Barcelona to close down club television channel ‘Barça TV’
FC Barcelona’s club channel will emit its final broadcast on 30 June. According to Sport, 150 professionals, including contractors and collaborators, will be left without a job.
As part of an obligatory wave of financial cuts, FC Barcelona will close its ‘Barça TV’ television channel on 30 June, the day its contract with Movistar+ ends, according to reports in local sports media Sport.
The Barça board, which has decided not to extend the agreement with the multinational platform, has already informed the 150 professionals who work in the media, including contractors and collaborators, of the decision.
Barça TV began broadcasting in collaboration with Telefónica in July 1999, In 2011, MediaPro took over production for the next four years until it returned to Telefónica in 2015. In 2017, the channel started broadcasting free-to-air in Catalunya on the DTTV platform.
As of Friday 30 June and according to information provided by Sport, new formulas are being sought to maintain the club’s image and continue issuing its audiovisual content, taking advantage of the club’s strong presence on social media
Barcelona set plans to close Barca TV as financial struggles continue
Barcelona’s in-house media channel, Barca TV, will be no more come the 30th of June.
Reported by various sources, including Relevo, after this date, the service will be shut down, which will see 120 workers be out of a job. The move has been taken for financial reasons, as the channel has become unsustainable in the club’s current climate.
Disbanding the channel will see Barcelona save around €10m per year, while it will also help them when taking Financial Fair Play into account. Given that club officials are desperate to see Lionel Messi return this summer, it has been deemed necessary to end Barca TV.
Barca TV is currently managed by Movistar, but with their contract running out on the 30th of June, it has been decided that this is the right time to close the network.
Barcelona need to reduce their spending by €200m before they can return to the 1/1 rule implemented by La Liga, and this decision will help them take a small step towards recovering their financial situation
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