Leonard Soler Batet, who for the last three years was the head of international media rights at Spanish soccer's top-tier LaLiga, has now taken up a similar role at the Saudi Pro League (SPL).
Soler Batet, who spent eight years at LaLiga, announced his new position on LinkedIn, saying that he has joined the SPL to "drive the growth of its international footprint and help lay the foundation for it to become one of the top leagues in sports."
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Soler Batet first joined LaLiga in early 2017 as a sports media rights manager, before rising to head up the Spanish property's international media rights division in April 2022.
Before 2017, he worked for brands including PepsiCo and Unilever.
He said: "After eight incredible years at LaLiga, contributing to its international expansion and leading the distribution of media rights by partnering with top-tier sports broadcasters around the world, the time has come to accept a new challenge."
The SPL has been doing its utmost to expand internationally in recent years, with the most visible example of this global growth being the wide range of well-known players and worldwide stars who have signed up with Saudi clubs – including Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo.
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By GlobalDataA Netflix series has also been produced – Saudi Pro League: Kickoff – which went live in late November, while a range of commercial deals with international brands have also been struck.
Regarding its international broadcast presence, the SPL has been – throughout the 2024-25 season, which ended over the weekend – shown in more than 165 countries on 43 global platforms.
Heavyweight sports marketing agency IMG has held international broadcast distribution rights for the last two seasons, and also has a production deal in place through 2028-29.
Well-known broadcasters with SPL coverage deals include the likes of Canal Plus in France, DAZN across five territories, Fox in the US and Caribbean, Okko in Russia, Tencent in China, and SportyTV in Nigeria and Ghana.
Domestically, meanwhile, the league is shown live by Saudi Sports Company.
In terms of senior Spanish soccer executives moving to the SPL, meanwhile, Jesús Arroyo – up until January the deputy general manager at LaLiga side Sevilla – is now an advisor to Omar Mugharbel, the SPL's chief executive.
In December, LaLiga opened an office within the SPL's headquarters in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
Other ties between LaLiga and the Kingdom include a three-season partnership between the Spanish league and the Riyadh Season sporting, cultural, and entertainment brand.
