Spanish football’s international viewing figures have increased by over 48 per cent since the season returned after being halted for three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organising body La Liga said yesterday. Citing a study by analytics firm Nielsen Sports of the first round of matches since the campaign resumed on June 11 without fans, La Liga said its biggest audience bounce came in Africa, where it received a 73 per cent boost in viewers. Viewing audiences increased by 72 per cent in Asia, where La Liga has had a free-to-air deal with Facebook in the Indian sub-continent since 2018. In Europe, audiences swelled by over 56 per cent, with the biggest spike (130%) coming from Belgium, which cancelled its domestic season due to the pandemic. It was able to get its season back up and running thanks to a joint effort from La Liga, Spain's soccer federation and the government's department for sport.

Source: The Star June 18, 2020 21:00 UTC