Real Madrid and Barcelona will have to work harder to maintain their dominance following new Spanish rules affecting TV rights, the Spanish League’s marketing expert said.

Mario Bayarri, the vice-president of Mediapro, the media marketing company that works in partnership with La Liga clubs, told delegates at the Soccerex Asian Forum this week that clubs will now have to think differently following the change.

In the past, Real and Barcelona pocketed huge TV deals negotiated separately with the TV companies, but now there will be a far more equal distribution of the cash.

“Barca and Real Madrid will have to work harder,” Bayarri told delegates.

“This new reality (making the teams more even in financial terms) is thanks to Real Madrid and Barcelona but they will have to work harder to stay competitive. What is important now is that all our clubs have a good platform to attract sponsors.

“Of course, Barca and Real Madrid will remain competitive, but the league will grow.

“We need to make the league work so that more revenues come. Now, our clubs need to change their mindset. They need to be able to market the rights, go to their partners with these rights to get more revenues.”

Bayarri was speaking on a panel which included former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein, one of the architects of the English Premier League 23 years ago.

The EPL has gone from strength to strength partly because TV income is distributed far more evenly between the top and bottom clubs in England than is the case in Spain.

“In La Liga the two top clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid, ran away with all the money and left at the bottom are Elche, Cordoba or Granada who sadly got left right behind. That’s not what you would call a healthy situation,” Bayarri said.

Under the new laws, of the total revenues from the sale of the rights, around 90 per cent will go to all of the clubs in the first division and the remainder to the second.

Analysts calculate that clubs will collectively obtain one billion euros per season, versus around €700 million currently.

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