Prisa begins new soccer funnel

MADRID -- Conglom Prisa, the controlling investor of The spanish language satcaster Digital Plus, will launch a brand new soccer funnel, Canal Plus Liga 2. Airing from Tuesday on Digital Plus, the service can have live transmissions of 5 The spanish language BBVA Liga games every weekend. Meanwhile, over 2011-12, Digital Plus premium paybox Canal Plus will screen 22 matches including Real Madrid or Barcelona -- six games on last season. Canal Plus Liga 2 reps Prisa's latest play for soccer privileges. This Feb, it inked a 3-year deal from 2012-13 to 2014-15 for TV privileges towards the UEFA Champions League, Europe's top club competition. In June, it drawn lower The spanish language league and cup matches performed by Northern club Sports p Bilbao. But Prisa's soccer privileges sally may come as Spain's soccer bubble seems to possess sprang. Clubs' debt runs at $5.7 billion. Seven first division clubs have searched for Chapter 11 protection. Spain's Assn. of The spanish language Football players is threatening a 2-game strike this month: People, it claims, are owed $72 million. Spain's fundamental issue is clubs' high ambitions, despite low pay TV subscribership. Digital Plus had 1.78 million clients in March Mediapro's pay TV funnel Gol TV had 365,000. Based on The spanish language newspaper El Mundo, Liga TV privileges sales attract around $879 million annually, in comparison with $1.82 billion for England's Premier League. Driven by BSkyB, ''pay TV uptake within the U.K. is a lot greater. And Sky's live privileges are exclusive,'' stated Guy Bisson, at IHS-Screen Digest. ''If Spain's Liga does not pay comparable wages, gamers will migrate with other leagues,'' he added. That will result in the Liga much more of the two-equine race between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Despite star signings, their finances, given their huge group of followers, remain broadly so as. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com