Taking your ball and going home

A supersize mega-value reader alerts me to this story from De Tijd in Belgium, which reports that Belgacom has come in with a surprise knock-out bid for Belgian premiere league football rights. The current rights holders reportedly pay EUR15m per annum for the package, which was divided into six categories for this auction. Belgacom has bid EUR36m for the total package, which includes a special bonus payment if it is successful in winning all six, a move which dominant cable player Telenet has publicly protested. Other bidders have until Monday to table an improved offer. This situation is even more interesting in light of Belgacom's interest in neighboring IP troublemaker Versatel, which similarly shocked and awed with its own Dutch football rights coup.