The Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) is preparing for an institutional change. Far from the disruptive need of other organizations, the transition will be continuous. Elisa Aguilar, the only candidate for the elections, will take command next week, when she will present the details of her roadmap as head of the FEB. One of the pillars will be the promotion of its main competitions, the LEB Oro and the Endesa Women’s League, which is still working on drafting the second women’s agreement in its history. Among the main measures, it will invest in digitalization, which will include the renewal of its OTT and help the clubs in its leagues to enhance their marketing and communication structures, among others.
For now, the FEB does not reveal the investment it will make in this project, which is still being finalized. Óscar Graefenhain, general director of the federation, explains that “there will be a strong investment in renewing the OTT. The objective is to bring basketball closer to the fan in an easier way. We already broadcast all the matches in all the leagues, which is a great effort, and now we want to take another step to make it more accessible.”
The objective is to capitalize on the increase in audiences in recent years and the investment of the clubs, which has significantly raised the competitive level of the leagues. “Recovering fluid ascents and descents has been key”, he assures. “We are very optimistic with the evolution of the competitions in recent years, but we must not make sudden changes, we must follow a continuous line knowing that there are many things to improve.”
All matches are offered on Canal FEB. In the case of Liga Femenina Endesa and LEB Oro, they also have agreements outside of this platform. The second men’s division renewed this summer the contract with LaLiga+ until 2028. Although the economic terms are unknown, Graefenhain does assure that “there is an obvious improvement in conditions, and also in income, we will have more exposure, and LaLiga will help the clubs in digitalization, marketing and other areas as a strategic partner.”
Elisa Aguilar will present the entire project as president on Monday if she is elected
In addition, the new contract addresses another of the clubs’ common demands: centralize the production of emissions instead of each team assuming its cost and the production of the signal. “LaLiga is making a strong commitment to helping clubs professionalize their communication channels and structures,” indicates the manager.
This has an impact on the quality of the product, which will be more homogeneous, with a more careful and standardized broadcast for the entire LEB Oro. In addition, it is possible for there to be free-to-air matches and for regional television stations to buy their own packages with local teams, increasing the reaching. This was also essential for the clubs, since tAll of their sponsorships have a strong local component and, after moving to paid OTT, the exposure of this type of companies had been limited, which are now recovering impacts and visibility where they can really have an impact.
The Endesa Women’s League, however, will remain completely open. Graefenhain maintains that “the strategy is different because men’s basketball is already closed in the ACB, the NBA or the Euroleague. “The fan is already on paid platforms and accustomed to them, while basketball and women’s sports have always been broadcast free-to-air.” Furthermore, he assures that “we still have to continue building the product and attracting fans. “We could generate more audiovisual income, but it would be counterproductive with the strategy.”
The Women’s League has renewed the multi-year contract with Teledeporte, which offers one match per day, the Queen’s Cup and the Super Cup. The matches attract an average of 65,000 spectators per match and some have surpassed the 100,000 barrier, according to FEB data. Their matches are also broadcast on Twitter and Twitch, which in the last season have had an average audience of 41,000 and 6,900 viewers, respectively, which is six times what is achieved on the FEB OTT.
Some Women’s League matches have exceeded 100,000 spectators in TDP
“Tastes and consumption change so quickly that every year we sit down to define the audiovisual strategy. The idea is to bet on different platforms, collect data and redirect the broadcasts in the medium term towards a single one, which will be where we make the definitive effort. You have to make life easier for the viewer, But at the rate at which the audiovisual and digital ecosystem changes, the best strategy currently is to position ourselves on different channels,” says Graefenhain.
The clubs and the federation met last week, before the start of the league, to finalize this year’s plan. Unlike the LEB Oro, the clubs will continue to assume the production of the broadcasts, although it is expected that in the medium term, once the league takes the step of selling its audiovisual rights, they will be centralized as in the LEB Oro.
“Every year we demand a higher level of professionalization, and the clubs are always willing to go hand in hand together.” “They are already professionals, they guarantee that the players are professional, and they are aware of the needs, but to take another step, we need support.” The Club Association and the Players Association have been working for more than a year on the signing of the second agreement in the history of the Women’s League.
The FEB acts as a mediator and part of the process, although the signature corresponds to both associations. All parties agree that “we agree on the fundamentals” and that there are only a few things left to adjust it within the legal framework. Elisa Aguilar has been leading these negotiations on behalf of the FEB as director of competitions, and achieving the signing of the agreement will be a priority for next season.
The FEB has requested direct aid to clubs to improve their structures
For this, the support of the CSD is also crucial. Graefenhain confirms that “We have requested financial support from the clubs. We are open to any avenue, but we need direct help for basic issues such as marketing structures, physiotherapy services, doctors… Services that guarantee that the players can carry out their work with all the guarantees and that the clubs can contribute to improving the quality of the product. ”.
They are also working on incorporating more sponsors after the great leap this summer taking advantage of the Centennial. The manager assures that there will be brands that enter as partners of the Cup, the Super Cup and the leagues, and not only for the national teams. In this way, clubs will be able to distribute more income. In fact, the Search for a title sponsor for the LEB Oro.
“In the LEB Oro everything has come together. Attendance at the pavilions is at its highest, there is more interest, more audiences, teams with better structures, a higher sporting level… Now we have to take care of the image, harmonize it and ensure that the strategy serves to generate more income, which Elisa will announce in the project that we will present soon,” highlights Graefenhain. The 3×3 project will also be presented then, where more opportunities exist at the tournament and national team level.
*Content originally published on 2Playbook.com.
The Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) is preparing for an institutional change. Far from the disruptive need of other organizations, the transition will be continuous. Elisa Aguilar, the only candidate for the elections, will take command next week, when she will present the details of her roadmap as head of the FEB. One of the pillars will be the promotion of its main competitions, the LEB Oro and the Endesa Women’s League, which is still working on drafting the second women’s agreement in its history. Among the main measures, it will invest in digitalization, which will include the renewal of its OTT and help the clubs in its leagues to enhance their marketing and communication structures, among others.
2023-09-29 15:03:32
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