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Reuters

Spanish soccer matches will be broadcast in more than 300 Chinese cities under a new deal, La Liga confirmed on Wednesday.
The five-year deal with Suning Corporation to show matches begins with the new season from August 21. The fee was not disclosed.
“From today on there will be a before and after in the relationship between La Liga and China,” La Liga president Javier Tebas said.
“It will be essential to reach all fans in China. Suning and [online channel] PPTV will bring the Spanish league into Chinese households.”
From today on there will be a before and after in the relationship between La Liga and China
La Liga president Javier Tebas
La Liga trails a long way behind market leaders the Premier League in television revenue.
La Liga clubs arrange their own deals, which means that the biggest teams, Barcelona and Real Madrid, take home around half of an overall 650 million euros (HK$5.5 billion).
A new centralised agreement being brokered for the 2016-17 season could see that rise to one billion euros per season, still far short of a new Premier League deal also starting in 2016 that will bring in 1.7 billion pounds (HK$20 billion).
La Liga has taken steps to raise its appeal to foreign markets by changing the traditional kick-off times to include matches earlier in the day.
Spanish clubs have also looked to tap into the Chinese market with Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad among those travelling to the country during the closed season.


Spanish La Liga soccer matches to be shown in more than 300 Chinese cities

Top Spanish matches involving the likes of Barcelona stars Luis Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi will be broadcast on TV in China. Photo: AP

Sport

China