ESPN extends Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup rights deals in US
ESPN has secured a multiyear extension with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for the rights to the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup in the United States.
As part of the agreement, all 65 Copa del Rey matches each season will be exclusively on streaming ESPN+ through 2027, in both English and Spanish. Meanwhile, Spanish Super Cup matches will be aired on?ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ annually.
ESPN also has the US broadcast rights to LaLiga through 2028-29, in a deal worth $175m (€171m) a year, or $1.4bn total.
ESPN took over the Copa del Rey rights from previous rights-holder beIN Sports in the States?in January 2020.
“Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup, together with LaLiga, are the three jewels of Spanish soccer,” said Sonia Gomez, ESPN senior director for programming and acquisitions. “Having these three premier properties cements ESPN+ as the home for Spanish soccer in the US and reinforces our position as the country’s leading media destination for soccer fans.”
The deal comes after the Disney-owned broadcaster reached an agreement to extend its English Football League rights for two more seasons,?as reported by?SportBusiness.
In February, the?RFEF became the latest rights-holder to look to the vibrant market in the Americas by?launching invitations?to tender for broadcast rights to the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup. The rights were offered for three, four or five seasons from next season onward.
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In May,?ESPN reportedly emerged victorious?during an invitation to tender process for Spanish Super Cup broadcast rights in Brazil and the rest of South America.
Spain’s ‘Supercopa’ traditionally pitted the winners of LaLiga against the Copa del Rey victors in a two-legged final, but the competition was expanded to a ‘Final Four’ format from 2019-20. This year’s tournament was held at Riyadh’s King Fahd International Stadium under a lucrative hosting deal between the RFEF and Saudi Arabia.
Along with the top two finishers in LaLiga, the tournament features the two Copa del Rey finalists and is played over three days.
Meanwhile, broadcasters across Europe?were also invited?to bid for Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup rights across three to five seasons. Broadcasters could bid across 43 geographical ‘lots’, comprised of 35 country-specific lots and eight regional lots.