Real Madrid to Sign Blockbuster TV Deal

Real Madrid is on the verge of one of the largest television rights deal ever signed by a soccer club, according to club president Ramon Calderon. The deal is worth $1.02 Billion , that's with a "B", over seven years and is to be signed this week. Remember, that revenue is for one club and doesn't have to be shared with anyone unlike the league deals signed in the US. The closest comparable deal in the US would be the Yankees cable television deal with the YES network,which was worth about $500 million when it was originally signed, but that the network is owned in part by the Yankees so a comparison is probably not really fair and that deal is several years old. A more apt comparison might be Real's chief rival, Barcelona, which concluded a new television deal only five months ago for about 150 million Euros a season for seven years, which appears on the surface to be roughly comparable to Real's deal.

Calderon also indicated a desire to resign David Beckham, but that Beckham has suspended talks on a new contract. His contract has expires in June and he is free to talk to other clubs starting in January.