<figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-376482" src="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/LaLiga_NorthAmerica.jpg" alt="LaLiga&apos;s U.S. media" width="1200" height="725" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/03/LaLiga_NorthAmerica.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/03/LaLiga_NorthAmerica-600x363.jpg 600w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/03/LaLiga_NorthAmerica-150x91.jpg 150w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/03/LaLiga_NorthAmerica-768x464.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure>
This is a continuation of the interview with LaLiga North America CEO Boris Gartner. Don’t miss part one about LaLiga’s growth in North America. Both parts of the interview were done in person at the <a href="https://sportelamerica.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sportel Rendezvous 2022 conference</a>.&nbsp;
Here at World Soccer Talk, we break down and analyze the media rights deals regarding major soccer leagues. The LaLiga media rights in the U.S. switched hands ahead of the 2021/22 season. ESPN took over from beIN SPORTS, airing the majority of LaLiga games on <a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/mWebq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN+</a>. This includes both renditions of El Clásico in league play this season.
LaLiga North America CEO Boris Gartner oversees the work put in by the league to grow its promotions and prominence in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. A major part of that is LaLiga’s U.S. media and streaming capabilities.
<h3>LaLiga’s U.S. media deal with ESPN</h3>
<h5>From TV to streaming</h5>
World Soccer Talk (WST): beIN was a linear channel. You probably get many more homes now being on linear and a mainstream streaming service in <a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/mWebq">ESPN+</a>. Any tangible uptick you are seeing from the ESPN deal yet?
Boris Gartner: Yes, it comes from a few different sides. First off, being part of the Disney family is massive for us. They have a marketing machine and when they get behind a product and have a cultural conversation. I don’t think there’s another company that can do that like Disney. When you add the exposure of the actual games, but when they do games on ABC, or other linear channels like ESPN or ESPN Deportes in addition to the massive digital footprint. If you have the ESPN app on your phone, you get the push notifications even things like Real Madrid is about to kick off or whatever. Just being part of that machine gives you an exposure that’s not just measured by households that adds value.
The first El Clásico they did amazing marketing campaigns running spots on NBA and college football games, and you add to that the editorial content on their website it’s pretty amazing. On top of that we have a super fan base that will watch La Liga anywhere, whether it is on BeIN Sports or whatever, but getting exposure to an audience that might not be into soccer or La Liga but being part of the larger Disney family and the platform on ESPN+ you get exposure. You log in and you see the PGA Tour or college football, right next to La Liga, for a fan that’s not a soccer fan, just having it there is important.
<h5>The Disney and ESPN experience</h5>
WST: Even Hulu. l log into Hulu, let’s say during the week. The first thing that pops up for me on that platform, also owned by Disney, is La Liga Confidential because it knows my preferences. That’s part of the Disney experience on digital and streaming.
Boris Gartner: So you have to take a step back and understand the touch points they have with consumers on TV, streaming, digital, social media, theme parks, etc, just being part of that is something we were not going to get with anyone else. The amount of resources they are putting into this is amazing. The production side, they aren’t just taking the feed, but for most of the matches they send crews to cover it, they have their own commentators in English and Spanish, we couldn’t be happier.
<h5>Length of the deal</h5>
WST: Eight years is a long deal in the soccer space. Granted, in U.S. sports, you see longer deals. Was that a conscious thing because this is Disney and ESPN?
Boris Gartner: This is specifically because of where we think the industry is going, and it helps that it is with a partner like Disney. I believe you are going to see more of those longer-term deals. The first of which was the Premier League deal with NBC, the previous deal which was six years. Now Bundesliga with ESPN is a similar length, our deal which is eight years and we did an eight year deal in Mexico with Televisa. So I think it’s just a realization you need more of a partner than just doing a deal. That was a common theme in our conversations, if it’s just getting a deal done, sure, that can be done with anyone, but if it is a true partnership with a longer-term vision and commitment you need more length to any contract.
<h5>Pros and cons</h5>
WST: What about other advantages that come on the side of the ESPN deal? Maybe a renewed focus on hosting regular season matches in the United States. Is it possible if we don’t get La Liga matches, we get La Liga branded friendlies here?
Boris Gartner: Philosophically, I don’t think there’s anyone who would argue against the attention and visibility it would bring to the sport and the growth it would help fuel for the sport heading into the 2026 World Cup to have official matches here in the US. I don’t think anyone can argue with that. What we are all saying here, regardless of whether you are a league or a club or a governing body, this will grow the sport heading into hosting a World Cup.
<h5>Effect on American soccer</h5>
WST: One objection has been that it would hurt USL, MLS, NWSL and other domestic soccer. But, could it be argued that, if you play the game in the close season of those leagues, it might actually help them?
Boris Gartner: So that’s the first thing a lot of people get caught up in with the controversy, but I don’t think there is any question it would help the sport. Now the process to actually get it, there is a lot of different perspectives. Does it impact the growth of the domestic league, to your point? I don’t think so, it’s not like we’re bringing 20 matches here in a season, some said it was going to open the floodgates. Taking one game from local fans there (in Spain) is one thing, but no one here or there is going to accept 20 games from us, or the Premier League or Bundesliga coming over here.
It’s not going to happen that way. There is a process and every time you do things differently or introduce change, people are apprehensive, but in time it’s going to happen, I am confident in saying that. We’re all going to all at some point it is going to help the sport so it’s best we do it in an organized fashion and in agreement with everyone. What are the additional steps the league and clubs can make to help grow the game here rather than just parachuting in, playing the game and leaving? So we have a process and we want to have a conversation about what we do benefitting the sport in general here.
<h5>Beyond the top flight</h5>
WST: Are there plans to enhance visibility of the Segunda in this country with LaLiga’s U.S. media deal?
Boris Gartner: The Segunda is part of the ESPN deal and we are in year one of eight and there is a lot more we can do and will do. It’s more of a strategic approach to the Segunda than a blanket approach. For example we have teams that have players that resonate in the US or teams that are more connected to the Us audience, we do that in Mexico. We have a number of Segunda matches we feature in Mexico, because of players or owners from Mexico. It’s about finding the right storylines. ESPN+ features on Segunda game a week and we’d like to do more but it’s easier to have those conversations once you have a specific programming goal rather than just giving coverage.
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Boris Gartner interview part 2: LaLiga North America CEO

