Barcelona’s next league meeting with Real Madrid will travel far beyond the rebuilt stands of Spotify Camp Nou, with the Clásico set for free-to-air exposure across the United States as LaLiga seeks a larger place on traditional television.
A nationwide stage for Barcelona and Real Madrid
The match on Sunday 25 October, scheduled for 21:00 in Spain and available on DAZN, will be carried in the United States by ABC as well as ESPN’s subscription service. ESPN holds LaLiga’s US broadcast rights through the end of the 2028-29 season, while both ESPN and ABC belong to The Walt Disney Company.
ABC’s decision means the contest between Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé will be available free across the country, a distribution expected to push the fixture towards a new US audience record. ABC began broadcasting in 1948, after NBC and CBS, and has been part of Disney since 1996.
- ABC will show an hour-long build-up programme before kick-off.
- The pre-match coverage will also focus on progress in the Spotify Camp Nou construction work.
- ESPN’s platform will continue to carry the game for paying viewers in both English and Spanish.
- The broader aim is to strengthen LaLiga’s visibility on established US television channels.
An unusual October time difference
For viewers on the American east coast, the Clásico begins at 16:00, with a 13:00 start on the west coast. The timing is affected by the different daylight-saving calendars: Spain changes to winter time during the previous night, while the United States does not make its switch until 1 November.
That creates a temporary five-hour gap between Spain and the east coast, and an eight-hour gap with the west coast. The first league Clásico has long been the more favourable of the two for US viewing, since one annual meeting is normally played in Spanish prime time and the other in the afternoon on the Iberian Peninsula.
Bernabéu return set for Asian slot
The return league fixture is due to be played at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday 8 or Sunday 9 May, as part of matchday 35. It is scheduled for 16:15 Spanish time and will be shown in Spain by Movistar LaLiga.
- China: 22:15 kick-off.
- Japan: 23:15 kick-off.
- United States east coast: 10:15 kick-off.
- United States west coast: 07:15 kick-off.
That afternoon Spanish slot is commonly aimed at Asian audiences, where the evening timing keeps viewers awake for the contest, even as the match arrives early in the morning on the other side of the Atlantic.
