Global Fútbol

The 10 matches every LaLiga Santander matchday provide hours of enjoyment to millions of fans around the world throughout the season, but there are many more stories to tell. Live matches are only a part of what LaLiga offers.

Thanks to LaLigaTV, the 24/7 English-language channel produced by LaLiga, Spanish football lovers receive entertaining content all week long.

From Barcelona to the world

The idea to create its own TV station was born out of LaLiga’s internationalisation strategy. Formed in 2017/18, LaLigaTV came from a desire to support broadcast partners and provide insightful programmes that can deepen the understanding their viewers have of the competition, in addition to the live matches.

Behind the channel is a team of approximately 100 people working for LaLigaTV including presenters, technicians, camera operators, producers and designers.

“We have our own studios, operators and technical equipment which allows us to produce a comprehensive LaLiga experience for global audiences,” said Roger Brosel, the head of content and programming at LaLiga.

From its studio in central Barcelona, LaLigaTV brings LaLiga to viewers across the English-speaking world. The channel is currently available to fans in the USA, Canada, Gibraltar, Cyprus and across Sub-Saharan Africa.

In an exciting development, LaLigaTV is also being introduced to the UK and Ireland on both streaming and linear services, via a new agreement with Premier Sports. Plans to offer LaLigaTV in the Asia-Pacific region are also being discussed.

Unique programming all week long

Over the weekend, the live LaLiga Santander matches are the main event on LaLigaTV through the LaLiga Live show. Fans can not only watch the match itself, but receive detailed and quality analysis before, during and after the game. Outside of this, LaLiga has invested in a whole suite of original programming for its broadcast partners.

As Brosel put it: “We provide distinct programming every day of the week, because we want to take viewers behind the scenes and really improve their understanding of the competition.”

The content is updated every week, offering viewers many alternative ways of enjoying LaLiga. Weekly highlights include the analysis show LaLiga Chronicles, the panel-based VIVA LaLiga, the LaLiga ZAP show which shares light-hearted images from the competition, the LaLiga World magazine show and the LaLiga Show, which previews the upcoming matchday.

In addition, the channel shows classic LaLiga matches and is currently running a series of documentary programmes celebrating the league’s 90th anniversary, ensuring there is something for every kind of Spanish football enthusiast. “It is a full entertainment platform that goes far beyond live football,” Brosel commented.

Across all programmes, guests include some of the world’s leading experts on Spanish football, from renowned journalists such as Graham Hunter, Sid Lowe and Guillem Balague, to former professional players and coaches like Gaizka Mendieta, Gustavo Poyet, Chapi Ferrer and Terry Gibson.

All guests are selected based on their unmatched knowledge of LaLiga and its clubs. “This keeps the insight and the spectacle at the cutting edge,” Brosel noted.

A ready-made solution for operators

The range of content on the channel reflects LaLiga’s willingness to broaden its storytelling. “LaLiga broadcasters are getting a huge amount of value,” Brosel continued. “We offer a ready-made operation that gives the maximum detail into the competition. For fans, it offers something special that would not otherwise be possible.”

Brosel adds that each operator is able to customise the offering and build local marketing campaigns to attract viewers, adding their own logos to the images and taking advantage of promotional content sent by LaLiga.

“The platform can also be monetised in the form of advertising,” Brosel said, highlighting the extra value that LaLigaTV adds to the audiovisual partnerships agreed with LaLiga. Through using cue tones, locally relevant adverts can be inserted by the operator during the scheduled pauses in LaLigaTV programming.

New programming for new global audiences

In addition to its current schedule, new programmes are continually discussed and added to the service. In the coming months, a new interview show will begin, featuring some of the most famous faces from LaLiga’s history.

“We will keep adding and making improvements to the service as our audience grows worldwide,” Brosel confirmed. “The appetite to discover our league is immense and it is our objective to make sure these needs are met.”