International sports streaming platform DAZN and public-service broadcaster RTVE have secured domestic rights to Spanish women's soccer's top-flight Liga F for the next three seasons.
Starting with the upcoming 2026-27 season, DAZN will retain the pay-TV package and show all eight matches each matchday through the 2028-29 campaign.
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RTVE has acquired the second lot and will broadcast four matches per week on free-to-air television through its TVE channel, allowing half of the competition's games to be watched for free each weekend.
RTVE has also reached an agreement with TV3 to sublicense this package of matches to the Catalan regional broadcaster. The four matches will also be shown simultaneously by DAZN.
This is part of a strategy launched by Liga F clubs last January to maximise visibility and audience growth by combining free-to-air and pay-TV rights packages.
Liga F's audiovisual model continues to prioritise free-to-air broadcasting “as a fundamental tool to build future value, reach the largest number of households, and multiply the exposure of clubs, their players, and sponsors, fostering a virtuous circle between audience, notoriety, and sporting and commercial value.”
In the 2025-26 season, the league claims to have reached a cumulative audience of 7.5 million viewers, an increase of 11.2% compared to the previous season and 127% since Liga F's creation in the 2022-23 campaign.
Óscar Vilda, CEO of DAZN Iberia, said: “Women’s football continues to grow, and we want to remain a key player in its development, bringing the competition to an ever-expanding audience and offering fans a top-tier experience.
“Our commitment to the development of women’s sport remains unwavering, and the renewal of the Liga F rights is further proof of our firm and ongoing commitment to its growth.”
Last week, the organizers of Liga F opened a second round of bidding for the competition's broadcast rights for the new cycle after failing to shift any of the packages on offer during the first round.
None of the bids received by the league's governing body (the Liga Profesional de Fútbol Femenino) in the opening round reached the reserve prices for the two lots available – €5 million ($5.7 million) and €2 million, respectively.
The initial tender process for the 16-team Liga F opened on July 12, with the second round getting underway on August 12. The deadline for bids was yesterday (August 19).
The league's previous deal with DAZN, which covered both domestic rights and several other territories, came to an end following the conclusion of the 2025-26 Liga F season.
That tie-up, which also covered markets such as the UK, had initially been due to run between 2022 and 2027 but was brought to a halt a year early.
International rights have not been assigned, with Liga F opting to negotiate deals on a market-by-market basis.
The tender offered exclusive rights in the rest of Europe for a minimum of €800,000 per season. There was also the option to bid on a market-by-market basis. The league's plan now is to individually negotiate the offers received in each foreign territory, not just in Europe.
The league stated: “Regarding audiovisual rights in the European Union and the rest of the world, the Control Body has decided not to award the packages on the global terms initially proposed and to directly address their commercialisation in different markets due to the interest received during the process from operators in various countries and geographical areas.
“This strategy will allow Liga F's distribution to be adapted to the characteristics and opportunities of each market, expand its international presence, and continue to make visibility and audience growth the foundation for building the competition's future value.”
Even before the Liga F rebrand, which took place ahead of the 2022-23 season, the league (formerly known as the Primera Division) has been dominated by FC Barcelona, the record 11-time champions, who have won seven consecutive titles.
As such, the Catalan side receives the most money in broadcast rights distribution fees – of which €4.8 million was distributed by Liga F in total in 2024-25 (the last season for which accounts are available).
In terms of recent Liga F activity, earlier in the summer, Spanish basketball icon Pau Gasol completed a €55 million investment into the competition.
Gasol’s investment fund, Gasol16 Ventures, supported by Fortified Partners, has acquired between 35% and 49% of the future commercial revenue rights of the Liga F clubs for 25 years, ending with the 2050-51 campaign.
Four of the 16 clubs, however, have opted out, including both Barcelona and fierce rivals Real Madrid.
Last season, Barcelona won Liga F by 15 points, only dropping points in one game out of 30. The new Liga F season begins on August 29.
