Video e e eeing and oo ball. Na a i es ega ding he powe o
echnology a he se ice o majo spo e en s
Videoa bi aje y ú bol. Na a i as en el pode de la ecnología al se icio del
espec áculo
doxa.comunicación | nº 42 |
Janua y-June o 2026
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
How o ci e his a icle:
Cobo Du án, S. and Ma ín-Mon ín, J. (2026). Video e e eeing and oo ball. Na a i es ega ding he powe o echnology a he se ice o majo
spo e en s. Doxa Comunicación, 42.
h ps://doi.o g/10.31921/doxacom.n42a2776
Se gio Cobo Du án. Senio lec u e in he Depa men o Audio- isual Communica ion and Ad e ising a he Uni e si y
o Se ille. He has a Bachelo ’s Deg ee in Audio- isual Communica ion and a PhD in Communica ion, which ecei ed a
quali ica ion o Summa Cum Laude by unanimous decision. The subjec s he impa s include Audio- isual Sc ip w i ing,
he His o y o Spanish Cinema, and he Theo y and His o y o Documen a ies and Ad e ising. He has pa icipa ed on
a ious R+D+i p ojec s, and is cu en ly wi h ano he endea ou en i led, New Na a i es, Sc eens, and Social Reali ies
in Spanish Cinema om 2011-2022. P o esso Cobo Du án has gi en speeches a na ional and in e na ional con e ences
and cong esses, and he has unde aken esea ch s ays and impa ed semina s on Spanish cinema a he Uni e sidad
Aus al (Buenos Ai es, A gen ina), Uni e sidad de la República (Mon e ideo, U uguay), and Aichi P e ec u al Uni e si y
(Nagaku e, Japón), among o he s. He is a membe o he esea ch g oup en i led, Liga de In es igación en Comunicación y
Cul u a. Géne o(S), Na a i a, Ideología y Es udios Visuales [Resea ch associa ion o communica ion and cul u e, gende /s,
na a i e, ideology, and isual s udies] (LIGAINCOM-SEJ694). His main lines o esea ch a e audio- isual na a i es,
sc eenw i ing, al e na i e cinema in Spain, con empo a y ic ion, and he s udy o documen a ies and non- ic ion.
Uni e sidad de Se illa, Spain
[email p o ec ed]
ORCID: 0000-0003-0374-6601
Joaquín Ma ín-Mon ín. Senio lec u e in he Depa men o Audio- isual Communica ion and Ad e ising a he
Uni e si y o Se ille. PhD in Audio- isual Communica ion and a BA in he same discipline. He was a p e-doc o al
ellow on he In e campus P og amme o he Spanish Agency o In e na ional Coope a ion a he Uni e sidade
Fede al de San a Ma ia (B azil), and la e pa icipa ed in he Soc a es-E asmus P og amme o Thi d Cycle S udies
a Aa hus Uni e si e (Denma k). He has comple ed pos -doc o al s ays a he Cen e o Olympic S udies (UAB)
and he Uni e sidade Fee ale (B azil). P o esso Ma ín-Mon ín is a membe o he esea ch eam, Image and Visual
Cul u e in he Field o Audio- isual Communica ion (EIKON). He eaches on he Bachelo ’s Deg ee in Audio- isual
Communica ion, he dual Bachelo ’s Deg ee in Jou nalism and Audio- isual Communica ion, and on he Mas e ’s
Deg ee in Sc eenw i ing, Na a i es, and Audio- isual C ea i i y. His main lines o esea ch a e audio- isual con en
and he ela ionship be ween communica ion and spo . He has published se e al a icles in he ollowing scien i ic
jou nals: Communica ion & Spo ; In e na ional Jou nal o Spo s Ma ke ing and Sponso ship; adComunica; Re is a
cien í ica de es a egias, endencias e inno ación en comunicación; L’A alan e; and index.comunicación. He has also
au ho ed se e al book chap e s issued by enowned publishe s such as Rou ledge, Pe e Lang, and IGI Global.
