LaLiga scores record commercial revenue in post pandemic comeback

MADRID – Spain’s top football league posted record commercial revenue in 2023-24, while recurring revenue surpassed €5 billion (S$7.46 billion) for the first time since the pandemic, though still falling shy of pre-Covid-19 heights.

La Liga’s €5.049 billion from its four traditional recurring revenue pillars (match day, commercial, broadcasting and Uefa prize money) represents a 3.2 per cent increase over the previous season, riding a wave of fan enthusiasm that saw a record 16 million spectators fill stadiums at an average 75.4 per cent capacity.

The impressive attendance figures helped drive match day revenue up 4.8 per cent, while commercial income climbed 7.4 per cent to exceed €1 billion for the second consecutive year.

“After the pandemic, we said it would take four or five years to recover the Covid losses, and that has been the case,” La Liga president Javier Tebas told reporters.

While recurring revenue was up, total revenue dipped 10 per cent to €5.125 billion compared to last season’s inflated €5.69 billion, which included half of the €1.99 billion from La Liga’s deal with private equity firm CVC Capital Partners.

“Taking away the effects of last year’s levers, which distorted the total numbers, you can see that we are a sustainable league,” Tebas added.

La Liga projects attendances will surge to over 18 million fans next season and the league will finally break the pre-pandemic recurring revenue record of €5.065 billion set in 2019-20.

Tebas also announced changes to La Liga’s strict Financial Fair Play rules, introducing a minimum wage cap of 30 per cent of a club’s turnover. It is a move aimed at preventing financially troubled clubs like Sevilla and Barcelona from entering seasons with lower wage caps that have hampered their ability to register and sign new players.

Barcelona and La Liga have fought