Sogecable grabs World Cup rights
Digital Plus to air all 2010 soccer matches
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No figure has been mentioned for the deal, but Sogecable likely ponied up as much as, if not more than, Spanish broadcaster La Sexta reportedly paid -- e90 million ($140.5 million) -- for World Cup 2006 rights.
Sogecable's pay TV operator Digital Plus will broadcast all games, many in hi-def, Sogecable announced Tuesday.
The deal starts another skirmish in what Spanish media calls the "soccer wars" between Sogecable and Spanish rights broker Mediapro, a lead shareholder in La Sexta.
With Sogecable's parent Prisa expected to sell Digital Plus, the deal gives the platform must-see programming at a time when Mediapro has snagged most Spanish pay TV soccer league rights from 2009 plus rights to European Champions League soccer matches for three seasons, beginning 2009-10.
Whether Sogecable will turn a profit on the World Cup deal is another matter. It almost certainly lost millions of dollars broadcasting June's Euro 2008 soccer tournament, even though Spain won the event.
