Trio shortlisted for Chilean football broadcaster buy-out – report

Media companies Fox, Turner and beIN Media Group have been shortlisted following their bids to acquire full ownership of Chile’s football league broadcaster, Canal del Fútbol, according to Chilean newspaper, El Mercurio.

The report said that the trio had tabled non-binding offers of up to $1.1bn (€918.6m) for the channel.

There is a September 30 deadline for bids to be finalised, although this could be extended, reports have suggested.

Satellite operator DirecTV and international sports broadcaster ESPN were also rumoured to be exploring a bid before news of the apparent shortlist emerged.

Canal del Fútbol, the exclusive broadcaster of the top two tiers of Chilean football, has been put up for sale by the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional, football’s governing body in Chile. The association owns an 80-per-cent stake in the channel, with the other 20 per cent being controlled by the Grupo Claro publishing group.

The Canal del Fútbol operation comprises a basic and premium channel.