This could shake things up
It looks like the domestic dominance of Sky and BT Sport will take a hit this season with the news that Facebook could be streaming La Liga and Seria A games for free.
According to The Times, Eleven Sports are the company driving the move, which would see users sign up for a complete package via monthly subscription or a one-off payment for the year to gain access to live games from the two leagues along with the Dutch Eredivisie, Sweden’s Allsvenskan and the Chinese Super League, in case you wanted to catch up with Paulinho, Hulk and Oscar.
They are, however, weighing up giving British football fans free access via Facebook as they have done in the past for other markets.
Eleven Sports are an independent broadcaster that won the rights to the leagues and are owned by the fairly eccentric Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani.
They outbid BT in June for the rights to Serie A and ended Sky’s two-decade-long stranglehold over La Liga despite reportedly paying less than the £18 million per season Sky did for the rights during their last contract.
The sign-up cost for their streaming platform is set to be £4.99 per month or £49.99 for the entire year. For fans in Ireland it will cost €6.99.
Should the venture prove successful Sky could well have a fight on their hands when Champions League rights are next up for grabs.
