La Liga has spent the past few years developing a solid brand with global appeal, despite facing stiff competition from other leagues and sports.
The English Premier League (EPL) is a clear rival to their international ambitions, but that has not stopped La Liga from expanding its scope.
League bosses have worked tirelessly to improve engagement, visibility and commercial growth overseas. Read on as we analyse how La Liga has boosted its profile.
La Liga agrees major broadcast deal with beIN SPORTS
La Liga has made it easier for fans in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia-Pacific to watch football by extending its broadcast deal with beIN SPORTS.
All 380 league games will be available in 34 markets across those regions, which will significantly raise the profile of the Spanish top flight.
La Liga and beIN SPORTS have also collaborated to eradicate audiovisual piracy, which has become a serious threat to professional football worldwide.
They have dismantled illegal IPTV operations in several regions. Their strict measures against piracy preserve the value of the product for rightsholders and fans.
Aligning with beIN SPORTS is critical for the growth of the La Liga brand. They have the reach and reputation to significantly increase the league’s global popularity.
Personalising football via the La Liga Experience
The La Liga Experience project is a brilliant tool for engaging fans of Spanish football.
This year’s La Liga Experience featured 14 activations across clubs, with 42 broadcasters each bringing their unique cultural flavour to the beautiful game.
The event included exclusive behind-the-scenes stadium tours, access to the training ground, one-on-one player interactions and tailored matchday experiences.
La Liga Experience 2024/25 generated thousands of social media posts, 116 television appearances and more than 31 million engagements. The project garnered a total reach of over 693 million.
Intriguingly, La Liga GOAT also emerged as a complementary initiative. This new digital campaign gamifies fan engagement via online contests.
Over 747,000 fans from 185 countries participated, with support from 67 broadcasters, as La Liga continued to expand its reach into every corner of the globe.
La Liga supported broadcast partners with 105 additional activations, including giveaways, signed merchandise, player interviews, and visits to stadiums and the Legends Museum.
The initiative encouraged people to stay subscribed and increased viewer loyalty. This multimedia-first approach helps to distinguish La Liga from other competitions.
Tebas still eyeing an overseas league game
La Liga has been considering taking Spanish football to its international fans by playing competitive matches abroad for some time now.
Plans to stage the Barcelona versus Atletico Madrid clash in Miami last December fell through, but the dream of playing a La Liga game on foreign soil is very much alive.
La Liga president Javier Tebas previously stated that international matches could take place this season. The plan is to play a game in North America, preferably the United States (US).
Tebas still needs to secure permission from FIFA, UEFA and the Spanish Football Federation, which will complicate matters.
However, after FIFA reached a settlement with Relevent Sports over overseas league matches, the landscape is undoubtedly changing.
La Liga plans to play matches abroad to open up new markets and engage with fans who may never travel to Spain to watch a live showdown.
North America, especially the United States, is a lucrative commercial battleground as La Liga strives to keep pace with the Premier League.
Real Madrid and Barcelona each have a massive fan base in the Americas and would be a natural choice to play a regular-season game there in the future.