You see, by law there is one match per week that is reserved for free, over-the-air broadcast. Both the clubs and of course the media companies would love to get that game behind a pay-wall, especially in this economic crisis, but the public are very much against it. With 20 days until the season starts that weekly game has yet to be determined.
That's not the only bone of contention. In April of last year the CNC, or the National Competition Committee, ruled that television contracts are "prohibited by this governing body when their duration is greater than 3 years" which effectively made most null and void for this upcoming campaign. Now, some clubs (Atlético, Celta, Espanyol, Getafe, Osasuna, Real Sociedad, Zaragoza, Athletic and Betis) have gotten the upper hand according to As.com, and signed with competitor Canal+ for the next three years. Mediapro however have unilaterally extended the current contract for the entire league covering the next three years, and another Media-war like the one that threatened the season three years ago looks headed for the courts again.
The Spanish Football Federation states that the season will start on time but there are no guarantees that any of it, especially the first few weeks of the 2012-2013 season will be televised and by whom. In the end the matter will be resolved. There is too much money riding on it especially for the top clubs but it'll be a band-aid resolution. The problem will not be solved, an equitable solution will not be reached and Spanish football will continue to be one of the most disorganized competitions in Western Europe.
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