MUMBAI: Well, that completes it as far as the media rights for Europe’s “Big 5” football leagues in the Indian subcontinent are concerned. After pocketing Spain’s LaLiga and Italy’s Serie A rights in the recent past, Viacom18 has acquired the broadcast and digital rights for France’s Lique 1 in India, SportzPower can reveal.
As per SportzPower’s reckoning, Viacom18 has acquired the rights for the next three seasons. And going by the manner in which the Reliance Industries Ltd-controlled broadcast network made public its acquisition of Serie A rights last Friday, this website expects the official announcement of its latest (and final one for the immediate term?) football rights acquisition to also similarly come through on the morrow, that is Friday.
Interestingly, as per the latest update on Lique 1’s official website, Viacom18’s flagship Hindi general entertainment channel Colors is shown as the broadcaster for France’s top tier league in India.
For the record, last week’s Serie A acquisition announcement had come a little over a month after Viacom18 scored a three-season broadcast rights deal for Spain’s LaLiga and a day after the Asian Football Confederation announced Football Sports Development Limited (also Reliance-controlled) as their new media partner in the Indian subcontinent.
The break-up of football rights to the Big 5 European football leagues now stands as follows: English Premier League with Disney-Star; Bundesliga with Sony Pictures Networks India and LaLiga, Serie A and Lique 1 with Viacom18.
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