La Liga president: OTT streaming platform is key for the future

La Liga president Javier Tebas believes OTT streaming platforms and other technology-based long-term planning is vital to secure the future growth of the Spanish competition.

While the effects of the coronavirus pandemic have forced the football industry into action, Tebas explained it should not come at the expense of exploring different revenue sources.

Speaking at the World Football Summit last week, Tebas outlined La Liga’s long-term plans which will centre on growth in the important digital sphere.

“We’re already working on a 10-year plan,” Tebas revealed.

“There’s already an understanding of what’s coming with regards to audio-visual rights, to technology and to over-the-top (OTT) platforms, which are here to stay. All of this means there’s a need to make plans for a long-term period of transition.”

“I think over these next 10 years, the most important thing for us will be the digital ecosystem,” he continued. “We’ve been working on our digital ecosystem for several years and have invested a lot of money in this, in the likes of OTT and anti-piracy.”

According to Tebas, these investments are needed because the value of audio-visual rights are unlikely to continue to grow at the same rate of the past decade. While the pandemic has contributed to this, the downturn in the market could even be seen before coronavirus affected all of our lives.

Factors like these are the reasons why the president feels it is necessary to turn to alternative revenue streams.

“There are other sources of revenue that we’ve been working on over the years that can be significant and that we think can help us complement the growth [in audio-visual rights income] that might not be two-digit growth,” he continued.

“There’s the digital sphere, there’s OTT and other types of products that you can offer to fans around the world.”

La Liga’s current OTT service, La Liga SportsTV, launched at the beginning of 2019, however primarily offers only lower profile sports in Spain.

As well as creating a platform for these sports, it has also given La Liga a wealth of information in regards to OTT streaming, which will be extremely useful in the years to come.

When asked whether the Spanish competition would ever consider introducing its own version of the NBA League Pass subscription model, Tebas stated: “Certainly. It’s a clever model for a competition’s growth. We’re already working on it and are in an advanced stage of a possible La Liga Pass.”

The president explained that such an offering would not compete with broadcasters, but rather complement existing partnerships.

“La Liga Pass is a product that would be adapted for each territory in the world and that can be offered in collaboration with the audio-visual broadcaster in each territory,” he said.

“It’s a product that could be directed at people who really like La Liga, the super fans, but are living in a territory where the broadcaster only shows a few matches and some highlights. You would be giving these fans more of what they want, which will help the broadcasters to have more value.”

At the centre of any digital growth, there will always be a need for good data capture and analysis, according to Tebas. “If you don’t have a good OTT and good artificial intelligence for all your data, then it won’t help your broadcasters much.”

While Tebas announced his long-term plans for the competition at the summit, in the short term, La Liga has adjusted its economic controls to ensure the game manages the setbacks of COVID-19.

“Reading the accounts from last season, many small and medium-sized clubs are still turning a profit in spite of the coronavirus situation,” he said.

“Next year, there will be profits too because of our economic control. La Liga, in collaboration with the clubs, decides ahead of time how much can be spent, based on income.”

“This had to be a transition year in the sense of signing players,” he concluded. “But these are the responsible measures to take if we are going to meet our collective long-term objectives.”

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Piing: Revolutionising Fan Engagement at Live Sports and Events

Piing: Revolutionising Fan Engagement at Live Sports and Events

Piing is changing the way fans experience live events, offering powerful tools for sports clubs and organisations to turn passive spectators into active participants through large-scale, mobile-powered games.

Piing is a UK-based tech company that’s transforming fan engagement at live events by using smartphones to power huge, interactive games that bring crowds together in real-time.

The company was founded back in 2020 in Manchester, England.

Piing creates fun, interactive experiences that let crowds—from 30 to over 100,000 people—join in and play together using just their mobile phones, with no app downloads needed.

Their collection of easy-to-play, arcade-style games is built for big audiences and designed to spark energy and excitement.

These games are shown on giant screens at stadiums, festivals, and corporate events, turning fans into active participants in real-time competitions.

Some of Piing’s standout games include Pen-Kick and Quiiz.

Pen-Kick is a virtual penalty shootout that’s been played by fans in stadiums around the world.

Pen-kick was used in front of 53,000 fans at Ajax’s iconic Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam where more than 4,000 fans joined in the virtual penalty shootout during halftime at the Ajax vs NEC match in 2023.

