El Clasico to be first European league match to feature 360° replays

The top league in the world is once again rolling out the best and most advanced technology to ensure that people around the globe enjoy El Clasico – which kicks off at 16:15 CET this Saturday, 3 December – in all its glory.

The signal for the blockbuster encounter between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Camp Nou will be produced by official LaLiga producer MEDIAPRO and will reach over 185 countries courtesy of more than 50 international LaLiga Santander rights-holding broadcasters. With a potential audience of some 650 million, this instalment of El Clasico is expected to be the most-watched game in the history of the Spanish top flight, surpassing the figures from previous editions of this legendary fixture in part thanks to the kick-off time's convenience for other continents such as Asia.

Furthermore, as was the case in over 90 countries last season, for the first time fans in Spain will be able to feast their eyes on the match in 4K, a form of technology that is already available at public establishments through Movistar and Vodafone and which will soon be launched for their individual customers too. This system is able to perform a superzoom into the action to provide viewers with an augmented-reality vision of specific details and incidents during matches. The technology offers picture quality four times that of standard High Definition, the eye-popping resolution being delivered by over eight million active pixels. 

To cater for this comprehensive coverage both domestically and internationally, LaLiga has tasked MEDIAPRO with deploying an array of state-of-the-art equipment, which will include eight mobile units, six DSNG vans and eight 4K cameras, as well as a team of over 400 people, from directors to technicians and producers.

A total of 37 fixed cameras will be in place at the Camp Nou and the production will benefit from innovations such as the aerial camera installed this season, two super-slow cameras which will follow Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, one high-speed tracking camera (offering hyper-slow-motion footage) behind one of the goals, two cameras featuring telephoto lenses that will be trained on Zinedine Zidane and Luis Enrique, and two offering beauty shots (interior and exterior with a crane).

There will also be 38 cameras using Intel's 360° technology, HD cameras and 5K (allowing digital zoom without a reduction in quality), which will provide viewers with unique replays and multi-perspective, which has never previously been seen in a European league. The technology means pieces of play can be viewed from different angles and it is a very useful tool for analysing both offside decisions and contentious moments.

Thirty-eight major channels from all over the world have requested tailor-made broadcasts, with Eleven (Poland and Belgium), beIN SPORTS USA, beIN SPORTS MENA, beIN SPORTS France and FOX Italia using their own mobile units and DSNG vans at the Camp Nou. It will be the first time that VTV (Vietnam) and SLE (Japan) attend a fixture between the two clubs in order to provide their viewers with extensive, never-before-seen coverage.

Former players and famous personalities from the football world will be in attendance at the Camp Nou as commentators and pundits: Fabio Capello (FOX Italia), Eric Abidal and Omar da Fonseca (beIN SPORTS France), Patrick M'Boma (Canal+ Africa), Daniel Garcia Lara, Albert Ferrer and Javier Saviola (beIN SPORTS USA), Enrique Wolff (ESPN) and Danny Blind (Ziggo).

beIN LaLiga, the official broadcaster for LaLiga Santander in Spain, has created a 24-hour channel in the week leading up to El Clasico. beIN LaLiga MAX 1 has become beIN MAX EL CLASICO, with over 100 hours of coverage focusing on the biggest club fixture in the world. Special programmes, reports, historic clashes, top goals and a series of exclusive interviews will be broadcast throughout the week.

A new addition to Spain's coverage of the game will be beIN LaLiga's second screen on beIN Max El Clasico where viewers will be able to see every replay with 360° footage, as well as shots and perspectives that will not be used on the main channel. As for beIN LaLiga's principal broadcast, this will feature the presence of Raul Gonzalez, one of LaLiga's country managers, who will travel to Barcelona to commentate on the game live. Raul will be alongside former Real Madrid and FC Barcelona players Jorge Valdano and Miquel Soler respectively, who are regular commentators for the channel.

The anticipation surrounding El Clasico grows year on year, with over 650 accredited professionals representing 230 different media outlets set to attend. More than 90 companies have requested spots in the stadium in order to provide live pre- and post-match broadcasts. The match will also be extensively covered on social media using the hashtag #ElClasico, which is expected to better the 900 million impressions racked up the last time Barcelona played Real Madrid. To sum up, top-level coverage will be in place in order to provide the very greatest spectacle both at the stadium and on television.