La Liga global network Indonesia delegate Rodrigo Gallego said the new schedule would start next season, adding that half of the matches would take place during prime time in the Asian region.

“This is historical for La Liga. In Spain, we [like to watch soccer] during dinner time. And now we are changing everything, because we know we have a global audience,” he told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of a press briefing on Tuesday.

The regular playtimes of the soccer league are 9 to 10 p.m., which is the usual dinner time in Spain, but this does not suit fans in regions like Southeast Asia, as they have to wake up before dawn to watch their favorite clubs.

Playtimes are an important issue for the league, as broadcasting rights contributed 34 percent to total revenue in the 2017/2018 season with 4.48 billion euros. The sale of audiovisual rights is the league’s main revenue engine aside from sponsorships and match day revenue.

The league’s data show that the club’s revenue from audiovisual rights varies depending on the status of the club. For example, in 2017/2018, Barcelona gained 154 million euros while Getafe got 44.5 million.

Rodrigo noted a change in the sale of broadcasting rights, explaining that five to 10 years ago, each club would sell its own rights, which he thought was problematic, as the small clubs would struggle to reap much revenue from this method.

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