Global marketing technology company Upstream and LaLiga, the Spanish football league, have formed an exclusive partnership to bring online portal LaLiga Premium to mobile phone users in Sub-Saharan Africa.
LaLiga Santander and LaLiga Smartbank are the first and second professional divisions of Spanish football, which includes popular clubs like Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, and Villarreal, and hosts the globally recognized “El Clasico” match between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Football is the most popular sport in Sub-Saharan Africa, and according to the GSMA, there are over 500 million unique mobile subscribers in the region, which is expected to exceed 600 million by 2025.
The Groupe Speciale Mobile Association is an association representing the interests of mobile operators and the broader mobile industry worldwide.
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The partnership will enable mobile network operators to provide subscribers in Sub-Saharan Africa with access to unique and exclusive content and features that tap into the growing popularity of LaLiga across Africa.
LaLiga Premium offers match highlights, live match commentary, podcasts, news, and detailed player profiles, as well as a game corner with quizzes, fantasy football leagues, and other games offering winners branded merchandise from their favourite clubs, as well as cash prizes.
“The African audience is the fastest-growing for LaLiga,” says Marcos Pelegrin, LaLiga’s Africa Managing Director. “Now, with LaLiga Premium, we are bringing all our teams and the stars of our leagues right into the palms of the hands of football fans in Sub-Saharan Africa. Upstream’s mobile marketing technology, experience in digital services, and deep understanding of the market have sealed this partnership.”
The web app initially operates as a ‘freemium’ portal, with users able to view certain content before upgrading to the full premium service and adding it to their monthly mobile bill.
Upstream’s mobile marketing platform, Grow, will support mobile network operators with customer acquisitions for LaLiga Premium via its ability to optimize customer journeys.
