MEXICO CITY -- TV Azteca has scored over rival broadcaster Televisa by inking with satcaster DirecTV Latin America to broadcast 18 games from this summer's soccer World Cup.
Deal is the first major sub-rights sale in Latin America and took Televisa, which has a 70% aud share, by surprise. TV Azteca will air the opening game, all of Mexico's matches, the semifinals, final, 10 other games and highlights. Terms were not disclosed.
DirecTV, which competes in Mexico with Televisa's majority-owned pay TV platform Sky Mexico, paid $400 million for the tourney rights. It will show all 64 games on its pay TV outfit. Televisa is still in talks with DirecTV, but one exec told
Daily Variety he was surprised by TV Azteca's deal. "I thought we were negotiating with DirecTV together. I don't know what has happened."
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