LaLiga Tech signs biggest soccer partnership to date with Liga Portugal

• Liga Portugal organises top two divisions of Portuguese soccer
• Other La Liga tech partners include MotoGP and Sky Mexico

LaLiga Tech, the technology division of Spanish soccer’s top flight, will help Liga Portugal develop its own digital strategy and protect its intellectual property online as part of a wide-ranging partnership.

Although LaLiga Tech has arrangements with several other sports federations and brodcasters, the deal with its Iberian neighbour is the most significant one it has struck with another European soccer league to date. SportsPro understands further partnerships with European soccer leagues could be announced soon.

Liga Portugal, which organises the top two divisions of soccer in the country, will gain access to resources to enhance its content offering, while also receiving assistance in building digital engagement platforms that build audiences both at home and abroad.

The first phase of the partnership will see it gain access to LaLiga Tech’s Brand Protection technology so it can detect, analyse, and remove counterfeit merchandise sold online. LaLiga Tech says 90 per cent of illegal products detected by its platform have been successfully removed from sale so far this season.

“The technological revolution has arrived in soccer,” said Pedro Proença, Liga Portugal’s president. “Partnerships like this one show how technological development can increase the promotion of competitions, increase their competitiveness, improve the game itself and increase brand impact and engagement with fans in an increasingly digital world.

“We are proud of this partnership in the fight against fraud, which is just one of the aspects of this agreement. Counterfeit material is a threat to the clubs’ intellectual property, to brands and, above all, something that deceives fans by taking away the experience that only an official product can provide.”

“We are pleased to join our allies at Liga Portugal to safeguard the important revenues that merchandising generates and to enhance the competition’s digitalisation strategy,” added Javier Tebas, LaLiga’s president.

“Since launching its services last year, LaLiga Tech has helped sports properties to protect over €9 billion (US$9.2 billion) worth of content and establish more direct and profitable relationships with their fans, which underlines technology’s ability to further strengthen the industry.”

Other LaLiga Tech partners include MotoGP commercial rights holder Dorna Sports, pay-TV network Sky Mexico and the Belgian Pro League.