Brought to you by the Relevent investing US$10m in joint venture's video programming over next three years. Getty Images La Liga, the Spanish soccer's top-flight league body, is developing a media business for its North America operation alongside regional joint venture partner, sports marketing firm Relevent. The headline element of the partnership may not have borne fruit this season, with a planned La Liga game in the US being scrapped due to external pressure, however, plans to build the league’s profile are being pushed ahead. In partnership, La Liga and Relevent are developing daily video programming for social platforms, as well as long-form productions to license to streaming platforms and TV networks. According to Digiday, the joint venture has plans for six daily and weekly shows this year, spanning 200 episodes and including access to match highlights. La Liga is also reportedly in conversations with three production companies to co-develop those aforementioned long-form projects. Relevent is apparently investing around US$10 million over the first three years with the intention of building a media business that includes revenue from ads and sponsorships, content sales, match ticket sales and media rights where profit will be split equally between the two parties. “There’s definitely a lot of value in the IP and the rights that La Liga has,” Boris Gartner, La Liga North America’s chief executive told Digiday. “We’ll facilitate the access and relationships [with the league, teams and players] and have production partners who do that for a living execute on it.” Adding: “[The US is] the biggest market for La Liga outside of Spain already, and there is room for growth, especially leading into the World Cup in 2026.” The joint venture’s long-term goal is to increase the media rights value of La Liga in the region. US rights are currently held by BeIN Sports but expire in two years and could be an increasingly attractive proposition given soccer’s growing popularity in North America. NBC Sports reportedly paid US$1 billion in 2015 for a six-year rights deal for the Premier League, English soccer’s top-flight. Whilst La Liga is unlikely to a draw that level funds, a dedicated media operation focused on growing interest can only help prepare the ground for a bigger windfall. As well as the content push, La Liga is developing a regional growth strategy that includes live fan events, support for local soccer communities across the US and a renewed push for bringing over an annual La Liga game. In Spain, La Liga appears to be dropping Monday night matches from its schedule. Luis Rubiales, the president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has announced today that Monday night fixtures will not be played when the new domestic rights cycle kicks in from the 2019/20 season. Rubiales wrote on Twitter: "There will be no more football on Mondays. From next season, there will be football in La Liga on Saturdays and Sundays. We'll see what happens with Fridays, if we reach a good deal for all. Business is important, but the fans are even more so." At this point, there has been no confirmation from La Liga president Javier Tebas.
La Liga has partnered with sports marketing company Relevent to develop the Spanish league’s North American media presence. The two are working on video programming for social media, along with longer productions which could be licensed for television networks and streaming platforms. Six daily and weekly shows in 2019 are reportedly being planned. Relevent is said to be investing $10m over two years. La Liga’s US media rights, currently with beIN Sports, expire in three years.