LALIGA Special: Getting More Asia Friendly

The growth of football fans in the Asian region has significantly influenced the development of LALIGA, particularly in terms of the number of followers on social media. Fans who wish to stay updated on LALIGA are encouraged to follow the official accounts on various social media platforms, such as Instagram and X.

On Instagram, LALIGA now has more than 52 million followers worldwide. These millions of people are not just numbers for LALIGA. They are fans who must be served.

Serving fans around the world can be accomplished in various ways, ranging from providing multilingual content, regular interactions, to scheduling matches at times that are friendly for viewers in other parts of the world. LALIGA recognizes that many fans in Asia prefer matches not to take place too early in the morning. A breakthrough was made by adjusting the schedule of the last "El Clasico" match of the season to be more accommodating for Asian audiences.

In Indonesia, the decisive match for the championship title between Barcelona and Real Madrid is broadcast at 21:15 WIB. This means the match starts around 16:00 Spanish time.

With the match time not too late, there are many agendas to watch El Clasico together held in Indonesia. The match can be reached by many people. Millions of eyes witnessed the failure of Real's efforts to delay Barca's championship party.

Adjusting the kickoff time of El Clasico to an earlier hour is a bold move by LALIGA. Major football matches typically take place during prime time, such as at 7:00 PM. LALIGA has taken this daring step to indulge fans worldwide so that football can be celebrated together.

To accommodate fans in Asia, LALIGA has two match time slots, namely at 14:00 and 16:00. The determination of match times has undergone careful consideration. According to LALIGA President Javier Tebas, match times could be set even earlier, but this must be approved by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

"So, we have a time slot that we think is reasonable for football fans in Asia to watch the game live. We want to see if several times during the season, we can offer the game at a better time for fans in Asia," said Tebas, answering Kompas' questions in an interview session facilitated by LALIGA.

In addition to scheduling matches at more Asia-friendly times, LALIGA is also striving to connect with fans by providing content in multiple languages, including Indonesian. There is a dedicated social media account in Indonesian that offers the latest updates on LALIGA. One of these is on X. The LALIGA Indonesia account on X has already garnered 219,000 followers.

Not only does it report on league developments, but on several occasions, the LALIGA Indonesia account has also expressed condolences during the flooding disaster in Jabodetabek. Similarly, when there was a transition in the coaching staff of the Indonesian national team from Shin Tae-yong to Patrick Kluivert, LALIGA Indonesia extended its best wishes to Kluivert for his new role.

Kluivert is a figure who has connections with LALIGA and Indonesia. During his active playing career, Kluivert once strengthened Barca. This is LALIGA's way of fostering a closer relationship between Indonesia and LALIGA.

"I believe he (Kluivert) is like an ambassador for LALIGA in Indonesia at this time. He was a legendary player in LaLiga back then and is now managing the Indonesian national team. This is very relevant for us," said LALIGA International Digital Content Coordinator Xiowei Guo.

The key to pampering fans on social media is fan interaction. LALIGA is wrapping it in technological developments, artificial intelligence (AI). Currently, LALIGA is one of the top European leagues at the forefront of AI utilization.

Various breakthroughs have been made by utilizing AI, two of which are the creation of a virtual character named Alex and the optimization of data for each match to be processed in the Beyond Stats feature.

Alex enables fans to obtain the latest information and what they need regarding LALIGA. He is not merely a character whose image is generated through AI tools and processes, but is also continuously trained to produce content and engage in coordinated dialogue.

"Essentially, this is a new way we are using to connect with fans in a different manner. This technology also provides us with the opportunity to reach fans more broadly in their target language or mother tongue," said the Head of AI Implementation and Development at LALIGA, Javier Gil.

Through the Beyond Stats feature, fans are presented with detailed data for each match. Detailed information regarding shooting areas, player movements, and the most dangerous players in the opponent's penalty box is comprehensively presented with visually appealing visualizations.

All of that data is collected from each match using cameras installed throughout the stadium. In a single match, the data collected can reach up to 3.5 million entries. The processing of this data can provide interesting insights for fans.