La Liga have finally secured a deal for their games to be shown live in Britain

They have reached an agreement with ITV to broadcast games this season

Friday's curtain raiser between Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona will be shown live

ITV confirmed they will show a game each from the following two matchdays

La Liga have secured a last-minute broadcasting deal with ITV for games to be shown live in Britain this season.

ITV have confirmed that they have agreed a deal with La Liga to be their broadcasting partners for the upcoming season, which begins on Friday night.

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The La Liga curtain raiser between Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona will be shown on free-to-air TV on ITV4 and ITV Hub LIVE from 8:00 p.m. BST (UK).

La Liga have struck last-minute deal with ITV to allow games to be shown in Britain this season

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It has also been announced that one game from the following two match weeks will be shown live on ITV.

FIRST THREE GAMES TO BE SHOWN LIVE Matchday 1 Friday 16th August Athletic Club vs. FC Barcelona – 8pm BST Matchday 2 Sunday 25th August FC Barcelona vs. Real Betis – 8pm BST Matchday 3 Sunday 1st September Villarreal CF vs. Real Madrid – 8pm BST

Barcelona's home clash against Real Betis on August 25 was selected as the game for the second week while matchday three's game will be Real Madrid's trip to Villarreal on September 1.

Thursday's announcement follows ITV4's coverage of the final months of the La Liga season last term alongside subscription-based TV channel Premier Sports.

Streaming service Eleven Sports, owned by Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani, had secured the rights to broadcast La Liga last season, but the deal had to renegotiated after far fewer British consumers signed up to watch than when Sky Sports controlled the rights.

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A number of broadcasters made bids for La Liga at the end of the season but Joris Evers, head of communications for the league, claimed none were 'satisfactory'.

La Liga chief Javier Tebas was keen for the league's games to be shown in Britain this season but resisted lowball offers for the UK rights after securing lucrative deals in the United States.

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There was plenty of ambiguity around the situation with no deal in place but an agreement has been struck with ITV just in time before the season kicks-off.

La Liga chief Javier Tebas rejected several lowball offers but has finally sold the UK rights