Spanish soccer’s elite LaLiga has announced the distribution of its media rights in the UK and Ireland, with OTT heavyweight Disney+ joining incumbent rightsholder Premier Sports as part of the competition’s broadcast mix for the upcoming cycle.
The three-year deal will see Disney showcase one game per gameweek (Saturday evenings) exclusively throughout the season, while Premier Sports will continue as the competition’s primary broadcaster in the market, showing the remainder of the domestic fixtures, over 340 per season, on its own linear and OTT platforms.
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Disney replaces UK commercial broadcaster ITV, which had shown a handful of games each year over the past three campaigns.
In addition to the new broadcast rights tie-up, LaLiga has also expanded the reach of its highlights and clips content on digital platforms such as Goalhanger and other outlets.
Among LaLiga’s star-studded rosters are England internationals Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid, Marcus Rashford of FC Barcelona, Conor Gallagher of Atletico Madrid, as well as England under-20 cap Tyrhys Dolan of Espanyol.
In terms of Disney's current set of sports rights, Disney+ recently secured rights to the pan-European UEFA Women's Champions League across the continent, and to the men's UEFA Europa League and Conference League competitions in Sweden and Denmark.
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By GlobalDataThe Disney-UWCL deal runs through 2029-30, with Disney-owned ESPN set to produce the coverage.
Premier Sports, for its part, also broadcasts Spain’s second-tier LaLiga2, and outside Spanish soccer holds rights for Scotland's top-flight Premiership, as well as its league cup competition (known as the Premier Sports Cup thanks to an associated title sponsorship deal between the two).
As of late, Premier Sports has also adopted a focus on rugby union, with rights including the URC international club competition and the launch of a dedicated rugby channel on linear TV and OTT.