Uni e sidad de Se illa, Spain
[email p o ec ed]
ORCID: 0000-0001-7869-4469
This con en is published unde C ea i e Commons A ibu ion Non-Comme cial License. In e na ional License CC BY-NC 4.0
| nº 42 | doxa.comunicación Janua y-June o 2026
Video e e eeing and oo ball. Na a i es ega ding he powe o echnology a he se ice o majo spo e en s
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
1. In oduc ion
The echnological de elopmen o audio- isual p oduc ion has his o ically led o many changes in spo s. When spo became
a business, he ules we e ans o med, as i was o ced o adap o he equi emen s o ele ision (Whannel, 1992). The li e
b oadcas o majo spo ing e en s includes he mos ypical ea u es o ele ised spo , as hese p og ammes a e ansmi ed
in eal ime. Mo eo e , hey b eak he ou ine, ake place in emo e loca ions, and equi e me iculous planning (Dayan and
Ka z, 1995). Such e en s include he Olympic Games and he Foo ball Wo ld Cup, which a ac eco d audiences, la gely due o
hei g andiose na u e, he abili y o a ac la ge c owds, and hei in e na ional impac (Roche, 2000). The comme cialisa ion
o b oadcas ing igh s o spo s compe i ions has allowed audio- isual ope a o s o in es in sophis ica ed esou ces o
imp o e he iewe ’s expe ience, such as de eloping in e ac i e op ions using second sc eens (K oon, 2017; Ma ín-Mon ín,
2020; Elisha -Malka, e al., 2021). The ad en o ideo s eaming pla o ms o he b oadcas o spo ing e en s, along wi h
business ag eemen s be ween ele ision ope a o s, has inc eased he numbe o subsc ip ions o he main compe i ions and
aised he quali y o co e age, he eby a ousing mo e in e es among he audience (Owens, 2021; Moya-López e al., 2024).
The echnical esou ces de o ed o spo s b oadcas ing ha e no only g own, bu hey ha e con inuously inco po a ed inno a ion
in o audio- isual p oduc ion as well (Roge Monzó, 2015). One such no el y is o e ing he audience a ious simul aneous
con en signals h ough mul i-sc een iewing (Hu chins e al., 2019), which was in oduced in o he ele ision co e age o
mo o spo s such as Fo mula One Racing, and la e ex ended o o he spo s like oo ball. This esou ce is inco po a ed in o
he b oadcas na a i e, he eby inc easing he en e aining na u e and exci emen o ele ised spo s (Wy e , 20 22). Thus, by
Recibido: 18/09/2024 - Acep ado: 06/12/2024 - En edición: 04/02/2025 - Publicado
Resumen:
Los depo es más p o esionalizados u ilizan he amien as audio isua-
les pa a agiliza decisiones a bi ales, modi icando el desa ollo egla-
men a io de di e en es disciplinas (Bení ez, 2019). A pesa de su popu-
la idad, el ú bol ha sido de los úl imos depo es en adop a la e isión
de ídeo al eglamen o de sus p incipales compe iciones. Es e a ículo
analiza la aplicación del ideoa bi aje en el ú bol (VAR) conside ando
el caso español. De igual o ma, el abajo busca examina cómo el VAR
modi ica el ela o na a i o de las e ansmisiones en di ec o. Pa a su
elabo ación se han seleccionado si uaciones del VAR co espondien es a
LaLiga 2023-24 (públicos en el canal YouTube LaLiga, DAZN y Mo is-
a ). A pa i de los egis os seleccionados se pod á alo a la mane a
o mal, es é ica y na a i a en la que la ele isión e leja el momen o
del VAR.
Palab as cla e:
Realización audio isual; ideoa bi aje (VAR); na a i a; ú bol;
ecnología.
