La Liga is officially the second most watched football league in the world. Unsurprisingly, the Premier League sits at the summit of the broadcasting rankings, but Spain’s top flight takes the runner-up spot.
Thanks to iconic clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona, La Liga attracts millions of viewers from all across the globe. However, fans of Spanish football in New Zealand are not able to watch the league legally this season.
It is no secret that football is not the most popular sport in New Zealand, with rugby and cricket typically taking centre stage. Still, it is difficult to understand why La Liga – one of the world’s most popular sports leagues – is impossible to watch legally in the country.
Why is La Liga impossible to watch legally in New Zealand?
Fans used to be able to watch La Liga via pay-TV broadcaster Sky New Zealand, who had an agreement with beIN Sports. Sky NZ teamed up with BeIN to access the Qatar-based network’s football content, but that deal is no longer in place.
If you head to La Liga’s official website (www.laliga.com) and click on the “Where to watch La Liga” tab on the homepage menu, you can find broadcasting information for dozens of countries. However, when you type New Zealand into the “Search country” search bar, you will see the following message: “No matching results found for your search”.
Ultimately, this means that fans of Spanish football in NZ have no way of watching La Liga on television or live stream this season.
What next for La Liga fans in New Zealand?
With no rights deal in place, La Liga fans in New Zealand are understandably frustrated. Many have taken to online forums such as Reddit to look for answers, while others have voiced their concerns on social media.
It is hard to figure out why the second most watched football league on the planet is impossible to watch legally in NZ. Of course, the departure of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has impacted the league’s reach, but new superstars like Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham continue to shine a light on the Spanish top flight.
Hopefully, it won’t be long before La Liga returns to TV screens in New Zealand. With more and more broadcasters entering the world of sports streaming, a deal could be on the horizon.
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