As officially reported on the Uruguayan newspaper ‘El Observador’ web version, the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) agreed with Tenfield, company that owns the broadcasting rights of the Professional Football League in Uruguay, to pay the share of the TV rights of the championship in June in four parts, which will be paid between July and October.
According to information reported by ‘El Observador’, Tenfield will pay a total of USD 2.5 million to the clubs and the AUF in a first fee (55% of the total) in July, and the remaining 45% will be paid in August (15%); September (15%) and October (15%). With this agreement, Tenfield is paying the second of the three quarterly fees that must be paid to the AUF to broadcast the Uruguayan Football League during 2020. In addition, it must pay other lower fees throughout the year.
Since April, the company has not been receiving economic income for the payment of the football pack available the country, since, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, pay TV operators are not charging it to their subscribers. This way, when professional football resumes in Uruguay (it will probably be in August and, according to ‘El Observador’, it could be the 1st or the 8th that month), Tenfield will have accumulated four months without income from this offer.
The agreement between Tenfield and AUF, which was established 22 years ago, reports that 240 football matches must be played a year, in a season that cannot have more than 300 matches. Until March, when Uruguayan football was cancelled by the pandemic, three fixture dates (24 matches) were played and, between August and December, the AUF scheduled the remaining 216. This way, the entity is implementing its part of the agreement and demands its payment from Tenfield.
The Uruguayan football rights agreement establishes UYU $ 110 million (USD 2.5 million) every four months, to be paid this year on the last day of February, June and October. Additionally, Tenfield must pay UYU $ 13.1 million (USD 300 thousand) every two months for an additional payment, as established in 2016.
As reported by ‘El Observador’, AUF and Tenfield came to terms after collecting the payment of the April fee, when Tenfield reported that it could not pay the USD 2.5 million in June. For that reason, a negotiation was raised to make the payment in four fees. Now, the company must pay USD 300 thousand on August 31st.