FCBARCELONA.CAT
Main menu
Content menu
Club
03.08.2007 12:22
Barça TV in 151 countries
www.fcbarcelona.cat
Within the framework of the international expansion of FC Barcelona, the club channel, Barça TV, is continuing to grow a can now be found in 151 countries around the globe.
This milestone is consolidation of the expansion of the channel since the first
agreements for international distribution were made by Barça with companies in Japan and France in
the summer of 2005. One highlight, with regards to last season, is that an increase was seen as
Barça TV International reached a further 98 countries. This increase in coverage is the consequence
of different individual agreements which the club reached with all the countries throughout the
year. In fact the club has announced two further agreements that coincide with the FC Barcelona
first team's tour of the Far East. One of the deals signed has been with GolTV which will see Barça
TV International beamed to the rest of Asia, with the exception of China, Japan and Korea. The
current deal with EuroSoccer to show Barça TV International has also been renewed for China.
New agreement with GolTV
The deal between FC Barcelona and GolTV will see Barça TV International
broadcast throughout Asia, with the exception of China, Japan and Korea, for the next three seasons
(2007/08 until 2009/10). GolTV, which shows programmes via cable, satellite and internet, consists
of two main channels; GolTV 1 and GolTV 2. Among the channels which they also broadcast is
Manchester United TV (MUTV), games from the England Premiership, the Scottish Premier League and
the French Ligue 1, as well as showing a football show called World Soccer.
Renewal with EuroSoccer
The renewal of the deal with EuroSoccer, that will see the company continue to broadcast Barça TV International in China, is for three season (2007/08 until 2009/10). Eurosoccer, which shows programmes on cable, satellite and the internet, also has the rights to show live games from the English Premiership as well as the rights for games from the UEFA Champions League, Italy, Spain, France, Korea and Japan.
Club values
Marc Ingla, FC Barcelona's vice-president for Marketing and Media, stated
that "the current success on the pitch and strong image of the club have helped in being decisive
in attracting television companies around the world to FC Barcelona and helped them decide to buy
the rights to the club's exclusive television channel".
"The strategy for Barça TV continues to be to take the most exclusive content to all four corners of the globe where there are fans of the club that wants to know all the latest news," Ingla continued. "By doing that we are able to show all the best images of all our teams and to continue to spread the feeling and values of the club."
Key agreements in Asia
Reflecting on the new agreement with GolTV and the renewal of the deal with EuroSoccer, the Barça vice-president added: "We are especially happy with the new deals with EuroSoccer in China and GolTV for the rest of Asia in general, since those companies are perfect for broadcasting the image and values of the club into that part of the world. These agreements will allow Barça to be even closer to the fans in China and Asia in general and, at the same time, it can give the club a new impulse in the region."
International expansion
FC Barcelona began its distribution and international expansion of the club channel, Barça TV, at
the start of 2006 when an international version of the station was introduced. A stripped down
version of Barça TV was created for a wider audience, with a schedule of six hours-per-week. The
aim was to use the content of the channel to make a series of programmes that included news,
highlights and interviews for the international public. The contents of the six hours of programmes
were sent out in Catalan, Spanish and translated into English, along with an original version in
case the parent company wanted to dub the show into another language.
