'LaLiga reactivated MTV fan base in southern markets'

Viacom18’s flagship youth brand channel MTV that signed a three-year partnership with the Spanish football league witnessed a threefold increase in reach in the opening week as compared to the last LaLiga broadcast on TV. 

The fact that 38% of viewership for the matches came in from Rural India, with over 51% viewership from urban cities is another sign of LaLiga's increasing fandom on MTV India.  

During a virtual media conference, Anshul Ailawadi, Business Head – Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18, shared that LaLiga opened doors for the South Market for MTV. 27% of the viewership contribution came from non-HSM markets. Additionally, LaLiga recorded 41 mins Times Spent per Viewer (TSV) in Kerala. 

 “As far as Laliga is concerned we have seen a fan base reactivated in Southern markets for MTV where traditionally viewers are from Hindi speaking market (HSM)," Ailawadi pointed out.

He added, "We sometimes tend to think that whether MTV or LaLiga, we have a strong urban skewed base. That's not entirely incorrect, but a large part of our viewership actually also comes from rural areas and urban cities with under 10 lakh population. This speaks to the fact that we're able to go deeper in the country, and take this message forward and get insight for us because it'll have implications on how we will promote the property in the coming months as well."

MTV relaunched LaLiga on Indian television with a quirky campaign that promised Zero Masala and Pure Football. The innovative campaign, which includes quirky films and engagement with football fan groups across India, is making an enormous impact on social media. The campaign has delivered a whopping 38M Reach & 50M Impressions while drawing in passionate responses on social media too.  

This season sees the long-awaited return of fans to LaLiga stadiums across Spain, their passionate and emotional voices the perfect complement to the spectacular football being played out on the field. And with Colombian Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Camilo penning the official football-infused song for the season, the stage is all set for the symphony of the beautiful game to take centre stage like never before.  

Speaking about the new season, Jose Antonio Cachaza, Managing Director – India, LaLiga, said, “The past year showed us the kind of emotional connection football fans has with the beautiful game. As the world slowly starts to heal and go back to normal, the new season of LaLiga returns, with the fans finally reuniting with their favourite sport. The energy is in the air, especially in India, with this new partnership with Viacom18. We are looking forward to building an even deeper connection with our audience in this country, which has shown its profound bond with the sport time and again.”