with ESPN paying US$1.4 billion for the rights to the competition until 2029. On May 11th, ESPN will air El Clasico between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid on its main linear network for the first time as part of a wider slate of programming ahead of the game.
By SportsProMedia
