Grup Mediapro has responded to its exclusion from LaLiga’s production and distribution contracts.
The company issued a lengthy statement following the announcement that a five year production and distribution contract had been awarded to HBS and NVP. The two entities will form a joint venture to run operations providing coverage of Spain’s Primera and Segunda Division matches from the start of the 2025-26 season.
HBS CEO Dan Miodownik commented, “It is a great privilege for HBS to have been appointed by LaLiga. We are very proud of our track record globally, and entering a new territory and partnership with such an esteemed client is an exciting opportunity. Along with NVP we look forward to working with LaLiga to bring innovative and engaging coverage to audiences over the coming years.”
However, referring to what it said was a “surprising decision,” Grup Mediapro stated it had tendered the most competitive bid among all submissions, offering the lowest cost for both the league and its clubs and “significantly” exceeding the technical requirements. The statement referred to the winning bidder’s lack of technical infrastructure in the country and prior experience of producing a full-season football competition at scale. It also expressed surprise at the “irony” of the Spanish league awarding the contract to a Swiss company while claiming to champion Spanish industry.
Mediapro further suggested the tender process had been “marked by a lack of transparency, with shifting deadlines and repeated delays, none of which were explained.” The company also said LaLiga had exaggerated the merits of the successful bidders in its official statement and had erroneously attributed to them the production of the UEFA Champions League, the European Championship and the Africa Cup, events which, it said, had been mostly produced by itself.
Grup Mediapro said the decision was neither fair nor objective and that production of matches may be placed in jeopardy as a result. The company said it is committed to defending its reputation and that it “will contest the outcome of the tender process through all available channels, both nationally and internationally.”
