The president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, has signed in Beijing the strategic agreement that grants China Media Group (CMG) the broadcasting of the Spanish league and becomes an official broadcasting partner

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All LaLiga matches will be available for free in China

Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, has made an important trip to Beijing to strengthen the presence of the Spanish league in China. This visit coincided with the arrival of the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, who was taking part in a meeting of the China-Spain Business Advisory Council. This council, of which LaLiga has been a founding member since 2018, was also attended by leading representatives of Spanish companies, with the aim of strengthening commercial and cultural ties with the Asian giant.

One of the key points of this trip was the signing of a strategic agreement between LaLiga and China Media Group (CMG), the largest media conglomerate in China. This agreement marks the return of CMG as the official broadcaster of LaLiga matches in China, a strategic market for Spanish football. The signing of the agreement took place in a ceremony attended by Javier Tebas and Shen Haixiong, one of the main representatives of the Chinese Communist Party and president of CMG. With this alliance, Chinese fans will be able to enjoy LaLiga matches on different CMG platforms, expanding the coverage of the championship for the 2024-25 season.

Tebas took advantage of his stay in Beijing to also meet with Chinese and Spanish business leaders at a lunch with Prime Minister Li Qiang, accompanied by other members of the Chinese Government and senior executives from renowned Spanish companies such as BBVA, Cepsa and Técnicas Reunidas, among others. In this context, Tebas highlighted the importance of China for LaLiga's expansion plans. According to the president, this market has been key over the last ten years, in which not only economic but also cultural connections have been created between the two countries through football.

During an interview with the EFE news agency in Beijing, Tebas underlined one of the main challenges for LaLiga in the Asian country: to recover the value of audiovisual rights, something that has decreased in recent times for foreign competitions. ‘It is common knowledge that non-domestic competitions have seen their prices fall in China. Our aim is to reverse this trend, and to achieve this, it is essential that we have more visibility in national media such as CMG,’ he explained.

Tebas also highlighted the importance of technology in LaLiga's strategy in China, mentioning the use of Dynamic Brand Replacement (DBR), a tool that allows advertising to be customised according to the country where the matches are broadcast. This has been a key development in adapting to the particularities of the Chinese audience.

Another of the topics addressed by Tebas was the development of football in China. While the president of LaLiga recognises the talent of Chinese players, he believes that the key is to improve the competitiveness of the local leagues. According to him, young Chinese players need to face higher levels of competition, as is the case in Spain with leagues such as the Primera RFEF. 

The agreement with CMG not only aims to increase LaLiga's visibility in China, but also to share experiences in the use of social networks and new technologies, something that Tebas considers essential to maintain the interest of fans. In fact, according to Tebas, LaLiga has been able to adapt to the demands of the Chinese public, not only with more accessible schedules for fans, but also with the active participation of clubs on digital platforms in the country.

As for the impact of figures such as former Espanyol player Wu Lei, Tebas highlighted his relevance to LaLiga's expansion in China, although he acknowledged that the Chinese football landscape has changed since the time when Wu Lei shone. ‘Now we are in a different moment, but Wu Lei was undoubtedly key to our strategy in China,’ he said.

Finally, Tebas addressed the problem of racism in Spanish football, referring to recent statements made by Real Madrid player Vinícius Jr. The LaLiga president insisted that, although there are problems, Spain is not a racist country, agreeing in part with the Brazilian player's statements. He also mentioned his recent appearance in an advert for the Kings League, a tournament organised by Gerard Piqué, whom he criticised harshly at the time. However, Tebas acknowledged the success of the project, saying it has lasted much longer than he had anticipated.

En definitiva, el viaje de Tebas a China refuerza los lazos entre LaLiga y el mercado asiático, en un momento clave para la internacionalización del fútbol español.