Chilean soccer league looks to sell stake in media rights business, says report

• ANFP reportedly looking for high-profile investor that specialises in ‘technology innovation’
• League aims to follow steps taken by LaLiga and Ligue 1

Chile’s Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (ANFP) is looking for an investor to buy a stake in its media rights business, according to Bloomberg.

The ANFP, which governs the country’s top two domestic soccer leagues, reportedly aims to sell a 20 per cent stake of a newly created company that controls the commercial rights of Primera División de Chile and Primera B. The business will house television, naming, sponsorship and licensing rights.

The ANFP is purportedly searching for a high-profile investor that can develop new revenue streams, with an emphasis on technology innovation.

Should the ANFP find a buyer, it would represent the latest investment in South American soccer, which has seen a recent surge in financial backing, particularly in Brazil. A report in November said that the Brazilian Football League (Libra) was in talks to sell a stake in its proposed competition to United Arab Emirates (UAE) investment firm Mubadala Capital. Meanwhile, Peru’s Liga 1 sold its media rights last September to agency 1190 Sports, which is backed by Miami-based investment company 777 Partners.

The practice of soccer leagues selling stakes in their media rights businesses has become increasingly common in Europe. Notably, private equity firm CVC Capital Partners has acquired stakes in the commercial subsidiaries of France’s Ligue 1 and Spain’s LaLiga.

This will not happen in Germany, however, after clubs from the country’s top two tiers rejected plans to sell a stake in the Bundesliga’s media rights business.