LaLiga, one of the world's most popular football leagues, has achieved a record-breaking season in the US during the 2025-26 campaign. The league reached an unprecedented 20.1 million viewers and recorded 3.9 billion minutes watched across ESPN platforms, marking a significant increase from the previous season.
The latest season saw an impressive growth of 10% and 11% respectively in viewership and total minutes watched compared to the previous year. This surge was driven by all 380 matches that were aired throughout the season.
One of the highlights of this record-breaking run was El Clásico on May 10th where Barcelona defeated rivals Real Madrid with a scoreline of 2-0 to claim their coveted LaLiga title for the twenty-ninth time. This match alone drew a staggering combined audience of over 1.3 million across ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ (English only), marking it as *the most-watched LaLiga El Clásico ever* on these platforms.
Additional highlights from season
The successful 2025-26 campaign of LaLiga also boasted several other remarkable achievements. A staggering nine billion minutes were watched across all ESPN platforms, indicating the immense popularity and engagement the league enjoys.
The average viewer count reached around ninety-one thousand across all linear ESPN platforms, showcasing a significant increase in viewership. On ESPN Deportes alone, an average of eighty-three thousand viewers tuned into each game, contributing to four billion minutes of total watch time on this platform.
Furthermore, since ESPN Deportes began airing most matches starting with the 2022-23 season, there has been an impressive rise in LaLiga viewership by 38 per cent on this platform - a testament to the growing popularity and reach of LaLiga among US audiences.
Engaging audiences beyond traditional platforms
LaLiga’s historic success wasn’t confined to traditional broadcasting channels but extended to digital platforms as well. ESPN, in collaboration with LaLiga, leveraged the power of Disney to broaden the league's reach. This included content integrations with renowned brands such as Marvel Television and Star Wars. Moreover, partnerships were formed with high-profile creators and external entities like WWE to bridge the gap between sport, entertainment and younger audiences.
The 2025-26 season also marked a significant surge in social media engagement. ESPN Deportes' social platforms alone generated an impressive 94 million engagements on LaLiga content, highlighting the league's immense popularity among online audiences. In addition to this, the digital reach of LaLiga extended beyond social media platforms. Over one million unique users accessed and consumed LaLiga content on ESPN.com, demonstrating the league's broad appeal and accessibility. Furthermore, approximately eight million unique users engaged with LaLiga content through the ESPN app, underlining the growing trend of sports consumption via mobile applications.
This record-breaking season has not only solidified LaLiga's position as a leading football league but also demonstrated how sports broadcasting can effectively leverage various channels to engage a wider audience. As we look forward to future seasons, it will be interesting to see how these trends evolve and continue shaping the landscape of sports viewership.
