As part of its financial and global expansion plans, Spain's top football division, La Liga, is looking to build a stronger presence, not only in traditional markets such as South America, but also in new regions such as China.

The league is opening offices in Beijing and Dubai, and plans to do so in Johannesburg and New York in the near future.

"We need to be present where our groups of fans are," says Javier Tebas, with each of the above locations being regions where major European clubs are looking to expand their presence.

"We will have different strategies for different parts of the world," adds Mr Tebas. "For example, sport is not 'lived' in Asia the same way it is in Europe, but we have a strong [football] base that is common to all."

He points out that in China, 45% of people watch sport solely on their mobile phone, whereas it is only 15% in Europe.

"So in China we have a signed a partnership with [online video provider] PPTV, which is working a lot in the smart phone area," he says.

The president also promised to bring more teams to China in the off-season as China is an important market. According to Tebas, La Liga would arrange some matches to kick off early at 4pm in Spain this season, which means games would start at 10pm or 11pm for Chinese TV viewers.

Taken from BBC News