Spanish soccer’s elite LaLiga will return to free-to-air television in the country after public-service broadcaster RTVE agreed a sub-licensing deal with rightsholder DAZN.
RTVE will air a single fixture each gameweek live on its Teledeporte terrestrial channel for the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign, starting with tonight’s (January 16) matchup between Espanyol and Girona.
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DAZN currently holds the rights to five games each matchweek, of which one is the mandatory free match, and will likely continue to air that fixture in conjunction with RTVE’s coverage.
The OTT service had been showcasing its weekly free match as part of its ‘freemium’ content offering, which still required an account sign-up, whereas Teledeporte is an open terrestrial broadcast option, which will naturally attract more viewers.
DAZN holds its LaLiga rights package through 2032, having renewed its agreement for a fee uplift back in November, meaning that it is likely to continue to seek a long-term free-to-air solution for its one match per week beyond the end of the 2025-26 season.
This marks only the second time in 35 years that LaLiga will be shown on public service television, with the last time being the 2015-16 campaign, which itself was the first since 1989-90.
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By GlobalDataThe tie-up also bolsters RTVE’s growing sports portfolio, and particularly its soccer offering.
In October, the company secured a multi-year package of rights for the Copa del Rey knockout cup competition, allowing it to provide live and exclusive coverage of as many as 116 matches each year through the 2026-27 campaign.
The broadcaster also has the rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup tentpole event, for which Spain will be one of the favorites, and will broadcast the UEFA European Championships in 2028.
In total, RTVE has reportedly spent in excess of €360 million to secure high-profile sports rights over the coming years.
Beyond soccer, this encompasses the likes of the 2028 and 2032 Olympic Games, the 2026 and 2030 Winter Olympics, and cycling’s iconic Tour de France through 2030, among others.
Most recently, the broadcaster picked up the rights to motor racing’s all-electric Formula E series.
