And the audience has responded: with an average of almost 500,000 live viewers per day on all channels and platforms, according to the organization, the final four of this newborn competition will be held on March 26 at the Camp Nou, and There are already 50 thousand tickets sold.
“The idea was born from a reflection on why we see that there is a part of a young generation that is finding it increasingly difficult to endure 90 minutes watching a professional soccer match,” explains the tournament’s general director, Oriol Querol.
To keep their attention, the Kings League offers them a carousel of stimuli that is broadcast every Sunday from a pavilion in the port area of Barcelona, with a small capacity for guests, but accessible to all through the live video platform Twitch.
In these 40-minute matches it is forbidden to tie, each goal is celebrated with pyrotechnics and the viewer can see Kun Agüero return to the pitch dressed as Joker -the highest audience peak to date, which brought together 1.3 million viewers live-, Casillas conceding a penalty or Piqué’s grandfather drawing a card that will decide that a match continues one against one.
For this Sunday, another main course: the reappearance of Ronaldinho.
“What we want is for things to happen constantly. And the proof is that the conferences last seven hours, and at seven there is a fairly stable audience base because we don’t let them rest,” says Querol.
From inside
For this, the twenty people who fill the production room work, where they process the signal from the 17 cameras distributed on the field, the box or on the referee’s chest, in addition to the reactions of the presidents or the talks of the coaches.
The reception of the competition, which is still looking for its economic profitability, surprised the organizers themselves.
“I thought it could have some acceptance because there are great streamers involved and great former players like Casillas and Kun (…), but it is true that it has exceeded everyone’s expectations,” says streamer Ibai Llanos.
Still dressed in shorts, because as president of the Porcinos team he has just taken a penalty, the presence of this charismatic 27-year-old communicator was one of the great claims of the Kings League. Content creator and entrepreneur, Llanos began by narrating video games and is now one of the most influential streamers, followed by a loyal community of 12.6 million users on Twitch, the same as on Twitter.
Piqué’s collaborator on various projects, Llanos sees a lot of potential in the Kings League, which will soon start its women’s edition, has a children’s edition planned and is considering expanding to other countries.
“I hope it will be one more job opportunity for many people, for the players themselves, that the whole issue of conditions improves over time, that there are many people who can live around the Kings League content,” he says.