Football: Spanish La Liga's TV ad revenue rises 20% to S$178m as fans watch remotely
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La Liga has secured revenues from short ads and sponsorships worth €110 million (S$177.9 million) for the 2020-2021 season.
PHOTO: AFP
MADRID (REUTERS) - The Spanish football league's television advertising revenues for the new season are up 20 per cent from the previous season, its director for international development said on Friday (Sept 4), as fans unable to attend live matches watch on TV, boosting audiences worldwide.
Spain's La Liga has secured revenues from short ads and sponsorships worth €110 million (S$177.9 million) for the 2020-2021 season, said Oscar Mayo.
"With strong viewership, companies keep us in their communication and marketing plans, even though they cut spending overall," he said.
Revenues from Liga's ads - short video snippets before game transmissions start, logos aired during interruptions and billboards modified by computers to show different brands in different regions - come on top of broadcasting rights due to reach €2.1 billion this year.
TV audiences for football have shot up as more people stay at home during the pandemic. The top-flight Spanish league, with stars such as Barcelona's Argentinian striker Lionel Messi and Real Madrid's Croatian midfielder Luka Modric, are a big pull for viewers globally.
Average TV audience for Spanish games rose 48 per cent when the championship resumed after a lockdown imposed in mid-March, with peaks of triple-digit increases in countries such as Belgium and South Africa.
La Liga has signed an advertising contract with betting and casino company M88 in Asia, oil company Total in Argentina, Orange in the Middle East and Africa and renewed a contract in the United States with Verizon, Mayo said.
More than 40 per cent of La Liga's ad revenues will come from outside Spain this season, he said, up from 8 per cent five years ago.
The TV rights of the Spanish league have also skyrocketed over recent years, as they were worth about €800 million eight years ago.
La Liga distributes all its profits to the 20 teams. The increased revenues from ads and sponsorships will however, not outweigh the clubs' drop in revenues from stadium tickets, bars and restaurants.
