Barça TV will stop broadcasting on June 30 after the Barça club has decided not to renew the contract that has linked it with Telefónica since 2015. The closure, which was announced by RAC 1 and confirmed by EL PAÍS, it will mean the dismissal of some 150 workers -contracted and collaborators- after almost 24 years of operation, since its foundation in July 1999. The broadcasts will continue from now on with the resources of Barça Studios through through an OTT or online or streaming platform, according to the information provided by FC Barcelona itself.
The club estimates that the annual losses amount to about 14 million, a figure that the employees practically reduce by half -about six million-, amounts in any case that have caused the closure of the channel, as it was currently acting, in an attempt to reduce costs and adapt to the fair play League financier. The austerity policy will continue in different sectors of the club and especially in the professional sections whose teams are currently competing in the final phases of European competitions. The feasibility plan calls for a cost reduction of 200 million.
The labor situation of the workers and collaborators of Barça TV was so delicate that on December 31, after several meetings with Telefónica, they began a strike that ended with a minimum agreement in February 2023. The pact, however, has been ephemeral for the 150 workers hired by Telefónica – there are 14 workers who belong to Barça Studios and who are on the Barcelona payroll. The Barcelona entity tried unsuccessfully to mediate in the conflict with Telefónica and has now chosen not to renew the contract that ended on June 30.
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