Real Madrid has taken to its official website to ask for offers for its TV rights for the '14-15 season, according to FOOTBALL ESPANA. A court ruling ordered the club to "end a deal with company Mediapro for their audiovisual rights." An appeal is "still pending, but in the meantime," Real has released a statement asking "potential companies to come forward and bid for their television rights for the upcoming season." The club's statement said, "As the Press picked up at the time, at the end of last year the Competition Commission (CNMC) finalised a document that was started in May 2012. In said document the CNMC placed sanctions on Mediapro and various football clubs, including Real Madrid. ... Real Madrid will listen to offers from those who might be interested in acquiring available audiovisual rights, with the sole intention of maximising the investment stemming from the club's rights and defending the interests of the club. Those who are interested should make offers to the club within seven days of the publication of this announcement, and should attach an explicatory report of the predicted commercial use and their economic offer" (FOOTBALL ESPANA, 6/23). In Madrid, Marco Ruiz wrote "the conflict goes back further." On July 20, 2012, the CNMC opened an investigation into Real and Mediapro for failing to meet regulations. The "regulation preventing contracts of more than three years had been established in '10, with an exemption for contracts that had been signed before then." But the CNMC "detected that Real Madrid and Mediapro had agreed to an extension to a contract they already had." The CNMC had opened investigations into other clubs before looking into Real Madrid, "including Sevilla, Racing and Barcelona." All three were jointly fined on Dec. 2 -- Mediapro for €6.5M, Real Madrid for €3.9M, Barcelona for €3.6M, Sevilla for €900,000 and Racing for €30,000. The "other background" is that Spanish Superior Sports Council (CSD) President Miguel Cardenal is "promoting the centralized sale of TV rights for La Liga and the Copa del Rey, something that will be included in the new Sports Law" (AS, 6/23).
