Fox Soccer Channel Picks Up Supercopa Match, Eyes La Liga Rights

By John Ourand, Staff Writer

Fox Soccer Channel Picks Up English-Language Rights To Real Madrid-Valencia Supercopa Match

Fox Soccer Channel (FSC) picked up the English-language rights to the two-leg Spanish Supercopa match between Valencia and Real Madrid -- a move its executives hope will help it land rights to Spain's La Liga soccer league when it comes up at the end of this season. "We have rights to the top leagues in England and Italy," said FSC Exec VP/GM David Sternberg. "But we don't have them in Spain. We've looked at them in the past and remain interested." The rights, which were last available two-and-a-half years ago, come up again after this season. Currently the rights are shared between Gol TV and the Voom HD channel World Sport, Sternberg said. FSC will telecast the Spanish Supercopa live, starting August 17 in Valencia. The second leg is scheduled for Madrid on August 24. "We're focused on bringing our viewers international soccer competitions like this," Sternberg said.