Sony KIX signs 3-year deal to telecast LaLiga in India

NEW DELHI: Sports broadcaster SONY KIX has acquired the exclusive telecast rights to LaLiga, the premier division of the Spanish football league. This comes on the heels of the channel acquiring broadcast rights for Emirates FA Cup and the SERIE A TIM.

The broadcaster will exclusively telecast LaLiga across India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives through the three-year deal.

"These acquisitions strengthen the network’s current portfolio of live football programming which already includes properties such as the UEFA EURO 2016, Qualifiers for UEFA EURO 2016, European Qualifiers for 2018 FIFA World Cup™, 2018 FIFA World Cup™ and COPA America 2015, the broadcaster said in a release.

LaLiga hosts some of the biggest names in international and club level football like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta, Antoine Griezmann, Neymar, Gareth Bale and Luis Suárez amongst many more.

Prasana Krishnan, business head, SONY SIX and SONY KIX said, "We are extremely thrilled to be associated with this pre-eminent league and this move opens up a bold new chapter in our operations as we go on to spearhead the football-led genre in our industry. The extended offering of matches coupled with holistic recaps of the league, will position our network as the premier destination for unparalleled football viewing experience."

LaLiga kicks-off the 2015 season on the weekend of August 23, 2015. This will be the 85th season of the top-tier Spanish football league, featuring some of the best teams and players in international football. A total of 20 teams will contest the league, including 17 sides from the 2014–15 season and the three promoted ones from the 2014–15 Segunda División including Real Betis, Sporting de Gijón, and Las Palmas which qualified through the play-offs.