ESPN Agrees $1.4b Rights Deal For Spain’s La Liga

US sports broadcasting giant ESPN has acquired television rights for Spain’s La Liga in a record deal worth $1.4 billion over the next eight seasons starting from the 2021-2022 campaign, the company said Thursday.

A statement from ESPN said all 380 La Liga games each season would be available live through its streaming platform ESPN+, with selected games on its traditional ESPN networks.

The deal covers English and Spanish language broadcasts and also includes La Liga’s second division fixtures.

ESPN already broadcasts other domestic Spanish competitions including the Copa del Rey and Spanish Supercup.

The value of the agreement was not revealed in the ESPN statement but a source with knowledge of the deal confirmed it was worth $1.4 billion or $175 million for each of the eight seasons covered.

The deal is the most lucrative television deal by a US broadcaster for an overseas soccer league, eclipsing the $1 billion paid by NBC for rights to broadcast the English Premier League. NBC’s six-year agreement with the Premier League runs until 2022.