Movistar exit costs Spanish football €30m per year

Spanish telco operator Telefónica has chosen not to extend sponsorship deals worth tens of millions of euros per year on Spain’s leading football assets.

Telefónica, promoting its telco brand Movistar, had used the sponsorships of Real Madrid, Barcelona and the Spanish national team to supplement its domestic media rights agreement for LaLiga.

But the operator is expected to focus more strongly on sponsorships that generate digital content, including esports, withdrawing around €30m in annual fees from Spanish football, according to Sports Sponsorship Insider research.

According to the most recent Sports Sponsorship Barometer by SPSG Consulting and ESADE business school in Barcelona, Movistar is the third-ranked brand most linked to sport in Spain, behind Coca-Cola and Santander.