Recei ed: 18/09/2024 - Accep ed: 06/12/2024 - Ea ly access: 04/02/2025 - Published:
Abs ac :
Nowadays, op p o essional spo s use audio- isual ools o speed
up e e ee decision-making, he eby modi ying he egula o y
de elopmen o a ious spo ing domains (Bení ez, 2019). Despi e
i s popula i y, oo ball was one o he las spo s o implemen ideo
eplay as pa o he egula ions o i s main compe i i e e en s. This
a icle analyses he use o Video Assis an Re e ee (VAR) in oo ball,
wi h a pa icula ocus on Spain. The s udy also examines how VAR
modi ies he na a i e o li e b oadcas s. To ca y ou he esea ch,
he au ho s ha e selec ed ce ain VAR si ua ions om he 2023-24
LaLiga oo ball season, which a e a ailable on he YouTube channels
o LaLiga, DAZN, and Mo is a . Based on he eco dings chosen, i is
possible o e alua e he way in which ele ision e lec s VAR si ua ions
in e ms o o m, aes he ics, and na a ion.
Keywo ds:
Audio- isual p oduc ion; ideo assis an e e ee (VAR); na a i e;
oo ball; echnology.
doxa.comunicación | nº 42 |
Janua y-June o 2026
Se gio Cobo Du án and Joaquín Ma ín-Mon ín
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
using a sc een di ided in o mul iple squa es, ans can ollow an e en om di e en angles, along wi h s a is ics and g aphic
anima ion, which gene ally equi e a subsc ip ion when o e ed as an in e ac i e ool (Ma ín-Mon ín, 2021).
A key ing edien in he audio- isual p oduc ion o spo s is he eplay, which in ol es “inse ing pa s o he de e ed s o y
in o di e en independen blocks” (Bení ez, 2013: 357), which is used o cla i y ac ions ha ha e gone unno iced du ing
he li e b oadcas . In oo ball, eplay is a common esou ce o ele ision b oadcas s, which is used o se le dispu es such as
being o sides, as well as o he ules iola ions such as he use o hands and o he ypes o ouls. The eplay is used du ing
in e up ions in he game, a which poin he sequence o sho s ega ding he ques ionable play is immedia ely a ailable
o e iew in o de o unde s and exac ly wha has happened (Pe y e al., 2019). Fu he mo e, echnological ad ances ha e
p o ided o he op ions o spo s p oduc ion, such as supe slow-mo ion came as, which enable high-quali y images o be
cap u ed hanks o a eco ding sys em o 75 o mo e ames pe second (Owens, 2021). This esou ce makes i possible o
eco d he mos imp essi e mo es and include hem as bonus con en in he b oadcas o impo an ma ches. An addi ional
esou ce used in oo ball co e age is he 3D eplay sys em. This echnology was b ough in om majo US spo s ede a ions
such as he NFL and NBA, and i was implemen ed in he Spanish oo ball league du ing he 2016/17 season. I is based on he
compu e p ocessing o a sys em o 38 ul a-high-de ini ion came as, which o e s 360º olume ic eplays om any angle and
posi ion (To es-Ma ín e al., 2022).
On he o he hand, g aphics a e ano he impo an ea u e o audio- isual spo p oduc ion, which a e used o p o ide as
much in o ma ion as possible in o de o complemen he images cap u ed by he came as, along wi h he oices o he spo s
commen a o s. Mo eo e , he e is a di e ence be ween ex and illus a ion g aphics, which can ei he be s a iona y o mo ing
(Owens, 2021). In he case o oo ball, he mos common g aphic ea u e in a b oadcas o summa y o a ma ch is he sign in he
op le -hand co ne , which shows he sco e and ime (Ma ín-Mon ín, 2021). Some imes addi ional in o ma ion is p o ided
depending on he ype o ac ion ha has aken place, whe he a oul, subs i u ion, o sides, o o he occu ence. Likewise,
g aphics also p o ide ini ial line-ups and spo s a is ics, which is highly alued by spo s ans (Cummins e al., 2016). As in
mos key oo ball compe i ions, he g aphics o Spain’s La Liga a e de eloped by an ex e nal company, which is sub-con ac ed
o p o ide his se ice o ele ision ope a o s.
