Global Fútbol

LaLiga has been named the “Best competition of 2020” in the awards distributed by two of China’s leading digital organisations, Sina Weibo (the Chinese equivalent of Twitter) and the specialized medium ScoreSports (Qiduoduo).

On top of an important new agreement with China Mobile that will see the competition streamed via Migu, LaLiga has continued to expand its audience in China despite the global pandemic that has presented so many difficulties for the sports industry.

The award was given after weighing up the votes of Chinese market experts (50%), local fans (25%) and analysing the annual metrics of the Sina Weibo platform (25%), reflecting the league’s strong digital growth and its positive reputation with fans and stakeholders. 

The award was shared with the Chinese Super League, an organization with which LaLiga has been closely collaborating for several years as it seeks to grow football around the world.

According to the organisers, LaLiga received the award due to its commitment to local fans in a year full of challenges, along with its ability to organise in-person events such as the public viewing of ElClásico or the #KickOut2020 event held with Turespaña in Shanghai.

In particular, the award placed emphasis on LaLiga’s digital activations which have continued to build strong connections with local fans throughout the year. Projects such as the eLaLiga Fan Cup received particular recognition, while LaLiga clubs such as Real Madrid and FC Barcelona were also cited as being among the most influential organisations on social media in China.

“This award is a recognition of the work that we have been doing for years,” said Sergi Torrents, LaLiga director in China. “This was a very difficult year for everyone and we had to innovate, redouble our efforts and adapt to situations that we had not imagined. Despite everything, we managed to get the ball rolling again and we were able to get even closer to the Chinese fans, one of our great goals in the country.”

The award, which was announced in a virtual ceremony due to the pandemic, recognizes the growing importance of LaLiga and its clubs in China. In 2021, this is expected to increase further thanks to a new agreement for the streaming of LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank matches with China Mobile Migu, joining the existing agreement with iQiyi Sports and allowing more fans in China to follow the competitions live.