What is LaLiga?

LaLiga today

Since 2013 and Javier Tebas's appointment as president, LaLiga has embarked on a journey of growth and constant evolution based on financial controls, the centralised sale of audiovisual rights and a strategy of internationalisation and technological leadership. All of this has made the institution a role model within the sector and one of the best professional leagues within the world of sport, which is serving to attract the interest of new generations.

Financial controls

In 2013, the debts held by the LaLiga clubs and SADs with the Spanish tax authorities (Hacienda) stood at €650 million and, two years prior to this, the number of complaints brought by players over non-payment of wages amounted to 341 and involved a total of €84m.

The impact that the financial controls have had on the LaLiga clubs and SADs can be summarised as follows:

• There are currently no outstanding player wage, tax or Social Security payments.
• The debt with the Spanish tax authorities has been reduced by €597m as of December 2019.
• A genuine competition has been created and financial doping has been prevented.

All of this makes LaLiga more solvent, attractive and stronger, with this growth reflected in player salaries, which serves to improve the competitive level across the competition.

Derechos audiovisuales brutos

Comercializados del fútbol profesional español (Mn€)

(*) El mercado internacional no se negocia por trienios, pero se opta por presentarlo con esta periodicidad para adecuarlo al del mercado nacional y favorecer la comparabilidad entre ciclos.
(**) Ingresos brutos comercializados (no se corresponde con los ingresos netos percibidos por los Clubes o SADs, al tenerque descontar los gastos de producción correspondientes según la legislación vigente).
No incluye cantidades repartidas por la UEFA (“market pool” audiovisual, dentro de Ingresos por Retransmisión, u otras distribuciones realizadas por el organismo que se encuentran incluidas dentro del epígrafe de ingresos por Matchday).
A efectos de comparabilidad, se han eliminado en el cómputo del Primer Ciclo / de los años anteriores a RDL 5/2015) los derechos por la comercialización de la Copa del Rey (aprox. 65 Mn€ brutos por temporada), que en segundo ciclo que en segundo ciclo que comienza en la temporada en curso (T19-20) realiza directamente la Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF).

International growth

Foreign interest in the Spanish game has grown exponentially in recent years. LaLiga works on a daily basis to promote Spanish football beyond the country's borders, with the objective of creating a community of fans throughout the world.

LaLiga's global expansion is underpinned by the following three cornerstones: its international offices, the network of LaLiga Global Network delegates and the joint ventures it is working on in different areas of the world.

LaLiga's international offices are located in:

• Belgium (Brussels)
• India (New Delhi)
• China (Shanghai)
• Nigeria (Lagos)
• China (Beijing)
• Mexico (Mexico City)
• South Africa (Johannesburg)
• Singapore (Singapore)
• United States (New York)
• UK (London)
• United Arab Emirates (Dubai)

Meanwhile, the 45 LaLiga Global Network delegates are based in destinations across the five continents.

LaLiga is actively engaged in two strategic joint-venture partnerships:

• LaLiga North America, in association with RELEVENT
• LaLiga China, in association with Mediapro and Super Sports

LaLiga's internationalisation efforts saw the institution named the Honorary Ambassador of Brand Spain in the international relations category in 2019, "on account of its contribution to offering a positive image of Spain across the world through football" and "assisting the internationalisation of both Spanish companies and athletes."

BI&A

The field of Business Intelligence & Analytics has represented the backbone of LaLiga's innovation through a transformative process that has seen the organisation evolve towards a much more data-driven approach. The aim is to centralise, organise, prepare and provide all of the necessary information so that decision-making is based on data and can be carried out as effectively and efficiently as possible.

LaLigaSportsTV: La OTT de LaLiga

LaLigaSportsTV is an over-the-top (OTT) media platform which enables LaLiga to remain at the forefront of technology within the audiovisual sector and innovate to allow fans to enjoy all sporting disciplines.