In addi ion o he a o emen ioned isual aspec s, ele ised spo s includes sound componen s ha a e mainly comp ised
o na a ion, commen a y, and ambien sound. Thus, he na a o leads he desc ip ion o wha is happening in he e en ,
some imes accompanied by commen a o s who complemen he s o y, and whose numbe a ies depending on he ype o
co e age in ques ion. In his ega d, i is common o one o he speake s o be on he g ound in o de o o e a close accoun
o he ac ion, and o conduc in e iews as well. On he o he hand, ambien sound e e s o sound ha is di ec ly linked o
he spo ing e en , such as ha o kicking he ball, o he occasional shou o a coach (Ma ín-Mon ín, 2021), as well as o he
audience in he s ands, whose eac ions and chan s con ibu e signi ican ly o he au hen ici y, immediacy, and li eliness o
he soundscape (G aakjæ , 2020). Based on he ea u es men ioned abo e, he audio- isual p oduc ion o a oo ball ma ch
in eg a es image and sound composed o epe i ion, g aphic elemen s, and commen a ies, which y o p o ide he spec a o
wi h a cohe en analysis, e alua ion and assessmen o he ac ion aking place, since he ans a e no physically p esen a
he e en (Ba n ield, 2013). As such, i mus be poin ed ou ha spo s b oadcas s on ele ision ha e become a comple e
| nº 42 | doxa.comunicación Janua y-June o 2026
Video e e eeing and oo ball. Na a i es ega ding he powe o echnology a he se ice o majo spo e en s
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
communica i e p ocess, ei he in ol ing he jou nalis ic p ocess (cons uc ing he e en ), o ecep ion ( econs uc ing he
same ac ) (Blanco, 2012).
2. Video assis an e e eeing in he wo ld o spo
Majo spo s compe i ions ha e bene i ed om ad ances in ele ision p oduc ion ools by inco po a ing hem in o e e eeing
me hods, which has e en changed he de elopmen o ules in di e en spo ing en i onmen s (Bení ez, 2013). Thus, he ules
o some mega-e en s in spo s allow he o icial judge o he compe i ion o use ideo echnology and compu e ools o make
decisions ega ding ce ain plays in he game, he eby a oiding mis akes a c ucial momen s ha can ha e an undue impac
on he esul s (Pe e sen-Wagne & Lee Lud igsen, 2023). Fo his eason, hese majo compe i ions ha e a sys em o egula ed
echnical assis ance o e e ee decisions, which a ies acco ding o he spo as ollows: Ame ican oo ball has Replay O icial;
Rugby uses Tele ision Ma ch O icial, o TMO; Baske ball has Ins an Replay, and so on.
The p emie Ame ican oo ball league is he NFL, which is he longes -s anding use o ins an eplay o suppo ing e e ees’
decisions. Mo eo e , his echnology has been a egula pa o he game since 1999. Acco ding o Oa es (2014), he use o
ins an eplay by he NFL is no only o en o cing he ules o a complex spo , bu is also a key componen o ele ision
en e ainmen . Ins an eplay has become pa o he spec acle o bo h iewe s and li e ans, who can e en wa ch eplays
on big sc eens in he spo s s adiums whe e he games a e played. Howe e , in ecen yea s doub s ha e been aised abou
i s use, such as whe he he echnology can adequa ely co ec e oneous decisions wi hou becoming a hind ance (Chen &
Da idson, 2022), due o images being agmen ed, he sea ch o mul iple angles o epe i ion, and o he cumbe some ac ions
as a esul o inno a ion.
As o ugby, TMO echnology has been used since 2001 in ce ain compe i ions o e seen by he in e na ional ede a ion
known as Wo ld Rugby. I s implemen a ion is an a emp o educe he numbe o inco ec e e ee decisions made du ing a
ma ch, ye a he same ime i s use has gi en he spo mo e media co e age as well (F andsen, 2020). Along he same lines,
ugby ans a e calling o mo e in o ma ion du ing he TMO decision-making p ocess in he s adium, eques ing ha he sound
o he e e ees’ discussions and subsequen decision using he ideo assis an should be b oadcas o e he s adium’s sound
sys em h oughou he e iew p ocess. O cou se, his depends on he images and came a angles p o ided by he ele ision
signal b oadcas ing he ma ch (S oney & Fle che , 2021).
