According to figures from consultants Nielsen Sports, LaLiga Santander's international audience has increased on the first matchday of the competition following the forced hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Cardboards of fans are pictured in the stands prior to the Spanish league football match Villarreal CF against Sevilla FC at La Ceramica stadium in Vila-real on June 22, 2020. Pic/ AFP
LaLiga Santander increased its international viewing figures by more than 48% on the first matchday (Matchday 28) following the restart of the league on June 11 compared to the average for the first 27 matchdays prior to the forced suspension of the Spanish league due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to international consultants Nielsen Sports, and based on the preliminary official viewing figures and estimates by the firm, international audiences during live games on Matchday 28 registered exponential growth.
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In some regions of the world, extremely sharp increases in the viewing figures were achieved on the first day following the restart. For example, in Africa there was a rise of over 73%, and in countries such as South Africa the increase amounted to more than 210%.
In Asian countries such as India, where LaLiga is broadcast on Facebook, an increase of over 72% was detected. In Europe, the uptick was over 56%, with countries such as Belgium (an increase of over 130) and Denmark (an increase of over 46%) of particular note.
"At Liga we feel privileged to be able to take to the field again, and we're very happy to have the opportunity to offer live sports entertainment at a time when there are few events like this around the world. We hope that other competitions in other regions will also start soon, because it's important for the fans and the industry," said LaLiga president Javier Tebas. “We're grateful to all of the fans who've followed LaLiga now at the restart, because we've all worked hard to offer them entertainment again."
Oscar Mayo, LaLiga's director of business, marketing and international development, added: "We're very pleased with the exponential growth in the figures for LaLiga's international audience. We knew that fans around the world were keen to enjoy the excitement and entertainment we offer. Achieving a rise of almost 50% in our international audience is a reflection of the hard work put in by our international broadcasters, the clubs and the competition itself over these last few months."
Growth in Spain
In addition to the exponential growth in LaLiga's international audiences, LaLiga also experienced an increase in viewing figures in its home country, Spain. The official figures show an increase in Spanish viewers of over 12% during the first matchday back compared to those before the league was suspended.
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