The platform offers free coverage of live and pre-recorded content, reports and interviews relating to the main competitions run by Spanish federations and leagues. This allows LaLiga to offer greater visibility and exposure of other sporting disciplines that are not covered by the traditional channels and whose content is disseminated in a very limited way amongst fans.

This project has seen LaLiga achieve growth by building bridges with other sports and sharing the knowledge gained in recent years in the football industry, whilst also promoting the Spanish sporting brand.

Technology tools developed by LaLiga

LaLiga's technology and innovation development has led to the creation of a series of tools and applications that assist with decision-making, as well as help carry out daily tasks.

The following are examples of the proprietary tools developed by LaLiga:

• Mediacoach
  This suite of advanced tools provides the 42 LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank clubs with analysis and statistics to help them improve their performance levels in the competition. An advanced system of tracking cameras records and monitors player and ball movement, which allows for a more in-depth study of the play and the technical-tactical and fitness aspects involved in a game.
• Calendar Selector
  This LaLiga-developed tool uses machine learning and algorithms to suggest the kick-off times that will optimise TV audience and stadium attendance figures. The application, which is stored in the cloud, employs historical audience and attendance data plus a further 70 variables.
• Sunlight Broadcasting Planning
  This application forecasts the natural light conditions for each game. It indicates which areas of the stadium will be in the sunlight and the shade, which offers a preview of how the sun will impact on the TV image and on supporters, players, etc. and therefore helps when it comes to scheduling kick-off times. Within this application, LaLiga uses a 3D reconstruction of the stadiums.

Battle against violence

Another of LaLiga's main objectives concerns the battle against violence in and around football stadiums.

To achieve this objective, LaLiga coordinates and collaborates with those responsible for security within the clubs and is a member of the National Commission against violence, racism, xenophobia and intolerance in sport and works very closely with the National Sports Office and the State Law Enforcement Agencies.

LaLiga submits a weekly report to the RFEF's Competition Committee and the Anti-violence Committee with information regarding chants heard during matches that incite violence or feature content that is insulting or displays an attitude of intolerance.

Battle against piracy

In a show of responsibility, LaLiga safeguards its product through the efforts of its technological protection of content department, which employs around 20 experts. This department uses internally developed tools that help to combat piracy, such as Marauder, Lumière, Black Hole and Neko. LaLiga shares its know-how in this field with other organisations, including Dorna Sports, Belgium's Jupiler Pro League and the Spanish government's Ministry of Culture.

LaLiga FOUNDATION

LaLiga carries out its social outreach work through its Foundation, which was founded in 1993 and is a pioneer in the world of professional football. The LaLiga FOUNDATION's projects pursue the objective of transforming society through positive footballing values, such as integrity, hard work, self-improvement, collaboration and teamwork.

The LaLiga FOUNDATION's activities can be divided up into the following three main categories:

• Institutional activities
• Cultural and educational activities
• Social activities

Amongst the various projects led by the LaLiga FOUNDATION, the following are of particular note:

• LaLiga Genuine Santander: A social responsibility and integration initiative that is a pioneer on a global level and features a football league composed of teams of people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Now in its third season, the competition features the participation of 36 professional football clubs and aims to normalise the practice of football within the ID community, promote a commitment across the professional game to this socially responsible project and make LaLiga an agent for social change.
• Fans of the Future: An educational project which displays a firm commitment to equipping children with the tools to become respectful fans of the future and allow them to identify anti-sporting attitudes, both on and off the field of play.
• LaLiga Za’atari Social Project: The LaLiga FOUNDATION runs this project alongside LaLiga's sporting projects department, the Global Network delegation in the United Arab Emirates and local NGO AFDP Global at the Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan, where the institution promotes and leads a socio-educational outreach programme through football aimed at improving the quality of life of the children and young people of Za'atari.
• Fair Play Social Project: This scheme seeks for professional football to up its game in terms of social responsibility through actions that can be commonly implemented by all clubs in the field of corporate social responsibility, aiming to offer a far more coherent and cohesive image in this regard, raising awareness of all of the social outreach activities carried out across the professional game.