The much-anticipated Spanish league showdown between champions Barcelona and their arch-rivals Real Madrid later this weekend will be shown in cinemas across the country, broadcast rights holder Mediapro said Wednesday.
Sunday's match at the at the Camp Nou will be screened in over 20 Spanish cities, including Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga and Alicante, in 51 theatres for the same price as a regular cinema entrance fee, it said in a statement. Some 16,000 people, known in Spain as El Clasico, will be able to view the match in theatres. The match comes as Real have a one-point advantage over the reigning champions following their best league start in 17 years.
Real defeated Racing Santander 1-0 on Saturday to wrestle top spot from unbeaten Barca - who drew 1-1 at Athletic Bilbao - and their haul of 28 points from a possible 33 represents their best start since the 1991-92 season.
Last season Real were nine points behind Barcelona going into the first Clasico in mid-December and lost 2-0 to leave them with too big a mountain to climb in the title race. Spanish cinemas, like those across Europe, are pushing 3D films and are screening operas and concerts in an effort to boost attendance in theatres, which has dropped due to the popularity of DVDs and online movie piracy.