EURO 2016 | TV
Fan fury in Spain with less than 50% of Euro 2016 games to be shown live
With just two days remaining before the tournament gets underway in Paris the TV package of 28 games has yet to be picked up by a Spanish broadcaster.
Euro 2016 gets underway in Paris on Friday with the host nation facing Romania in Saint Denis at 21:00 CET. The inaugural game is one of the 23 Euro 2016 matches that Spanish television viewers will get to see live but frustration is growing from many fans with the realization that with kick off in France imminent, many key games will no be shown on any Spanish television platforms.
Mediaset recently announced that they picked up the Uefa package of 23 games and this will include the opener, games involving Spain, both semi finals and the final on July 10. The other package of 28 games has yet to be allocated to a Spanish media outlet with time running out ahead of Friday.
AS media expert Jorge Maldonado spoke to Uefa, Movistar+ and Bein yesterday, the three parties involved in negotiations in trying to bring these 28 matches to the Spanish public. A situation of stalemate exists with Movistar and Bein both unwilling to increase their respective bids which are deemed as "symbolic" by Uefa. This morning their social media are stating that "there are no new developments in our attempt to secure these rights".
No Group E
As it stands no Group E (Italy, Belgium Sweden, Ireland) game is scheduled to be shown in Spain and Spanish viewers will also be deprived of Gareth Bales' debut for Wales on Saturday. The home international tussle when England face Wales is another match fans in Spain will be deprived of.
Pressure from sponsors
With time running out and all sides seemingly unwilling to budge from their respective negotiation stance, it may be last minute pressure from Uefa sponsors who are unhappy about the lack of visibility for their brands in an important market such as Spain that is a decisive factor is softening positions.
