State television broadcaster CCTV declined to broadcast any LaLiga matches on Saturday, maintaining a blackout initiated earlier in the week following controversial remarks by Kylian Mbappé regarding an online meme depicting Mao Zedong, according to reports by EFE.
The Broadcast Blackout on State Television
The suspension of Spanish football fixtures on China Central Television (CCTV) began on Monday following an interview in which Kylian Mbappé stated that one of his favorite memes featured his own face superimposed onto that of a Chinese dictator, without explicitly naming Mao Zedong. EFE verified that weekend fixtures—including Villarreal against Espanyol, Levante against Atlético de Madrid, Rayo Vallecano against Celta de Vigo, Real Betis against Málaga, and Barcelona against Alavés—were absent from the network’s official schedule and channels.
Chinese state TV has suspended broadcasts of La Liga matches after Kylian Mbappe's comments regarding a meme featuring "a Chinese dictator".The Real Madrid striker has also lost sponsorship deals from major brands in China. pic.twitter.com/TseFqWvmnu
Further fixtures scheduled for Sunday evening and early Monday morning, such as Getafe versus Sevilla, Racing de Santander versus Real Madrid, Elche versus Valencia, Athletic against Real Sociedad, and the match on Monday between Deportivo de A Coruña and Osasuna, were likewise missing from the broadcaster’s calendar. While CCTV’s mobile application retains matches from prior matchdays up to an October 25 fixture between Celta and Betis, no matches featuring Real Madrid from the current campaign or the 2025/26 season appear in the platform’s historical archive.
Divergent Approaches Among Digital Streaming Partners
In contrast to the state television blackout, the digital streaming platform Migu maintained nearly its entire slate of weekend coverage. Migu serves as the exclusive digital partner for LaLiga in China through the 2029/30 season. The platform’s sole restriction involved omitting the upcoming fixture between Racing de Santander and Real Madrid.
Verification by EFE indicated that Migu’s platform also lacks matches involving Real Madrid from earlier August and September fixtures, even though match results and summaries for other clubs remain accessible. Social media users noted earlier in the controversy that the platform had removed video clips of Mbappé scoring during the recent clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
| Broadcaster / Platform | Broadcast Status | Real Madrid Match Availability |
|---|---|---|
| CCTV (State Television) | Suspended all LaLiga matches | Absent for current and 2025/26 seasons |
| Migu (Streaming Partner) | Maintained most weekend fixtures | Omitted current fixtures and historical matches |
Diplomatic Outreach and Corporate Fallout
The remarks prompted multiple Chinese commercial partners to terminate agreements on Tuesday, alongside the immediate suspension of league broadcasts, player-related advertisements, and matches featuring the forward by state media. In response, Mbappé issued apologies in French, Chinese, and English.
LaLiga officials expressed regret over the incident, prompting league president Javier Tebas to dispatch a formal letter to the China Media Group (CMG), the parent organization overseeing CCTV. CMG confirmed on Wednesday that it had received the communication through LaLiga, noting that the club associated itself with the apologies and conveyed respect for China. Neither the state corporation nor the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified whether the apology was deemed sufficient or specified when normal broadcast operations for the league would resume.
