LaLiga EA Sports has started the 2026-27 season without free live football on Spanish digital terrestrial television following a broadcast shift to DAZN. The fixture chosen for the opening matchday, RC Deportivo de La Coruña against Elche CF, will not air on public channel Teledeporte as matches did during the second half of last season.
Instead, supporters can watch the match free of charge through streaming service DAZN, provided they create an account and log into the platform online or via its applications. The move means the return of Deportivo de La Coruña to Spain's top division, following their relegation at the end of the 2017-18 season, will not feature on conventional television channels.
Free matches move to digital registration
The decision to move free broadcasts online comes after Teledeporte recorded strong viewing figures for top-flight football during the 2025-26 campaign. Spain's public sports channel, operated by state broadcaster RTVE, achieved its highest monthly audience share in history in February, boosted by coverage of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games and domestic football competitions.
Official audience metrics showed that a match between RCD Mallorca and Sevilla FC attracted 337,000 viewers to Teledeporte, while an encounter between Athletic Club and Elche reached 315,000 viewers. Despite that viewership, DAZN has opted to keep its single weekly free match within its own digital ecosystem rather than sublicensing to terrestrial television.
Viewers looking to watch the Deportivo-Elche match do not need a paid subscription, but they must register an account on the DAZN website or through smart television and mobile apps. This restores the distribution model used at the start of the 2025-26 season, when free-to-air football was initially absent from digital terrestrial television before RTVE secured rights for the second half of the campaign.
Teledeporte will continue to broadcast highlight packages and sports summary shows covering LaLiga EA Sports, alongside other live sports events. However, it remains uncertain whether RTVE and DAZN will reach a new sublicensing agreement later in the season to bring live matches back to traditional free television.
Upcoming free fixtures scheduled by DAZN
DAZN has confirmed the schedule for its free-to-view fixtures across the opening four matchdays of the 2026-27 season:
- Matchday 1: RC Deportivo de La Coruña vs Elche CF on August 17, 2026
- Matchday 2: Athletic Club vs Sevilla FC on August 22, 2026
- Matchday 3: Racing Club vs Elche CF on August 28, 2026
- Matchday 4: RCD Espanyol vs Sevilla FC on September 6, 2026
Broadcasting rights split between Movistar and DAZN
The overall distribution of domestic television rights for LaLiga EA Sports remains divided between telecommunications group Movistar Plus and streaming platform DAZN. As reported by technology news outlet Xataka, both companies agreed a distribution deal after winning approximately 50 percent of the broadcast rights each in the league's last auction.
Under that agreement, subscribers to the Movistar Plus football package can view all ten matches during every matchday because operator Telefónica integrates DAZN channels directly into its platform. Movistar Plus remains the only service in Spain offering complete coverage of the competition within a single subscription.
DAZN retains independent production and broadcast rights for its allocated five matches per matchday, deploying its own team of presenters, narrators, and commentators to give its coverage a distinct brand identity. Those five fixtures are also accessible to Movistar Plus+ customers through integrated channels and app access on the operator's set-top boxes.
The general access framework for Spanish football fans remains unchanged from recent seasons, with Movistar Plus+ customers receiving total coverage while standalone DAZN subscribers receive access strictly to the five matches assigned to the streaming provider in its awarded package.
