In a significant shakeup of Spanish football broadcasting, LaLiga has awarded its domestic production contracts for the 2025–2030 seasons to Host Broadcast Services (HBS) and Telefónica Servicios Audiovisuales (TSA), sidelining long-time partner Mediapro after more than two decades of collaboration. The league stated that the selection followed a comprehensive tender process evaluating technical, operational, and economic factors, with HBS and TSA achieving the highest combined scores.
HBS, in partnership with Italian firm NVP, will oversee production for both LaLiga EA Sports (first division) and LaLiga Hypermotion (second division), along with media center operations and centralized services. TSA has been awarded the contract for signal contribution and distribution, based on its “key technical expertise in the international communications sector,” according to LaLiga.
However, the decision has triggered strong pushback from Mediapro, which has publicly criticized the outcome and intends to challenge the process both legally and through regulatory channels. “Grup Mediapro’s economic and technical proposal was the most competitive among all submissions,” the company said in a statement. “Financially, it represented the lowest cost for both LaLiga and its clubs, while technically, it significantly exceeded the requirements outlined in the tender.”
Mediapro claims that the selection of HBS—a Swiss-based provider without a technical infrastructure in Spain or experience producing an entire football season—was unjustified. “It is unprecedented that LaLiga has instead awarded the contract to a more expensive bidder… The decision is neither fair nor objective and may jeopardize the production of the matches at the start of the season,” the company added.
The dispute centers not only on the selection itself but on what Mediapro describes as a process “marked by a lack of transparency, with shifting deadlines and repeated delays.” The firm warns that LaLiga's decision could negatively impact both clubs and fans in terms of broadcast quality and economic value.
Despite losing the production contract, Mediapro remains a key stakeholder in LaLiga's international distribution rights through the 2028–2029 season in most global markets. Still, the company’s move to contest the tender highlights the stakes involved in LaLiga’s evolving media strategy and the broader competitive landscape for sports production in Europe.
LaLiga, for its part, has defended the process and outcome. The league emphasized that the new appointments reflect its ambition to enhance global production standards and bring in international expertise. HBS, known for its work with FIFA World Cups and UEFA competitions, is expected to elevate the audiovisual quality and innovation of LaLiga broadcasts moving forward.
This transition represents not only a pivotal change in how Spanish football is brought to screens globally but also a potential legal and reputational battle that could influence future sports media rights negotiations across Europe.