FC Barcelona has sealed a multi-faceted sponsorship deal with Spotify which will see the audio streaming service assume naming rights to the Camp Nou for the first time in the stadium’s history.
The Spanish LaLiga football club made the announcement on Tuesday evening. Within the framework of the new alliance, Spotify will become the main partner of the club from the 2022-23 season.
The long-term agreement for the stadium’s title rights, which will see it named as Spotify Camp Nou, begins in July and will continue over the redevelopment of the Camp Nou site, as part of the Espai Barça project which aims to transform the club’s facilities and environment into a world-class, new integrated Barça entertainment experience that is open to the city.
Spotify, which has also been named Barcelona’s official audio streaming partner, will unite the club’s main kit branding opportunities. The brand will appear on the front of both men’s and women’s team shirts, replacing Japanese ecommerce company Rakuten and toolmaker Stanley Black & Decker, respectively, beginning in the 2022-23 season and for the next four seasons.
Spotify will also sponsor the training shirts, beginning in the 2022-23 season for the next three seasons, branding rights which are currently occupied by Turkish home appliances manufacturer Beko.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Spanish media reported its value at between €60m (£50.5m/$66m) and €70m per season. Spanish sports business publication, 2Playbook, said the kit branding rights are worth €57.5m per season, with the Camp Nou naming rights placed at €5m per year.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta last month confirmed that the club was poised to sign a wide-ranging deal with Spotify that would grant the company naming rights to the revamped Camp Nou. The two parties yesterday said they will work together to create opportunities for the iconic shirt to become a “space that can celebrate artists from across the world”.
The agreement approved and signed by Barcelona’s Board of Directors of FC Barcelona, is subject to the ratification of the Extraordinary Delegate Members Assembly that will take place on April 3. The deal intends to “give a global stage” to players and artists at the Spotify Camp Nou, and build new opportunities to connect artists and players with fans around the world.
Furthermore, Barcelona and Spotify will be working to use the club’s in-stadium promotional surfaces to present and amplify the work of artists to the global TV audience. Laporta said yesterday: “We are very proud to announce a pioneering alliance like this with a world-renowned organisation like Spotify.
“This partnership will allow us to continue to bring the club closer to its fans and make them feel, even more, part of the Barça family through unique experiences, combining two activities such as entertainment and football, making it possible for us to connect with new audiences around the world.
“It is also a union with which we continue to take steps forward in this new era that we have started, and which demonstrates, once again, the innovative character and the constant search of excellence that distinguish Barça and have made it a unique club in the world.”
Alex Norström, chief freemium business officer at Spotify, added: “We could not be more thrilled to be partnering with FC Barcelona to bring the worlds of music and football together. From July, our collaboration will offer a global stage to artists, players and fans at the newly-branded Spotify Camp Nou.
“We have always used our marketing investment to amplify artists and this partnership will take this approach to a new scale. We’re excited to create new opportunities to connect with FC Barcelona’s worldwide fanbase.
“Spotify’s mission is to unlock the potential of human creativity, supporting artists to make a living off their art and connecting with fans. We believe this partnership creates many opportunities to deliver on this mission in unique, imaginative, and impactful ways.”
The Espai Barça project will see the Camp Nou’s capacity increase from 98,000 to 105,000. The club’s members voted overwhelmingly in favour of a funding proposal for the project in December.
The online referendum saw 87.87% of members vote to ratify a decision made by the club’s delegate members in October to back the board of directors’ proposal to negotiate a financing operation of up to €1.5bn for the project.
The Espai Barça project also includes the delivery of a new Palau Blaugrana arena and the wide-ranging Campus Barça development. Barcelona hopes to begin work on the Camp Nou expansion this summer and finish the project by 2025. The club hopes to complete work on the Palau Blaugrana by 2026.
Images: FC Barcelona/Spotify
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