SAUDI PRO LEAGUE
Cristiano boosts SPL international profile with 36 territories now broadcasting games
The Portuguese striker is set to play his third game for Al Nassr on Friday as demand for the SPL games continuing to grow internationally.
Cristiano Ronaldo has now played two competitive games for new side Al Nassr. His debut saw the Riyadh based outfit beat Ettifaq as the veteran striker captained the team as part of a 1-0 win over the Damman club to regain top spot in the Roshn Saudi League.
His second game in the Al Nassr shirt ended in disappointment as the side coached by Rudy Garcia fell to Al Ittihad in the semi-final stage of the Saudi Super Cup.
Friday sees CR7′s third Al Nassr test as they travel to Al-Mubarraz, Al-Ahsa to face Al Fateh.
The 37-year-old is is set to play out the final years of his club career in Saudi Arabia, having signed a lucrative contract through to 2025 in December.
CR7 ignites television deals
After the striker from Madeira joined Al Nassr, the Saudi Professional League appointed the IMG (sports management agency) to sell the media rights for the competition ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut season in the competition and within just a week, deals were secured with partners including Sport TV in Portugal, Cosmote in Greece, Claro in Mexico and S Sport in Turkey.
IMG now claim that they have secured rights agreements to show the Roshn Saudi League in 36 territories.
Deals have been agreed in four of the ‘big five’ European markets, including agreements with RMC Sport, L’Équipe and Twitch in France, along with Sportitalia in Italy. In the UK and Ireland, pay-TV broadcaster Sky has acquired rights and is streaming matches on its YouTube channel. In Germany, IMG adopted a non-exclusive approach in agreements with ARD and ZDF, Bild, Sky and Sportdigital Fussball.