On he o he hand, baske ball uses ins an eplay as a suppo ool o e e ees, which was implemen ed in he NBA in he
2002-2003 season. Mo eo e , i is now an in eg al pa o he na a i e amewo k o his spo , as ans in hei homes, local
ba s, and li e spo s enues anxiously awai he e e ee’s decision a e iewing he eplays (Tingle, 2020). In addi ion o ins an
eplay, baske ball has inco po a ed he challenge sys em o coaches du ing he games, which allows hem o eques ins an
eplays o e i y ce ain key mo es, p o ided ha a se ies o equi emen s a e me , al hough he inal e dic on he play s ill
esides wi h he e e ee (López, 2019).
Along wi h ideo eplays, many spo s now use compu e ools o enhance e e ee decision-making which, when combined
wi h ideo came as, can gene a e i ual 3D simula ions o he ac ion. One spo ha s ands ou in his ega d is ennis, which
has been using he Hawk-Eye sys em o li e ele ision co e age o he main ou namen s since 2006, he main objec i e
doxa.comunicación | nº 42 |
Janua y-June o 2026
Se gio Cobo Du án and Joaquín Ma ín-Mon ín
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
o which is o accu a ely ollow he ajec o y o he ball o see i i alls inside o ou side he line. The echnology ended up
being inco po a ed in o he o icial egula ions o he p o essional ennis ci cui as a e i ica ion sys em (Bal & Du eja, 2012;
Lingen i, 20 24). This echnology has made i possible o educe con o e sies in he decision-making o line judges. Mo eo e ,
i a aluable pa o e e eeing and a bene i o ele ision iewe s as well (Collins & E ans, 2008). The success o he Hawk-Eye
has led o i s use in o he spo s such as c icke , olleyball, and oo ball, in o de o accu a ely ollow he ajec o y o he ball
a decisi e momen s, he eby educing e e ee e o s.
Despi e i s popula i y, oo ball (socce ) was one o he las spo s o inco po a e echnological ools in o i s majo compe i ions
o suppo e e ee e iews. The i s echnology o icially implemen ed by he FIFA was du ing he 2014 Wo ld Cup in B azil.
The ool is known as Goal-Line Technology (GLT), and i immedia ely in o ms he e e ee when a goal has been sco ed, o
in o he wo ds, when he ball has comple ely c ossed he goal line in o he goal (Simon, 2020). By using a se o came as
su ounding he ield, he GLT does no aim o eplace he e e ee, bu o help hem in c i ical si ua ions o make he igh
decision (Spagnolo e al., 2015). In addi ion o he FIFA Wo ld Cup, his goal echnology is also being used by he UEFA, as well
as na ional compe i ions such as he P emie League, Bundesliga, and I aly’s Se ie A. In spi e o he o egoing, he e a e c i ical
oices as well. Many ans belie e ha such echnology dis o s he a mosphe e o oo ball by educing he deba e su ounding
c ucial decisions abou con o e sial goals (Winand & Fe gusson, 2016).
On he o he hand, he sys em o ideo assis ed e e eeing (VAR) was o icially app o ed and au ho ised by FIFA in Ma ch
2018 a e being es ed in 2017 a he Con ede a ions Cup. The in oduc ion o VAR echnology is in ended o assis e e ees
in making decisions a con o e sial and c ucial momen s o a game, al hough in many cases i is also used o esol e gene al
dispu es ela ed o a ma ch (Pe e sen-Wagne & Lee Lud igsen, 2023). Fu he mo e, he egula ions s a e ha VAR canno
make decisions, and is only used o suppo he decisions o he head e e ee (FIFA, 2018).
