Japanese media platform SportsNavi has rekindled its connection to LaLiga by becoming the first official media partner of the Spanish football competition in Japan.
The agreement, which will initially run until the end of this year with an option to renew, will provide Japanese LaLiga fans with access to competition news, as well as “first-hand insight” into the goings on around all clubs.
Among the initial exclusive content available through the deal will be a documentary about RCD Mallorca’s rise from the Segunda División B back in 2017-18, to its return to LaLiga in 2019-20. Japan international Takefusa Kubo is currently on loan at Mallorca from Real Madrid.
Rubén González, LaLiga delegate in Japan, said: “Joining together with SportsNavi inc. will allow us to reach a larger number of fans. Reaching them through one of the most important outlets in Japan’s media landscape, and doing so in their language, will give us a great boost in generating more interest and knowledge around LaLiga.”
Since the opening of a base in Japan in 2017, LaLiga has focused on promoting knowledge of the competition and its clubs among Japanese fans, as well as supporting local institutions and leagues in their growth strategies.
Through this, LaLiga has signed commercial partnerships with HIS and Sony Bank, collaboration agreements with competitions such as the J-League and the Nadeshiko League, and opened profiles in Japanese on Twitter and LINE.
In February 2018, DAZN, the OTT subscription service, boosted its position in Japan by taking over the SportsNavi Live streaming platform operated by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank. The rights portfolio held by SportsNavi Live, including LaLiga, was assumed by DAZN, which launched in Japan in August 2016.