Real Madrid Attract 60 Million Chinese Viewers for Midday Kickoff Game

Real Madrid are seeing the dividends of their early kickoff on Sunday against Osasuna after Beijing TV calculated 60 million Chinese viewers tuned in to see the game at the Santiago Bernabéu.

The game kicked off at midday in the Spanish capital, anesthetist meaning it was watched at peak viewing time of 7pm in the China, site and the figures will come as music to the ears of La Liga BBVA bosses who have introduced the earlier kick-off time to maximise the exposure of Spanish football in Asia.

Despite national television sports channel CCTV5cough Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;”> choosing not to broadcast the encounter it was shown on free-to-air television in the country’s capital, a move which went down well with the Chinese themselves and the numerous bars in central Beijing. Most were crowded with sports fans wanting a glimpse of stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, who did not disappoint with a hat-trick in Real’s thrashing of José Luis Mendilibar’s team.

The initiative of La Liga in making inroads into the Chinese market has led to the opening of an office in Beijing in order to promote the competition, but a spokesperson recognised that it was still going to ‘take a great effort.’ to make a difference in a English Premier League dominated market.