LaLiga hopes image makeover will help corner new arenas in India

LaLiga is all set to commence from August 11, with JioCinema as its digital streaming partner and Sports18 as the television broadcaster. There has been one major change this time around for the league. Most of us might remember the league as LaLiga Santander, with Santander being the main sponsor of the league. However, Santander has now been replaced by EA Sports as the official sponsor. Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma continues his four-year association with the league as its brand ambassador. Storyboard18 caught up with José Antonio Cachaza, managing director, LaLiga India, to discuss their plans to boost Indian viewership, the popularity of football as a sport in India and the league’s recent brand refresh. 

Edited excerpts. 

How popular is LaLiga on the global spectrum?

We have our global television audience at 2.8 billion. Then in social media we have a reach of 200 million - followers of our corporate channels. And then, we have two of the three major teams in the world. We have Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. So we are pretty much one of the two truly global football leagues.

What does the LaLiga audience demographic look like? Is it youngsters, adults or a mix of both?

It's quite across the board. It's basically from the age of 18 to 40 where most of our viewers are. But, we are quite focused on connecting with the newer generation, so we put a lot of attention into connecting with millennials. Generation Z is what the future is.

We're across the world now. Even in India, the general split is quite even. It’s currently 55 percent men, 45 percent women.

Where in India does maximum interest come from?

Well, you have your traditional football territories like Bengal, Kerala, the North-East, but then you have the new hubs for football that have surfaced especially in the bigger cities, that is in tier 1 and tier 2 cities.

In a cricket loving country like India, where the football fanbase is obviously a lot smaller, other than onboarding Rohit Sharma, are there any other plans in place to bring more eyeballs towards the sport?

Well, basically, to be active on social media and to do fan activation and bring in some funds. But, being in a sports environment as we are with our partners JioCInema and Sports18, that helps. So in a sense, we always try to open our mind, to expand our following, and that in a country like India is especially important.

LaLiga recently went through a brand refresh. Why now? And What is the strategy behind it?

Well, basically, there was something that triggered it. The change of the main sponsor from Santander to Electronic Arts. From renaming our first division competition from Laliga Santander to LaLiga EA Sports, we made necessary adjustments in our branding. 

So, given the evolution we have done in the last 10 years, we realised that we create a whole ecosystem around LaLiga inside LaLiga. So, it was decided to renovate the new image to make it more friendly for the new digital times. Everything is leaner, easier. I love the old logo but I think the new one will work much better in the new environments.

We move now to the power of our football, which is a way of expressing our pride in our competition. Having this secondary logo with LaLiga letters only in capitals. It's like screaming. This is pretty much what's behind it.