Brazilian commercial broadcaster SBT has acquired rights to the Copa do Nordeste, an annual football competition contested by clubs in the Northeastern region of the country.
SBT has agreed the deal with sports broadcaster Esporte Interativo, which holds rights to the tournament through to 2022. The length of SBT’s deal was not disclosed, but it will commence with the 2018 Copa do Nordeste, which is scheduled to run from January 17 to July 10.
SBT will broadcast the tournament throughout the Northeastern states. The Maquina do Esporte website said it has acquired rights to three games per round, along with a weekly highlights programme.
The Copa do Nordeste has previously been broadcast by affiliates of media group Globo. The deal marks a decade-long absence for football coverage on SBT.
Bahia is the reigning Copa do Nordeste champion having defeated Sport 2-1 on aggregate in this year’s final.