T

he Spanish League has become arguably Europe's most intriguing, after FC Barcelona won the UEFA Champions League and Real Madrid signed on several big names, including a world record transfer for Cristiano Ronaldo.

In addition to Ronaldo, who moved from English champions Manchester United for 93.9 million euros, the nine-time European champions now also boast the electrifying Brazilian playmaker Kaka, Spanish international Xabi Alonso and French striker Karim Benzema.

The exodus has made La Liga a Mecca for football fans, so it came as major shock for Indonesian fans when the spectacle, which used to be aired live on RCTI, will now be on pay-TV.

RCTI, which has aired La Liga matches since 2003, has stopped the program, citing the exorbitant price of the package, but will continue showing the Champions League.

"We've been offered the chance to renew the program, but we choose not to because they've increased the price by 30 percent, which is too expensive for us," RCTI programming director Harsiwi Achmad told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

"That's too much for a program that airs after midnight. For years we aired the games in the early morning, and we hardly earned any revenue from it," she went on.

"They attracted no advertising, so we had to cover our won costs for financial resources, including the license, airtime and satellite fees.

"Moreover, public enthusiasm about the league was among the lowest in the country."

Harsiwi added it was among RCTI's lowest-rated programs.

"We decided to stop it because, commercial-wise, we got nothing and it also made little contribution to the public," she said.

She added the addition of some of the world's top players would not make all that much of a difference.

"We don't believe the massive transfer of players to Spain will be an instant hit," she said.

"Maybe it'll work for certain clubs, but not for the league."

She added the decision to discontinue the contract came in January, before Real Madrid's move to build its second Galacticos era.

In May, the broadcaster, the oldest privately owned one in the country, secured the exclusive rights to the Champions League for another three seasons, starting from 2009. RCTI has aired the league since 1994.

"The Champions League is our best choice because it has a big resonance among local soccer fans and the price is stable," Harsiwi said.

RCTI sports producer Gita Suwondo said the station would air 13 match days from September 2009 to May 2010.

"We'll air two live games and 10 delayed ones for every match day, which includes quarterfinals, semifinals and finals," Gita said, adding some of the matches would air on Indovision, a pay-TV channel owned by PT MNC Skyvision.