Majo oo ball championships ha e inco po a ed VAR in o hei egula ions, al hough i s use has s i ed deba e, wi h
coun e a gumen s s a ing ha i some imes dis up s he hy hm and nega i ely a ec s he na u al low o he game (Bao &
Han, 2023). While his may be ue, he ac is ha behind he e e eeing decisions in oday’s p o essional oo ball he e is
a luc a i e, wo ldwide indus y whe e many in e es s a e a s ake, anging om playe s’ sala ies o club e enues, and om
sha eholde p o i s o gambling p oceeds (Nuh a , 2023). Ne e heless, he e is an elemen o emo ional a achmen and an
en husiasm in oo ball, whe e VAR is s ill no seen as a echnological aid o a ai e game, bu a he an a e ac wi h he
powe o p oduce un o eseen consequences (Pe e sen-Wagne & Lee Lud igsen, 2023; Schwab, S e e ding, & Rein, 2023).
Fu he mo e, he implemen a ion o ideo e e eeing in oo ball has led o a disc epancy be ween ans wa ching he game
om he s adium, who ely mainly on he i s imp ession and pe cei e less anspa ency ega ding VAR decisions, and he
spec a o s wa ching om home, who ecei e quan i a i ely mo e in o ma ion wi h many slow-mo ion eplays, in addi ion o
he commen a ies om he TV channel i sel (Mä ins, Wes ma elmann, & Schewe, 2023).
Mo eo e , wi h ega d o VAR, we should also men ion he ool known as Semi-Au oma ed O side Technology (SAOT), an
ins umen used o suppo bo h ideo assis an and on- ield e e ees o make accu a e o side decisions mo e quickly (FIFA,
2023). SAOT made i s debu in he 2022 Eu opean Supe Cup Final, and since hen i s use has sp ead no only o FIFA ma ches,
bu g adually o o he op leagues as well. Thanks o 3D anima ion, he so-called semi-au oma ic o side echnology a oids
| nº 42 | doxa.comunicación Janua y-June o 2026
Video e e eeing and oo ball. Na a i es ega ding he powe o echnology a he se ice o majo spo e en s
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
adding o he con usion in explana ions be ween b oadcas e s (Viswana han e . al, 2023) by imp o ing communica ion wi h
bo h spec a o s a home and ans in he s adium who can isualise e y clea ly when he e is an o side oul (Moñino, 2022).
In sho , he b oadcas o oo ball ma ches on ele ision has been inco po a ing all o his e olu iona y echnology in o he
spo s na a i e, which has led o e e ee e iews h ough VAR and he a ie y o ools associa ed wi h i . This si ua ion has
u ned e e eeing in o a new elemen o enhancing audience in e es , an example o which is showing a eplay sequence o
cla i y con o e sial decisions, o displaying aspec s o he game ha ha e gone unno iced li e (Owens, 2021; Bení ez, 2020).
Au ho s such as Umbe o Eco (1986) ha e e lec ed on how he p esence o ele ision came as has modi ied a ious e en s,
whe he ela ed o poli ics, ce emonies, o spec acula encoun e s such as oo ball ma ches. In his sense, he inclusion o
an en i e me a-na a i e in spo h ough ideo e e eeing undoub edly enhances he suspense in ol ed (P óspe , 2019)
by making i a se ing in which new na a i e s uc u es can be inco po a ed. In an inc easingly globalised en i onmen ,
la ge business conglome a es end o ely on con en ha will ensu e a mass audience. As such, he ad en o new na a i e
s uc u es h ough he in e p e a ion o he e e eeing me a-na a i e will only inc ease he con en , numbe o sc eens, and
eadings o he same ac ion, he eby leading o mo e deba e and discussion on ele ision. Gi en i s high deg ee o audience
loyal y, ele ised oo ball ma ches a e a d i ing o ce o he sale o p oduc s by he main media conglome a es who a e eage
o es ablish links wi h majo oo ball b ands, especially h ough he pu chase o b oadcas ing igh s (Gines a, 2021).