Quiiz is Piing’s massive multiplayer quiz game, which has even set Guinness World Records.

Piing also offers an innovative way to advertise at sports and live events around the world, connecting with fans through fun, memorable moments that stick with them long after the event is over.

One major milestone was becoming the Official Crowd Games Supplier for Manchester City, giving fans at both the Etihad and Joie Stadiums the chance to take part in interactive games before kick-off and during half-time.

Beyond the big screen, supporters can also enjoy Piing games in fan zones, hospitality suites, and even as part of the club’s Blue Carpet experience.

Back in December 2020, Everton FC teamed up with Piing for the first time to boost matchday engagement at Goodison Park where they used games and quizzes to encourage fans to stay in their seats and get involved during the action.

This activation ran across two Premier League matches and a Carabao Cup quarter-final.

These two collaborations highlight Piing’s role in transforming traditional fan experiences into interactive, community-driven events.

So how can Piing benefit Australian football clubs and organisations?

To start with, it’s a great way to boost fan engagement on match day.

Clubs in the A-League and across Australian football are always looking for new ways to connect with supporters beyond the 90 minutes on the pitch.

Piing brings the crowd together with fun, interactive games that happen live in the stadium—before the match, during half-time, or even after full-time.

For example, at a Melbourne Victory or Sydney FC game, fans could join in a virtual penalty shootout shown on the big screen, playing along in real-time using their phones and sharing the excitement with everyone in the stadium.

Another big advantage is that fans don’t need to download any apps to join in, making the whole experience super easy and hassle-free.

Piing works entirely through a web browser—fans just scan a QR code and they’re in instantly.

With so many people tired of downloading apps, and not everyone having the latest phones, this simple, no-fuss approach is perfect for the wide range of Australian sports fans.

One more reason Piing is especially valuable for organisations is the sponsorship potential it offers.

Australian clubs are always on the lookout for fresh ways to give sponsors new opportunities to connect with fans and Piing delivers this with branded in-game spaces and real-time data on how fans are engaging.

That makes it a powerful tool for local and national sponsors who want more than just passive ads—they want to actively reach and engage their audience.

In short, Piing offers Australian football clubs a fun, easy-to-use way to boost fan engagement, create new sponsorship opportunities, and enhance the overall matchday experience.

As live sports continue to evolve, Piing stands out as a smart, scalable solution that brings fans closer to the action, offering clubs and organisations a powerful way to modernise matchdays and build deeper connections with their audiences.

Genius Sports teams up with iSpot to power FANHub metrics

Genius Sports, the tech and data company that brings together sports, betting, and media companies, has confirmed a new strategic alliance with TV measurement experts iSpot.

Through this agreement, Genius Sports will gain access to iSpot’s powerful measurement tools, helping them track and verify how video ads perform across a range from traditional TV to popular streaming apps from wherever people are watching.

With this, Genius Sports clients can have the ability to identify audiences across platforms and gain metrics on the ROI as well as the influence of their media strategies on consumer behaviour.

Genius Sports Chief Revenue Officer, Josh Linforth, underlines how the new partnership with iSpot will guide brands to have a much clearer idea and to measure the impact of their campaigns across today’s multi-platform sports landscape.

“This partnership with iSpot represents a significant advancement in our ability to deliver measurable value to brands in sports. By integrating iSpot’s industry-leading measurement capabilities into FANHub, we enable our clients to understand the true impact of their campaigns across the fragmented sports viewing landscape. In an era where fans engage with content across multiple screens and platforms, this unified view of performance and outcomes will transform how brands optimize their sports-adjacent investments,” he said via press release.

iSpot’s VP of Business Development, Emily Wood, expressed excitement about signing a mutual deal with Genius Sports to help marketers tap into the valuable opportunities presented by loyal sports fans across streaming and digital platforms.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Genius Sports in order to help the broader media marketplace capitalize on the clear opportunity that exists with what are often loyal fans. Sports programming alongside the growth in sports books have unlocked a great deal of value for marketers over streaming and digital channels, and one of iSpot’s key missions is to help brands unlock and harness that value,” she said via press release.

Building on over 20 years of expertise and strong connections with more than 700 organisations, including having a solid presence in the global football industry, Genius Sports introduced FANHub last year. It is a simple, all-in-one platform bringing together programmatic and social media campaigns in one place for brands, agencies, leagues, and teams.

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