LigaF hands broadcast rights to DAZN, TVE and TV3 with free-to-air at the centre

LigaF has awarded the audiovisual rights for its competition in Spain and Andorra for the next three seasons to DAZN, TVE and TV3. The decision came from the league's Audiovisual Rights Control Body after it analysed new offers received in a second round of bidding provided for in its procedure rules. DAZN will carry all eight matches of each matchday on a pay-per-view basis, while TVE and TV3 will show four matches per matchday on free-to-air television, meaning half of the competition's games can be watched for free each weekend.

The structure formalises an approach the league's clubs set out in January: maximise visibility and audience growth by treating free-to-air broadcasts and paid offerings as two complementary avenues rather than competing ones. LigaF frames free-to-air as a fundamental tool to build future value, reach the largest number of households, and multiply exposure for clubs, players and sponsors, describing a virtuous circle between audience, notoriety and sporting and commercial value.

The free-to-air push is not new to this rights cycle. In late January, LigaF announced that four matches per matchday would be available via RTVE and TV3 and its digital platform 3CAT from Matchday 19, played between 7 and 8 February, with DAZN continuing to show the full slate and another match on GOL Play, TEN and regional channels. At that point, president Beatriz Álvarez said free-to-air television is fundamental for breaking down barriers and bringing women's football to more homes.

The audience numbers give the strategy some backing. In the 25/26 season the competition reached a cumulative audience of 7.5 million viewers, up 11.2 percent on the previous season and 127 percent since LigaF's creation in the 22/23 campaign. The Spanish-language announcement adds that the competition recorded 3.3 million viewers in 2022/23, so the cumulative audience has more than doubled over that span.

The new season has started strongly on screen. The opening matchday of 2026/27 drew more than 450,000 spectators, the best inaugural matchday figure in the competition's history and growth of more than 300 percent compared with the start of the previous season. LigaF presented that record as confirmation of a sustained upward trend and as validation of the combined pay and free-to-air model carried over from last season.

International rights are the open question. The Control Body decided not to award the packages for the European Union and the rest of the world on the global terms initially proposed, and will instead commercialise them directly in different markets, citing interest from operators in various countries and geographical areas during the process. LigaF says the territory-by-territory approach will let it adapt distribution to the characteristics and opportunities of each market and expand its international presence.

The domestic deal is a bet that reach now converts into value later. Free-to-air exposure is harder to monetise directly than an exclusive pay package, but it builds the audience base that sponsors and future rights negotiations price in. The 11.2 percent season-on-season growth and the record opening matchday suggest the model is at least holding attention. The real test will be whether the market-by-market international sales, still to be concluded, can turn that visibility into diversified revenue without a global anchor deal.