About Segunda Division
History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage
The Spanish Segunda División is the second level of football in Spain. It ranks behind La Liga, the top flight, and is organized by the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (LFP). Founded in 1922, the Segunda División currently features teams from both Spain as well as Andorra. It operates on a relegation-promotion system, meaning that the top two teams from the Segunda División are automatically promoted to La Liga, while the teams who finish bottom of the table are demoted to the Primera Federación (third tier).
In addition, the four teams who finish behind the top two sides are eligible to feature in a mini play-off competition, where the team that wins also earns a ticket to La Liga. Each team in the Segunda División plays one another twice (both home and away). Murcia, Real Betis, Deportivo La Coruña, and Sporting Gijón are among the most successful sides in Segunda División history. Teams in the Segunda División are also eligible to participate in the annual Copa del Rey competition.
Media broadcast rights to the Segunda División in Spain have been granted to multiple different organizations since its inception in 1922. Starting from the 1960s and running through the 1990s, public broadcaster TVE held TV broadcast rights to the Segunda División, before the rights were sold to a variety of paid-TV providers. During the 1990s, Canal+ and Telecinco were among the broadcasters who held media rights, and starting in the 2000s Cuatro, beIN Sports, and Gol Televisión all held TV broadcast rights at various points during the early part of the 21st century.
In 2019, streaming provider DAZN acquired media rights to the Segunda División in Spain to provide both live and on-demand streaming of all Segunda División matches in a multi-year deal.
