Primera A

The Ecuadorian Serie A (also known as Primera A) is the top flight of men’s professional football in Ecuador. Founded in 1957, it operates under the guidance of CONMEBOL and like many leagues worldwide operates on a relegation-promotion system. The season generally runs from February through December of each year.

At the end of each season, a set number of teams from the Ecuadorian Serie A are relegated to the Ecuadorian Serie B. Teams competing in the Ecuadorian Serie A are also eligible to take part in several domestic competitions, including the Copa Ecuador and the Supercopa Ecuador, as well as international tournaments such as the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana.

Barcelona, Emelec, El Nacional, and LDU Quito are among the most successful teams in Ecuadorian Serie A history.

From the 1960s through the 1990s, matches from the Ecuadorian Serie A were mostly broadcast by public-TV network Televisión Nacional de Ecuador (TNE). During the 1990s and running through the late 2000s and early 2010s, a series of paid-TV providers acquired media rights, including Ecuavisa and Teleamazonas.

Star+, a OTT streaming service owned by Disney, has been one of the main providers of live-streaming Ecuadorian Serie A matches in Ecuador over the past few years, while GolTV also provides TV broadcasts.

Meanwhile, due to the large number of Spanish-speakers in the USA, media rights to the Ecuadorian Serie A have been held by various entities over the past few decades. During the 1990s, Spanish-language broadcaster Univision held media rights, followed by a variety of organizations, including beIN Sports, ESPN Deportes, and GolTV. GolTV has held TV and live-streaming rights for the Ecuadorian Serie A since 2018 after securing a ten-year deal running through 2027.