MADRID --
Spain's government has approved a new law governing the sale of television rights to broadcast soccer games and the distribution of the income.
The law will regulate the rights to transmit first and second division games as well as the Copa del Rey and Supercup competitions, Sports Minister Jose Ignacio Wert said on Thursday.
The legislation will come into effect in 2016 and replace the current arrangements, Wert said.
The law aims to bring Spanish soccer in line with how Britain's and Italy's football leagues are marketed, and will correct existing ''imbalances'' in earnings that allow top clubs to claim a disproportionate amount of the TV income, leaving lesser clubs struggling for money.
Sport ministry spokesman Miguel Cardenal said the changes allow Spanish football to ''adapt to modern times.''
