New partners of the Russian Premier Liga will broadcast RPL matches in Spain, Cyprus and the Balkan countries.

The OTT platform LaLigaSportsTV has acquired the exclusive rights to show RPL matches in Spain. The agreement will take effect from matchday 23 of the 2019/20 RPL season and runs until the end of the 2021/22 season.

LaLigaSportsTV will show all games each matchday with Russian commentators. From the 2020/21 season, two games each matchday chosen by the RPL can be shown with local commentary.

LaLigaSportsTV is the first OTT service created by LaLiga. More than 40 sports are broadcast on the platform. The service is available online, on iOS and Android mobile devices and tablets, Smart TV, and Android TV.

"Cooperation with LaLiga in Spain is a very interesting project that combines an exchange of experience and business relations. LaLiga is developing and investing a lot in its media direction, we have a lot to learn from them. From this cooperation, the RPL will receive not only financial results but also data on the audience of Russian football in Spain, which is very important," revealed Pavel Suvorov, commercial director of the Russian Premier Liga.

Telestare has acquired the rights to broadcast RPL matches in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro and Cyprus. The contract runs until the end of the 2021/22 season. Games will be streamed on Sport Klub channels in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro.

Telestare is a group of companies that was founded in the early 1990s and specialises in the acquisition and distribution of rights to show European and international sports, as well as other types of content such movies, TV series and children's programs.

"Where there is a traditional interest in the Russian Leagues, where our players and clubs are known, it is always easier to find partners and interested broadcasters. Interest in Russian football in Greece, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and other countries in the region has always been high, so the arrival of our first partnership in this territory is natural," Suvorov explained.

The Russian Premier Liga continues to exercise its international rights independently. For the purpose of audience research, from March 2019 to February 2020 the RPL freely broadcast matches on YouTube outside of Russia on a clear feed without commentary. In February 2020, the RPL was the first in the world to launch a paid subscription service for live match broadcasts via YouTube’s membership scheme.

"We will continue our cooperation with YouTube in those territories where our rights have not yet been implemented and the YouTube paid subscription service operates. We will continue to implement the subscription model.

“In the context of a changing media landscape, high competition and relatively little historical experience, we are moving steadily, striving for the most appropriate form of broadcast rights in certain territories.

“The pandemic has greatly affected all business processes, but it has also opened up new opportunities for us. In the absence of sports on TV, broadcasters have had time to review their content policies and pay attention to new projects.

By the 2020/21 season, we hope to announce new partnerships and get closer to implementing our own OTT application," Suvorov said about the RPL's plans.