Disney confirms La Liga rights in the UK and Ireland.
Marcus Rashford and Trent Alexander-Arnold will return to UK screens, as Disney and La Liga have announced a new agreement.
Disney has secured the rights to broadcast Spain’s top-flight league matches in the UK and Ireland until the end of the 2027/28 season, with one game per week set to air on Disney+.
Premier Sports will remain the primary broadcaster across both territories, continuing to show more than 300 matches each season.
Sources told the Financial Times that the annual value of the deal would be approximately $26.73m. At the same time, Deloitte’s annual review of football finance noted that LaLiga clubs’ aggregate broadcast revenue rose by 1% to €1.8bn, accounting for 48% of their total income.
This additional revenue will not only strengthen the finances of Spanish clubs but could also help La Liga regain popularity among UK audiences, a challenge since Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo departed.
The league appears determined to boost its international presence, highlighted by Alexander-Arnold linking up with Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid, and Rashford joining Barcelona on loan from Manchester United.
Disney will feature Barcelona in its match against Levante UD on August 23 and Real Madrid in its away fixture against RCD Mallorca on August 30.
Karl Holmes, General Manager, Disney+ EMEA, said: “Now, with LALIGA joining the line-up, they can experience that same excitement on the pitch with weekly matches featuring legendary clubs like Real Madrid and FC Barcelona and stars like Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold, as part of their Disney+ subscription.”
Disney’s move in an increasingly competitive landscape
Netflix has secured Christmas Day NFL games, agreed deals with WWE and is reportedly a front-runner for UFC broadcasts. Amazon has added rights for the NBA, NFL Thursday Night Football and the UEFA Champions League.
Meanwhile, Disney+ has acquired the rights to the UEFA Women’s Champions League across Europe from next season, as well as the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League in Sweden and Denmark.
At the time of the UEFA Women’s Champions League agreement, Holmes, said: “The UEFA Women’s Champions League is the very best in football performance, dedication, and passion.
“Bringing this incredible tournament to Disney+ customers and audiences speaks to our commitment to delivering a huge range of bold and dynamic entertainment.”
This latest deal also offers a hint at how Disney might present LaLiga matches. ESPN could assist with commentary, mirroring its coverage of the Champions League.
Financials in check
On August 6, Disney announced its third-quarter earnings results for 2025, citing sport segment operating income of $1bn (an increase of $235m year-on-year).
This was primarily due to the removal of $314m in losses from Star India, which were consolidated in the prior-year quarter but are now accounted for under equity investments following a joint venture with Reliance Industries.
Despite this income growth, the sports segment revenue fell by 5%, from $4.55bn in Q3 FY24 to $4.30bn in Q3 FY25. This was entirely attributable to the Star India deconsolidation. ESPN revenues, domestic and international, were essentially flat year-on-year, increasing just 1% overall.
Domestic ESPN, the heart of Disney’s sports portfolio, saw its operating income decline by 7%, reflecting significant increases in programming and production costs. These were mainly driven by contractual rate increases for NBA and college sports rights. While ESPN did not carry the NHL Stanley Cup Finals this year (due to its alternating-year rights), that cost relief was offset by other rising obligations.
On the revenue side, ESPN experienced 3% growth in domestic advertising, helped by higher ad rates, even though average viewership declined. Affiliate revenue dropped due to ongoing cord-cutting trends, but was partially offset by increased effective rates.
Pay-per-view income also declined slightly due to lower average buys per Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event.
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