FanCode has sealed an exclusive agreement to broadcast Spanish top-tier (LaLiga) and second-tier (LaLiga Hypermotion) club football in India for the next five years.
The deal kicked off immediately with the streaming of Sunday’s El Clasico where Barcelona overwhelmed Real Madrid 4-3 in a pulsating game. As a part of the deal, the Dream Sports-owned digital platform will be streaming the remainder of the ongoing LaLiga 2024-25 season.
It bears noting that FanCode already holds some Spanish club football rights in the country, with its deal for the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España ending this season.
The signing gives a not so quiet burial to LaLiga’s poorly thought through decision to grant India subcontinent streaming rights for six years to Dubai-based Galaxy Racer (GXR World), that was announced with much fanfare in September 2024.
GXR had concomitantly announced at the time that it would be live streaming Italy’s Serie A and France’s Ligue 1 games in the subcontinent for the next four years. Those deals also fell flat over payment issues.
In February, LaLiga as well as Ligue 1 went ‘dark’ in India after both leagues cut their signal. Ligue 1 never returned to Indian screens, though LaLiga returned to GXR.
Interestingly, as Sport Business reported last week, GXR’s LaLiga deal was not the first collaboration between the league and the organisation.
In 2022, LaLiga and GXR formed a 15-year joint venture designed to transform LaLiga’s presence in the Middle East and North Africa, plus the Indian subcontinent. However, this relationship only covers sponsorship and partnerships, and not media rights brokering. This differentiates it from some of LaLiga’s other joint ventures, notably its agreement with Relevent Sports Group covering North America.
Speaking on the partnership, LaLiga president Javier Tebas said: “We are delighted to have FanCode partner with us for the Indian market. At LaLiga we always look for best-in-class partners to deliver Spanish football to fans everywhere. FanCode brings strong local expertise and shares our passion for growing the league’s reach. We look forward to working together over the next five years to bring the best of Spanish football to fans in India.”
Yannick Colaco, co-founder of FanCode, added: “We’ve seen first-hand the incredible fan following that LaLiga commands in India. With top-tier clubs and world-class players on display, fans can expect high-quality football week in, week out. Our 360-degree approach will ensure a seamless experience across all touchpoints — be it live streaming, engaging with fans to build a strong community or taking the league to new fans. We’re excited to work closely with LaLiga to grow the league’s popularity in India.”
FanCode reaches over 160 million sports fans in India and has partnerships across multiple sports with leading bodies such as the ICC, Formula 1, MotoGP, Carabao Cup, AFC, PGA, and LET amongst others. The platform has recorded over 50 million app downloads across Android and iOS.
Home to global stars like Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr, Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez, and Nico Williams, La Liga continues to captivate audiences worldwide and has a significant following in India.
The league is among the most followed football tournaments in India (after the Premier League), with top clubs like Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Valencia CF, and Sevilla FC enjoying widespread popularity.
POSTSCRIPT: There is no arguing that the agreement is a move in the right direction, seeing as Fancode is finding its “sweet spot” when it comes to football rights, but at the same time shows how weak the LaLiga brand has become in India. As an industry watcher who has a close undertanding of LaLiga, told SportzPower: “Just the fact of not being able to find a place in a “normal” linear TV channel such as Viacom18 or Sony, I believe says it all.”
“Mismanagement of the relationship with Reliance, which took a long time to build to the point of blowing it up, is not a minor issue either.”
