PARIS — It seemed like a regular Monday as fans massed around the Camp Nou in Barcelona, buses carrying the players struggling to make their way through. All around the stadium, the scene of the exploits of Cruyff, Maradona and Messi, a buzz of excitement reminiscent of the great evenings hosted by Barça, the owners of the grounds.
But on March 27, 2023 the Blaugrana colours were a rarity in the stands, where over 92,000 spectators had taken their seats. Most had come to cheer on El Barrio, Saiyans FC, Aniquiladores and Los Troncos, the four teams taking part in the final tournament of the Kings League, the latest craze among young Spaniards.
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The competition’s recipe, a clever alchemy of soccer, e-sport and other disciplines, is not lacking in originality. Prior to the season, 12 teams, each presided over by Internet stars (streamers, content creators etc.), are put together using a selection system similar to the NBA draft. They can then be supplemented from time to time by prestigious guests, usually former soccer professionals.
Eventually they compete in seven-a-side matches over two 20-minute halves, a deliberately short format to attract the younger generation. The game kicks off in water polo style, with players rushing to grab the ball in the middle of the pitch. As in tennis, a “challenge” can be requested to check a disputed action on video. Substitutions are unlimited, as in handball, yellow cards are synonymous with temporary exclusion, as in rugby, and so on.
To ensure that the mix doesn’t get stale, the whole thing is spiced up with a healthy dose of fantasy. Before each match, “secret weapons” are drawn and made available to each coach. Penalties, goals that count double for two minutes, temporary expulsion of an opponent: almost anything goes.
Tuning in to Twitch
As you might expect, everything is done to capture the attention of spectators — especially of internet users, since the Kings League is mainly broadcast online, via YouTube, Twitch and TikTok.
The result has been staggering audiences: the finals on March 27 attracted an average of 1.4 million live viewers, with a peak of 2.2 million. On Twitch, the number of views exceeded 15 million. Although these figures were achieved on free-to-air channels, they are enough to make traditional broadcasters — and advertisers — salivate.
Advertisers “have been trying to attract Generation Z for a long time, and to tell you the truth, they’re pulling their hair out. In this case, it’s a fantastic opportunity for them, especially as they are reaching out to the community of Internet personalities taking part in the competition,” says Magali Tezenas du Montcel, managing director of the French organization Sporsora, which focuses on the development of the sports economy.
The sponsors are actually jostling for positions. Adidas, Cupra, Spotify, McDonald’s and many others have already signed up. The Kings League has also signed a naming deal with the job board InfoJobs and has teamed up with the newspaper Marca to ensure widespread media coverage.
Partnerships
Based on an economic model similar to that of e-sports, partnerships make up the bulk of the Kings League’s revenue, providing advertisers with a high profile. On and around the pitch, but also on the competition’s social networks (it has over 14 million followers in total) and on broadcasting platforms.
The organizers can also count on the monetization of match broadcasts on YouTube or Twitch. The principle is simple: a video advert (pre-roll) is broadcast at each stream launch, reaching tens of thousands of people. Advertising revenue is then shared between the channel owner and the platform.
Finally, revenue from merchandising (shirts and other official merchandise) completes the picture, as does ticket revenue from major events. The Kings League final at Camp Nou, for example, is said to have generated around 5 million euros, split equally between the organizers and FC Barcelona.
On the expenditure side, a substantial — but unknown — start-up sum was invested to put the ecosystem in place: pitches, cameras, video refereeing, production room, etc. And although the “presidents” hold the licences for their teams on the franchise model, the players’ salaries (around 150 euros per match) are paid by the Kings League.
Development at full speed
Behind this baroque formula lies ex-Barça player Gerard Piqué and his Kosmos group, which is multiplying its projects in the sports business. With varying degrees of success: the contract signed in 2018 with the International Tennis Federation, which granted Kosmos the rights to the Davis Cup for 25 years and some billion, was broken five years later. And the new formula devised by the Spanish group has mainly had the effect of making the competition anonymous.
With the Kings League, on the other hand, the gamble seems to have paid off. All thanks to a format that is short, fun and, above all, completely free, unlike professional soccer.
“Gerard Piqué saw a change in the way fans consume soccer, and based on this observation, he built an engaging product for people who watch soccer and for everyone else too,” explains Nicolas Julia, co-founder of the French unicorn Sorare.
The same product has also been developed in a women’s version (Queens League), a mixed version (Kingdom Cup) and a children’s version (Prince Cup). The Kings League Américas, based in Mexico City but bringing together Spanish-speaking teams from 10 different countries, will be launched in the coming weeks. Another competition is set to include several Brazilian teams, one of which will be led by Brazilian star Neymar. And a two-week World Cup is planned for this summer, with 32 teams from Spain, the United States and at least one from France.
France: fertile ground
Kosmos makes no secret of its attraction to the French market.
“We believe that France offers an ideal setting to host a project of this scale, with key elements for its success: a strong soccer culture and tradition, as well as a powerful ecosystem of streamers and content creators,” says Alex Bardera, Director of Strategy at the Spanish group. The fertile ground seems to be there, as demonstrated by the huge success of GP explorer, a car race organized by the YouTuber Squeezie, and Eleven all stars, a soccer tournament set up by the streamer AmineMaTue.
As a sign that the competition’s arrival in France is imminent, a Kings League France company was registered last October. “We are in the process of studying the market and making progress from a financial, content and operational point of view, but it will take time to set up a successful project. Ideally, we’d like to get started in time for the 2024-2025 season,” he adds.
While discussions are underway with several sponsors, one thing is certain: the Kings League will have to rely on French partners. One way or another, Sorare should be one of them, even if “nothing is planned in the short term”, according to its boss. Another unknown factor concerns online media group Webedia, which is heavily invested in e-sport. The Fimalac subsidiary, which produces the French League of Legends (LFL), could have a role to play.
“The Kings League uses some of the mechanics of e-sport, while Webedia is developing rapidly in sport with the Le10sport website and the Fair Play social media. So it’s interesting,” points out Bertrand Amar, head of the group’s e-sport division. Although here too, “nothing has been decided about the role Webedia will play”. The Kings League’s partners also include the start-up Footbar, which could eventually provide statistics for player selection.
Clowns or new ecosystem
It remains to be seen what effect the arrival of Gerard Piqué’s competition will have on French soccer. In Spain, its popularity has caused some tension, with Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga soccer association, calling its participants “clowns”. But for Julia of Sorare, “it’s going to make the cake bigger. It’s a new format, a new sport.”
On the e-sport side, there doesn’t seem to be any particular concern.
“The LFL and the Kings League are similar, they create a system with room for lots of people: teams that become companies in their own right by marketing their channel, operators or video producers,” says Amar. “If the Kings League comes to France, we’ll be delighted for the ecosystem. Even if, of course, a lot of sponsors are approached and have to make choices, at least there will be a bit more competition.”