3. Me hodology and co pus
This esea ch akes an ini ial app oach o an explo a o y na u e o he issue, ocusing on he a ious pla o ms ha hold he
b oadcas ing igh s o he so-called Liga de Fú bol P o esional [p o essional oo ball league], o La Liga. These pla o ms
include he o icial websi e o he oo ball league, as well as Mo is a Plus and DAZN. This s udy has one o e all objec i e, and
wo seconda y objec i es de i ed om he ini ial one. Fi s ly, he au ho s in end o ca y ou a compa a i e analysis o he
summa ies a ailable on each pla o m a e he conclusion o he ma ches. The main objec i e o his s udy is o examine he
plays ha ha e unde gone e e ee e iew du ing ma ches, and how each pla o m add esses his issue in he o e all con ex
o each summa y. To his end, an analysis p o ocol will be used in o de o conside bo h isual and sound elemen s, whe he
diege ic o ex adiege ic. Rega ding he seconda y objec i es, he aim is o e i y whe he each media ou le uses ideo e e ee
analysis in di e se ways, ei he by gene a ing hei own con en on he subjec o by simply inco po a ing i as ano he ea u e
o he game’s na a i e. Likewise, a ela ed aim is o es ablish an ini ial ca ego isa ion o he di e en uses o ideo e e eeing
wi hin he inal na a i e o he ma ches, i possible.
Fo his esea ch, he decision was made o ca y ou an analysis o he summa ies o he ma ches o he Liga de Fú bol
P o esional Española [Spanish p o essional oo ball league], in which Real Mad id and FC Ba celona ake pa , in he pe iod
om 1 Janua y o 30 Ap il o 2024.
The s udy began in Janua y 2024, which is he mon h when VAR audios a e made public in Spain, p o ided ha a e e ee has
e iewed hem on a moni o . This ime pe iod co e s a o al o 13 league ma chdays, which include a di ec clash be ween
he wo eams men ioned on he 32nd day. Thus, among he h ee pla o ms men ioned abo e, a o al o 27 ma ches we e
analysed, along wi h a o al o 81 ma ch summa ies o he wen y-se en games.
doxa.comunicación | nº 42 |
Janua y-June o 2026
Se gio Cobo Du án and Joaquín Ma ín-Mon ín
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
Table 1. Co pus able
Ma chday Ma ch 1 Ma ch 2
Ma chday 20 FC Ba celona – Osasuna Ge a e – Real Mad id
Ma chday 21 Real Be is Balompié – FC Ba celona Real Mad id – Alme ía
Ma chday 22 FC Ba celona – Villa eal Las Palmas – Real Mad id
Ma chday 23 Ala és – FC Ba celona Real Mad id – A lé ico
Ma chday 24 FC Ba celona G anada Real Mad id – Gi ona
Ma chday 25 Cel a – FC Ba celona Rayo Vallecano – Real Mad id
Ma chday 26 FC Ba celona – Ge a e Real Mad id – Se illa FC
Ma chday 27 A hle ic Bilbao – FC Ba celona Valencia – Real Mad id
Ma chday 28 FC Ba celona – Mallo ca Real Mad id – Cel a de Vigo
Ma chday 29 A lé ico de Mad id – FC Ba celona Osasuna – Real Mad id
Ma chday 30 FC Ba celona – Las Palmas Real Mad id – A hle ic
Ma chday 31 Cádiz – FC Ba celona Mallo ca – Real Mad id
Ma chday 32 Real Mad id – FC Ba celona Real Mad id – FC Ba celona
Ma chday 33 FC Ba celona – Valencia Real Sociedad – Real Mad id
Sou ce: p epa ed by he au ho s
To ca y ou he analysis, a wo kshee was used ha includes he key ea u es o he audio- isual p oduc ion such as he
ypes o sho s, epe i ion o he eplays, use o slow-mo ion came as, and he numbe o sho s included in he inal edi ing.
Rega ding sound, bo h diege ic (e.g. ambien sound o ans) and ex adiege ic (e.g. commen a o s’ na a ion) we e analysed.
