Can Globo be without regular games from Rio de Janeiro clubs in 2025? Understand

The Brasileirão 2025 has not yet concluded negotiations for all broadcasting rights, but Globo has already guaranteed the Libra package, which currently in Série A includes Flamengo, Palmeiras, São Paulo, Atlético-MG, Grêmio, Bahia, Vitória and Red Bull Bragantino . These last two are still fighting against relegation, but the block has Santos very much on track to move up in Series B.

The contract with Libra guarantees until 2029 exclusivity for Globo in all media of the games of the teams in this block on condition of hosts. With Palmeiras and São Paulo guaranteed, and the very likely return of Santos, the broadcaster should have no problems guaranteeing games for the metropolitan region of São Paulo starting next year in all rounds on open TV . But what about in Rio?

O < b>Flamengo is the only team from Rio in the Libra package. The LFU (Liga Forte União), a block that includes Botafogo, Vasco and Fluminense, sold its broadcasting rights on open platforms to Record and YouTube, one game per round, always the same shared between the two companies. Globo can broadcast games from these three teams, but only when they are visitors against Libra teams.

With the Law of Host, Flamengo only had its 19 games to sell. As part of Libra, Rubro-Negro will include games against their blockmates away from home in Globo's portfolio as well, such as São Paulo x Flamengo, Palmeiras x Flamengo, and so on. If the number of eight members of this block remained (Flamengo and seven more), there would be another seven games in the account, for a total of 26.

It is not possible to guarantee a game per round for Rio de Janeiro with just Flamengo. There are 38 rounds. In addition to having to spend the entire red-and-black quota on open TV, there are still sportv and Premiere to supply. At the Upfront event, held this month, Globo committed to maintaining 38 rounds with one game always on open TV and two games per round on sportv.

Libra has eight teams in Series A, therefore 152 games sold to the broadcaster. Enough to finance the open TV and pay TV project. The problem is the division of squares. To complete the 12 remaining rounds in Rio de Janeiro, Globo would have to count on games from Vasco, Botafogo and Fluminense, but to do so it would need the table to cooperate. The column did the test using the Brasileirão 2024 table as an example and base.

If the Brasileirão 2024 was already broadcast with the rules of the club blocks, Globo would be left without Rio games in eight rounds. And this is only considering the basic table of the competition, without taking into account the possible and probable losses of matches on open TV due to the calendar clash with the Conmebol competitions.

A club who plays in the Libertadores on Tuesday at the request of ESPN, for example, is ineligible for the previous Sunday in the Brasileirão due to the rule that determines a minimum interval of 66 hours between two professional team games.

This year's first round would already be an example of Globo without a game for Rio de Janeiro. Flamengo played Atlético-GO, an LFU team, away from home. Fluminense and Vasco were home teams, that is, they would be among the possible choices of the holders of the other block, and Botafogo played away from home, but against Cruzeiro, also an LFU team. On that same occasion, the broadcaster could choose which game to show for the state of São Paulo, since São Paulo was home against Fortaleza and Palmeiras was visiting against Vitória, a Libra team.

In the seventh round, another occurrence, this time even involving a classic. Flamengo was a visitor against Vasco, another game that would be for the LFU. Fluminense was the home team against Juventude, and Botafogo visited another Liga Forte team, Corinthians. For SP, the only choice involving big teams from São Paulo would be São Paulo x Cruzeiro.

In the 11th round, when the choice for São Paulo would be the Palmeiras x Juventude clash, the RJ public would be left without their teams' games again on Globo. Flamengo was a visitor in the derby against Fluminense, Vasco played against São Paulo, and Botafogo was a visitor against Criciúma, another LFU team.

In the 17th round, with São Paulo x Grêmio eligible for those from São Paulo, Globo would find itself limited again in terms of Rio de Janeiro. Flamengo appears in the table as a visitor against Internacional, another team from the Liga Forte, while Botafogo was placed as home team against Palmeiras and Fluminense against Athletico Paranaense. Vasco played away, but against another LFU team, Atlético-GO.

Other occurrence found by the column appeared in the 23rd round: again with a classic as a visitor, Flamengo took on Botafogo, which in 2025 would be a game for the holders of the Liga Forte. Fluminense sent against Corinthians and Vasco visited Criciúma. All LFU games. For São Paulo, once again without problems, since in this round there was the classic Palmeiras x São Paulo, a Libra game.

In the 32nd round, which in real life will be held from the end of this week, Globo would see Flamengo visiting against Cruzeiro, from the LFU, a block that would still have the rights to Botafogo x Vasco and Fluminense x Grêmio. In São Paulo, the broadcaster could not choose the classic Corinthians x Palmeiras, as Timão is also a member of the Liga Forte, but would guarantee itself with Bahia x São Paulo.

The other two occurrences would be precisely in the final stretch. In the 35th round, Flamengo plays away from home against Fortaleza, another team from the Liga Forte, Vasco visits Corinthians, also LFU, and Fluminense and Botafogo appear as home teams against Criciúma and Vitória, respectively. In the 37th and penultimate round, it would be Flamengo's turn to visit Criciúma, while Fluminense and Vasco would host against Cuiabá and Atlético-MG, and Botafogo would be visitors against Internacional.

In this analysis , the column encountered a problem with games for São Paulo only once, in the 25th round. Corinthians, from Liga Forte, would host Flamengo, while Palmeiras and São Paulo would be visitors against Athletico and Fluminense, all LFU games. Interestingly, in this round there was a Vitória x Vasco that would save Globo in Rio, since the Bahian team is from Libra. But the problems with São Paulo tend to disappear completely with the access of Santos.

The order of the clashes in each round in the table will determine Globo's luck in the division of squares. In each of these cases listed, if there is a repeat in 2025, the broadcaster will have to cover games in Rio with teams from São Paulo, or Atlético-MG, or Grêmio, etc.

When we talk in "luck", it is not due to a common use of the term: the same table that caused these eight occurrences without Rio games for TV Globo also brought rounds with up to three options of choices for Rio. In the 31st, for example, held in Last weekend, the broadcaster could have freely chosen between Flamengo x Juventude, Vitória x Fluminense and Red Bull Bragantino x Botafogo, three Libra games. This imbalance is what helps some rounds to have several options and others none. But what really determines is the fact that three cariocas do not have a contract with the broadcaster in full Mandant Law.