LaLiga's U.S. media rights shifted to ESPN ahead of the 2021/22 season. LaLiga North America CEO Boris Gartner talks the deal a year removed.

Boris Gartner interview part 2: LaLiga North America CEO - World Soccer Talk

<figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-376591" src="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/LaLiga_NorthAmerica_Boris.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="725" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/03/LaLiga_NorthAmerica_Boris.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/03/LaLiga_NorthAmerica_Boris-600x363.jpg 600w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/03/LaLiga_NorthAmerica_Boris-150x91.jpg 150w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/03/LaLiga_NorthAmerica_Boris-768x464.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure>
Part two of this conversation with Boris Gartner is also available using this link.
LaLiga’s growth in North America truly sped up about four years ago. A <a href="https://www.laliga.com/en-GB/news/laliga-and-relevent-partner-to-promote-soccer-in-the-us-and-canada">deal with Relevent</a>, a multinational media company, came into effect to promote the league and sport in North America.
Now four years removed from that deal, La Liga is one of the more popular leagues in the country and region.
At the recently completed Soccerex and Sportel Rendez-Vous conferences in Miami, La Liga was ever-present. The CEO of La Liga North America, Boris Gartner, sat down with World Soccer Talk to discuss the growth of the league’s marketing prowess and presence in the United States.&nbsp;
<h3>LaLiga’s growth in North America</h3>
WST: The <a href="https://newsletter.laliga.es/global-futbol/laliga-relevent-sports-expand-joint-venture-into-mexico">deal with Relevent</a>, which you launched a joint-venture to aid LaLiga’s growth in North America, has now been in place for several years. It increased La Liga’s visibility in this market. You opened an academy in south Florida. Plus, several clubs launched academies down here as well. How has this&nbsp; joint-venture improved your marketing in this country?&nbsp;
Boris Gartner: We formally launched the joint-venture in August 2018. Coming to the market here was something we had an incentive to do and something we had to make. Looking back four years later, this was absolutely the right move. We needed a partner that had market insight and really knew the United States. The second thing is in 2018, a lot of the attention was about us bringing a game here, and the media tended to focus on that, not you guys (World Soccer Talk) but much of the rest of the media did. 
But, the venture is about a lot more than that. Right now, we have production studios in Mexico that are pumping out more than 20 shows a week in both English and Spanish, specifically for US audiences. That’s a key component of what we have done. We’ve done media rights deals not only here in the US with ESPN but in Mexico with Televisa as well. That’s a result of all the work we have done. In a nutshell, we wanted to create enough demand for the La Liga product. We also have generated $10 million per year in sponsorship with seven partners.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<h5>LaLiga in North America vs. LaLiga in Asia</h5>
WST: Those are specifically US partners?
Boris Gartner: Yes, specifically US partners. I believe we are the only league from Europe that successfully built a sponsorship model in the US. This is not just a marketing exercise, we’re running it as a business. We have a content studio that produces marketing materials but also inventory that you can monetize. We have the commercial business that, again, is worth $10 million a year and was worth nothing in 2018. Also, We generate localized content you can market and also content you can monetize. We have the two media rights deals which set up a new standard for what the league should be doing here in the US and Mexico. We are the two largest two media rights deals for us outside Spain.
WST: It’s larger than your deals in Asia?&nbsp;