The empla e o he wo kshee used in he analysis can be seen below.
| nº 42 | doxa.comunicación Janua y-June o 2026
Video e e eeing and oo ball. Na a i es ega ding he powe o echnology a he se ice o majo spo e en s
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
Table 2. Analysis wo kshee
Ma ch analysed
Pla o m
VAR ac ion. Ma ch minu e.
Audio- isual p oduc ion
Type o sho
Repe i ion
Slow mo ion
O he e ec s
One o mo e o a single sho
Sound ea u es
Diege ic sound
Na a o o na a o s
Tex ual ea u es
Ti les. Typog aphy
O e p in s.
O he no es
Sou ce: p epa ed by he au ho s
4. Resul s
Some o he main indings o he analysis o he 27 ma ches, along wi h 81 summa ies, a e ou lined below. Again, hey we e all
aken om he h ee selec ed pla o ms. I is impo an o no e ha o his s udy, only plays in which VAR was di ec ly in ol ed
in one o he h ee pla o ms ha e been analysed. O he 27 ma ches examined, 11 do no include any ideo e e eeing in he
summa ies o he h ee pla o ms. This is a signi ican , because plays a e some imes included on one pla o m, ye no on
o he s, which will be explained in mo e de ail la e .
Gi en he con ex , i is s iking o see how ce ain summa ies om Mo is a and DAZN in en ionally omi key plays in some
o he ma ches. Consequen ly, iewe s who only wa ch hese highligh s migh ecei e only a pa ial iew o he ma ch, and
possibly one ha is inco ec . Fu he mo e, hese omissions canno be jus i ied by he sho du a ion o he epo s. Al hough
doxa.comunicación | nº 42 |
Janua y-June o 2026
Se gio Cobo Du án and Joaquín Ma ín-Mon ín
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
hey a ely exceed h ee minu es, he e is ime enough o a oid omissions. An example can be seen on Ma chday 22, du ing he
game be ween FC Ba celona and Villa eal. In his case, he summa y o La Liga includes bo h he VAR lines and he disallowed
Villa eal goal, as shown in Image 1.
Image 1. Summa y o La Liga’s EA [eli e academy]. Ma chday 22. FC Ba celona-Villa eal
Sou ce: YouTube, 2024A
The same play is na a ed di e en ly by he Mo is a pla o m, which does no include he o side lines in he goal, al hough i
does include a eplay and a b ie , na a ed commen a y abou he goal ha was disallowed due o an o side oul, ye he e was
no men ion o VAR in his case. This s ands in con as o he co e age on DAZN, which does no e en include he disallowed
goal in i s summa y. As a esul , he e a e no goal lines, no ema ks om he commen a o s on his pla o m. This same
si ua ion occu s wi h Raphinha’s disallowed goal on Ma chday 30 in he game be ween FC Ba celona and Las Palmas, which
appea s in ull in he summa y o La Liga, only b ie ly on Mo is a , and is omi ed on DAZN. On Ma chday 27, du ing he game
be ween Valencia and Real Mad id, nei he DAZN’s no Mo is a ’s co e age o e ed audio o isual explana ions ela ed o he
disallowed goal sco ed by Vinicius. Howe e , he o icial La Liga summa y includes a sequence o images ha shed ligh on he
easons behind his e e ee’s decision. Fi s ly, he e is a double-sc een mon age showing an in og aphic wi h he o side line
supe imposed, oge he wi h a sho o he exac momen o he pass. Nex , he goal e iew p ocess is displayed, a e which he
si ua ion e u ns o ull sc een mode and he e e ee is seen awa ding he goal.
| nº 42 | doxa.comunicación Janua y-June o 2026
Video e e eeing and oo ball. Na a i es ega ding he powe o echnology a he se ice o majo spo e en s
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
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| nº 42 | doxa.comunicación Janua y-June o 2026
Video e e eeing and oo ball. Na a i es ega ding he powe o echnology a he se ice o majo spo e en s
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
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