Advanced Television

Mediapro “regrets and retracts” La Liga attack

April 28, 2025

Earlier this April, La Liga, Spain’s top flight football league, announced that it had awarded its production contracts to HBS (Host Broadcast Services) and TSA (Telefónica Servicios Audiovisuales) – ending a decades-long production partnership with Mediapro.

In response, Mediapro blasted La Liga’s “unprecedented” decision, claiming that it had tabled a superior bid that “exceeded the requirements outlined in the tender”. Mediapro has now said that it fully retracts its statement, calling its response “neither appropriate nor accurate”.

The statement in full:

[Mediapro] formally withdraws and fully retracts the content of its statement issued on April 14, 2025, concerning the awarding of production and distribution contracts for the Spanish football league championship.

We acknowledge that the statement stemmed from a premature assessment of the tender process and included claims that were not substantiated. While [Mediapro] had confidence in the strength of its technical and financial proposal, this conviction led to a communication that, in retrospect, was neither appropriate nor accurate. We regret its tone and content, particularly given that we were not—and are not—in a position to fairly assess or compare the competing offers.

Accordingly, [Mediapro] clarifies that it has no grounds to assert that LALIGA’s decision was arbitrary, lacked objectivity, or was made to benefit other participants at [Mediapro]’s expense. We did not possess a factual basis to support these assertions and should therefore be disregarded.

Likewise, [Mediapro] also wishes to retract any suggestion that the tender process lacked transparency or was marked by secrecy, and that its outcome could be detrimental to clubs, the competition, or broadcast quality—particularly at the start of the season. These were speculative conclusions, and [Mediapro] regrets making them.

Finally, we reiterate our recognition of LALIGA’s role, in collaboration with [Mediapro] and its professionals, in establishing one of the most innovative and technologically advanced football competitions worldwide, committed to the fight against piracy and championing innovation through the introduction of pioneering solutions such as remote production, AI-driven highlights, augmented reality graphics, and live cinema-style broadcasting now adopted globally.

[Mediapro] regrets the earlier statement and reaffirms its respect for the integrity of the tender process and all parties involved.

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