Spanish pay-TV heavyweight Movistar+ has reached a new agreement with the country’s public service network, RTVE, to showcase games from soccer’s Copa del Rey domestic knockout cup competition.
Movistar+ will showcase a minimum of 55 Copa del Rey games throughout the current 2025-26 season, starting with the upcoming second round of the tournament.
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After the first round, RTVE will retain the top pick match each round, with Movistar+ showcasing every other fixture.
Although this agreement will take effect from the second round onwards, the pair will also split the first-round fixtures, with Movistar+ airing 15 of the games, while RTVE will take the top pick.
After the 55-game remit has been reached, Movistar+ will also simulcast the semi-final fixtures alongside RTVE, while the rights to the final are yet to be decided.
The announcement comes days after RTVE secured the main package of Copa del Rey games on a two-year contract with the RFEF governing body (which organizes the competition) through the 2026-27 campaign.
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By GlobalDataRTVE succeeded Movistar+ in this regard, with the pay-TV service having held the rights between 2022 and 2025.
That tender process for the Copa del Rey was managed on behalf of the RFEF national federation by LaLiga, with a deadline of October 22 set by the top-flight Spanish league.
LaLiga has stated that it achieved a 15% increase in value for the rights package compared to the previous cycle, meaning the deal's value could be around €20 million.
The Spanish top flight went to market with the Copa del Rey tender at the start of this month, with six lots made available.
Lot 1 (awarded to RTVE) was split into four options, covering live rights, while Lots 2, 3, and 5 cover game summary rights. Lot 4 gives broadcasters live rights to the 20 games from the preliminary phase of each Copa del Rey, and Lot 6 contains rights to show 64 matches live and exclusively in public establishments. These will be sold on a non-exclusive basis.
Barcelona won last season's Copa del Rey, beating arch-rivals Real Madrid 3-2 in the final.
Both of those clubs, alongside Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, will compete in the Spanish Super Cup competition, meaning they will enter at a later round than the other sides in the Copa del Rey.