Boris Gartner: Bigger than the deal in China, yes. That’s looking different from the US and Mexico. We’re second and third overall with those two deals behind the domestic deal in Spain. We are taking a different approach than other leagues. Credit where credit is due. Premier League and NBC with the My Premier League mornings have done amazing. That’s a model that works for them. But, for us, we have some key markets where we don’t want to just show up every year or two. 
We want to build hubs where we are always present. New York, Miami, LA, Houston or whatever it is. We partnered with José Andrés. He has an amazing space in New York, Hudson Yards. So, the home of La Liga in New York is at his place. If you are a La Liga fan and you are in New York and you want to watch any La Liga game, it does not matter which match, date or time, and you want the original experience, you go there. It also allows us to do special events in that space around bigger matches.
<h5>Special coverage for certain fixtures&nbsp;</h5>
WST: What sort of events have you done around bigger matches including El Clásico at these hubs?&nbsp;
Boris Gartner: So these are the first live events we’re doing post-COVID, or let’s hope we are post-COVID. For El Clásico we’re doing events in New York, Miami, Houston and Los Angeles. It’s a slightly different approach, so we’re working with the local fan clubs and taking a club legend to some of the cities. We feel this is more organic, we have one of our sponsors, Verizon, involved with it. But, it is more organic and stimulated by local supporters. In-person events have a space but we have also have had virtual events which have been very successful.
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We began this due to COVID, you get to watch on your screen at home and interact with 30-50 other VIP’s and a club legend during the match. It’s been a huge hit and we are continuing these alongside the in-person events. In our mind, we asked what kind of event whether in-person or virtual would we want if we were watching a game and created both models from there. We are really focused on that user experience and fan experience. We have pregame, halftime, and after the game chatting among this virtual VIP crowd with a legend.&nbsp;
The grassroots piece is another pillar, we’re here for the long-run and we’re not going to just do the next deal and leave or promote the next match and leave so this is all about building a longer-term soccer community locally.&nbsp;
<h5>Outside the bigger clubs</h5>
WST: What growth have we seen in the growth of other clubs outside Real Madrid, Barca, and Atlético since this joint-venture began?&nbsp;
Boris Gartner: It’s directly proportional to the work we do to elevate those clubs. Let me explain, on our content hub we’re creating content. So, for El Clásico, we create content and it has a number of impressions because it’s Real Madrid and Barcelona without us doing much work in promotion. But, there’s a lot more work to develop storylines about Betis or Mallorca or Sevilla, Rayo, whomever. It is more work for us, but once you have ten of those it has as much impact as a El Clásico piece. So, that’s what we’ve done. We developed content on all these clubs. 
What are the individual demographics we want to grow? Betis and Mexico and using influencers including a famous YouTube influencer that goes by Luisito Comunica, a very famous Mexican travel YouTuber. He developed a voice and a space for travel videos. We took him to El Gran Derbi and he spent a week with the Sevilla and Betis players. We built a content program around this and it got a great reception not only in Mexico and also in the US. Of course, we need to continue to leverage our top club brands, but it is our duty and good business when we highlight the other clubs and we build a larger La Liga community.

Boris Gartner Interview Part 1: LaLiga’s growth in North America

In this interview with Boris Gartner, the President of LaLiga North America discusses the league and firm's growth over the last four years.

Boris Gartner Interview Part 1: LaLiga's growth in North America - World Soccer Talk

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Boris Gartner interview part 2: LaLiga North America CEO

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Boris Gartner Interview Part 1: LaLiga’s growth in North America