Sky has paid over £30m to retain the broadcasting rights for La Liga, 4.5 times what it paid for its previous contract.

The high price is being seen in the industry as the result of competition from Setanta, which has already given Sky a bloody nose this year by snaffling an extra package of Premiership football in the UK and golf 's PGA Tour.

"It was a big price, " said Setanta's sports director Trevor East, who negotiated Sky's three previous La Liga deals when he worked for that channel. East had formerly indicated that he would not be going for La Liga, but confessed that this had been a ploy. "The last thing I wanted them to think was that we were going to hit them again."

He declined to comment on the sum Setanta offered, but it is understood that this was around 25% less than Sky put on the table. Setanta and Sky were the last two bidders, and East said he was not disappointed to lose at the price paid. "Competition between us has created a very healthy market place, which is good news for rights holders, " he said.

Under the new three-year deal, Sky will broadcast at least two matches from each week of the Primera Liga, as well as a regular magazine show called Revista de la Liga.

Setanta will draw some comfort from its new threeand-a-half year bundling agreement with Racing UK, the horse racing channel owned by 30 leading racecourses. The broadcaster will offer a combined package for £15 a month.

"Sky tried to gazump us at the death, but we managed to get it over the line and it's a real bonus, " East said.