Facebook to air Laliga matches for free in Indian subcontinent

MUMBAI: Spanish football league Laliga on Tuesday said social media giant Facebook will air the matches in Indian subcontinent for free for three years.

The three-season deal commences with the 2018-19 campaign kicking off on August 17.

"Now with Facebook, Laliga has broken new ground, signing its first broadcast agreement ever with a social media platform," it said in a statement.

All 380 first division matches of Spain's topflight football league will be available for free to people on Facebook in eight countries - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

The Facebook community in the eight countries will be able to watch Laliga Santander coverage on a live and on-demand basis through multiple devices. The matches would be available on the official Laliga Facebook page as well as individual club pages, the statement added.

In addition to the live matches, shoulder programming, including a full range of weekly preview shows and highlights, will be offered.

"We are thrilled to team up with Facebook to bring the millions of Laliga fans in the Indian subcontinent even closer to the action. Laliga sets the standard for football in the world and we are delighted that more people than ever before will have the opportunity to watch our matches live and for free through Facebook in the region," said Javier Tebas, president, Laliga.

For major matches, viewers can see interactive studio coverage hosted by Joe Morrison.

"We see this as a great opportunity to not only bring people together around world-class football, but also help Laliga reach new audiences and grow its visibility in a key development market," said Peter Hutton, head - global live sports programming, Facebook.