Costi Mocanu outlines pay-per-view model and criticises early kick-off times for Superliga

A public debate continues regarding the broadcast times for Superliga matches. Commentator Costi Mocanu entered the discussion with arguments concerning television rights and scheduling preferences. He currently works as a commentator for Prima Sport and is a former general director of Pro TV.

Mocanu stated that Superliga TV rights could operate on a pay-per-view basis if one million subscribers paid five euros monthly. He noted that from this five euro fee, approximately three euros would remain after deducting value added tax and payment processor costs. The commentator estimated that one million paying subscribers would correspond to a television audience exceeding 1.5 to two million viewers.

The last contract for Romanian Superliga TV rights was signed in 2025 for a decade, running until 2035. The total value of this agreement is almost 400,000,000 euros. This amounts to an average of circa 40,000,000 euros per season.

Andrei Nicolescu, the Dinamo București board president, proposed moving Romanian championship derbies to 17:00. He suggested that Dinamo, FCSB, Rapid, and Craiova should play matches starting at this time. This proposal has contributed to the ongoing public debate about match scheduling.

Mocanu argued against the 17:00 slot. He stated that few people watch television at this time on weekends. This low viewership would impact TV rights sales, even if stadium attendance remained high. He maintains that Liga 1 matches should be played in the evening to maximize audience reach.

Mocanu also described a hypothetical scenario where derby matches start at 17:00 and are available exclusively on Netflix. He discussed these topics with Golazo.ro amid the broader conversation. Mocanu is also known as an initiator of the Voyo project, which was the first paid application launched in Romania fifteen years prior to the report.

The commentator has commented on Liga 1, Champions League, and national team football matches in his recent media appearances. His remarks highlight the tension between traditional broadcast models and new digital platforms in Romanian football.