Press Release 11/2026
19 June 2026
The Portuguese Competition Authority (AdC) issued an opinion on the framework of centralized sale of audiovisual rights on the concerning professional men's football competitions, namely the First and Second League, for the domestic market, presented by the Portuguese Professional Football League (Liga) and the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF).
The AdC concluded that the framework of centralized sale is broadly aligned with the competition advocacy principles previously identified by the AdC in its 2018 Recommendation.
Among the elements considered essential, the allocation of rights through competitive, transparent, and periodic procedures stands out, as well as the definition of rules for structuring the lots that promote contestability and facilitate the entry of new operators.
The AdC further highlighted the importance of participation rules appropriate for preventing risks of collusion and market foreclosure, ensuring effective competition conditions in the acquisition and exploitation of rights.
The AdC also emphasized the need to ensure a plurality of buyers, avoiding the concentration of all relevant rights in a single firm, and providing competition safeguards throughout the entire value chain, to the benefit of end consumers of football content.
The framework put forward by Liga and FPF includes relevant structural mechanisms to promote competition, in particular the segmentation into lots and the introduction of rules designed to ensure the presence of at least two major firms in the exploitation of football content. These are key aspects to an effective framework of centralized sale benefiting consumers.
The opinion of the AdC complies with the provisions of Decree-Law No. 22-B/2021 of 22 March, which enshrines the principle of centralized sale of audiovisual rights, as well as the requirement for prior assessment by the AdC.