S Sport decides to suspend La Liga and Italian Serie A broadcasts

The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) recently issued fines on the grounds that illegal betting advertisements were broadcast during certain sporting events. In addition to TV 8, owned by Acun Ilıcalı, a substantial fine was imposed on the S Sport channel, which belongs to Saran Media.

Following this penalty, the channel's management made a flash decision and suspended the broadcasts of Italian Serie A and Spanish La Liga matches for this week. In a statement made by S Sport, it was announced that match broadcasts would not take place this week.

The statement made by S Sport and S Sport Plus is as follows:

"To the attention of the public,

As we stated in our public announcement on November 25, 2024, all rights and related revenues regarding virtual advertisements in the La Liga and Serie A matches we broadcast belong to the respective leagues.

Our request for them to send a signal cleared of illegal betting advertisements from these leagues has been rejected; it has been declared to us in writing by the relevant leagues that the signal sent to Turkey is transmitted to many countries, including Turkey, simultaneously and with the same content, and that the broadcasting channels do not have the right to intervene in this signal.

Although we clearly expressed these points in our public announcement, unfortunately, posts slandering our group have continued on social media, and the public has been misled with incomplete information. We would like to remind you once again that this situation, which concerns the entire sector, has been shared repeatedly with all official institutions and relevant stakeholders. Despite this, we have learned with regret that RTÜK imposed a fine on us yesterday. While we were waiting for this penalty to be notified to us, we regret to inform you that we have had to make the decision not to broadcast La Liga and Serie A matches this weekend, as we could face much heavier legal sanctions than a monetary fine if these broadcasts continue.

Our goal is to fulfill our responsibilities toward our viewers while acting in accordance with legal obligations and to prevent their potential grievances. As the broadcasting organization, we have notified the relevant leagues in writing of this decision, which we took at the cost of depriving our viewers of this content they love so much and risking our agreements with the leagues we are obligated to, and we have reiterated our request for a signal specific to Turkey.

Ensuring our viewers have access to match broadcasts as soon as possible is our top priority. Our efforts toward a solution are continuing without interruption. We owe a debt of gratitude to our viewers, who are the primary victims of the situation that has arisen, for their understanding and their trust in us throughout this process.

Respectfully announced to the public."