The CNMC obliges RTVE to hire advertising for Qatar 2022 only with FIFA sponsors

The National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) has prohibited the Spanish Radio and Television Corporation (RTVE) from contracting advertising for the Qatar 2022 World Cup with advertisers other than the sponsors and other commercial affiliates of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
18 November 2022 Friday 07:34
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The CNMC obliges RTVE to hire advertising for Qatar 2022 only with FIFA sponsors

The National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) has prohibited the Spanish Radio and Television Corporation (RTVE) from contracting advertising for the Qatar 2022 World Cup with advertisers other than the sponsors and other commercial affiliates of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). .

This was announced this Friday by the state body, which also recalled that on November 4 the CNMC adopted a provisional measure to provisionally suspend the hiring of this advertising.

In this sense, the CNMC considers that the broadcast by RTVE of general advertising "is not covered by the exception provided for in the regulations that regulate the financing of the Corporation".

Thus, the Commission has adopted a resolution urging RTVE to limit its commercial offer for the World Cup in Qatar to advertisers and/or brands strictly referring to sponsors and other commercial affiliates of FIFA for the World Cup. Qatar 2020 soccer match.

"The broadcast of advertising or the obtaining of commercial income from advertisers or different brands has no place within the exception provided for in the RTVE Corporation Financing Law, since it cannot be considered an indivisible content of the acquisition of rights for retransmission of the sports competition", the organization concluded.

The Commission has indicated that in the bidding conditions and in the contract signed between Mediapro and RTVE only an obligation is imposed on RTVE to offer the preferential possibility of advertising and having a presence in the World Cup broadcasts to commercial affiliates of FIFA, but not to other advertisers or brands.

On November 4, the CNMC had provisionally considered that the legal exception would only cover the broadcast of advertising by the sponsors of the competition and other commercial affiliates of FIFA and had required RTVE to temporarily suspend the contracting of this type of advertising. .

Finally, the CNMC has recalled that a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed directly against this resolution before the National Court within a period of two months from the day following its notification.