Orange, the international telecoms operator, has joined the list of domestic broadcasters for Spanish soccer’s Copa del Rey knockout cup competition this season.
The company has announced that matches will be available at no additional cost for customers who are subscribed to the soccer package on its Orange TV platform.
The Copa del Rey joins Orange TV's live soccer offering, which includes the domestic top-flight LaLiga, the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League club competitions, and several international competitions.
Live sports are also included in the content offer that Orange makes available to the hospitality sector through LaLiga TV Bar, through its agreement with the top Spanish league.
In its coverage, Orange stated that it will provide significant improvements in image and sound that will be noticeable during the Copa del Rey matches.
Among these is True Motion technology, which will double the number of frames per second (fps) from the current 25 fps to 50 fps, allowing for a full HD 1080p resolution, comparable to that obtained through an IPTV decoder.
The company has also reduced latency, allowing broadcasts through set-top boxes to be up to two seconds ahead of DTT (digital terrestrial television) and other IPTV services, while the app has implemented low-latency technology that reduces delay by up to 25 seconds.
The main package of Copa del Rey rights was recently acquired by RTVE, the country’s public service network, under a deal running through 2027.
The broadcaster will provide live and exclusive coverage of 116 matches from the competition each for the next two seasons.
Pay-TV heavyweight Movistar+ will also show the Copa del Rey after agreeing a sub-licensing deal with RTVE.
Movistar+ will showcase a minimum of 55 games throughout the current 2025-26 season.
The tender process for the Copa del Rey is being managed on behalf of the RFEF national federation by LaLiga, with a deadline of October 22 set by the league.
LaLiga has stated that it achieved a 15% increase in value for the primary rights package compared to the previous cycle, meaning the deal's value could be around €20 million (€23.1 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.
