LOS ANGELES: Sports broadcaster ESPN has reached a new multi-year agreement for telecast rights to the Spanish Football League throughout Latin America and the Pacific Rim.
The new agreement means that ESPN, which has broadcast Spanish Football matches in Latin America since 1998, will continue to televise the property through the 2005-06 season. As part of the deal, ESPN also acquires extensive telecast rights for the Copa del Rey for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.
An official release informs that the terms of the new agreement call for ESPN to have exclusive cable and satellite rights for Spanish Football for up to eight matches per round for the remainder of the current season. For the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, ESPN will have exclusive cable and satellite rights to all matches played in each round. ESPN will offer live telecasts of Spanish Football on all its networks in Latin America including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+, and ESPN Brasil, as well as on its network serving Australia and New Zealand in the Pacific Rim adds the release.
In addition ESPN will produce a new studio show for Latin America viewers. Goles de Espa?a will debut on 3 November and will feature analysis and match highlights from La Liga. Goles de Espa?a.
La Liga features an array of Latin American stars such as Brazilians Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid), Argentines Javier Saviola (Barcelona) and Pablo Aimar (Valencia), and Mexican Rafael Marquez (Barcelona). Defending champions Real Madrid have added English pop icon David Beckham to its star studded lineup this season. Six of the last seven World Players of the Year now play with Real Madrid.