Spotify confirms historic sponsorship deal with FC Barcelona
The deal is thought to be worth more than £237 million and includes Nou Camp naming rights for the first time in the stadium's history
By Nick Reilly
Spotify have confirmed plans for a sponsorship deal with FC Barcelona, marking the first time the footballing giants have ever entered into such an agreement with a streaming service.
It comes after initial reports last month suggested that the two were on the verge of sealing a deal worth more than £237 million. Barcelona last year confirmed they have debts of more than £1billion.
The team’s iconic stadium will now be renamed the Spotify Nou Camp from the start of next season, while the team’s match and training kit will also be sponsored by the streaming giant.
A statement hailed the deal as a “first-of-its-kind partnership for the club in bringing the worlds of music and football together” and is set to “see the pair working together to create opportunities for the iconic shirt to become a space that can celebrate artists from across the world”.
Barcelona President Joan Laporta said: “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 Barca family through unique experiences, combining the 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 Barca and have made it a unique club in the world.”
The streaming service recently faced backlash for its exclusive Joe Rogan podcast, which was called out for spreading “misinformation” about the COVID-19 Vaccine, prompting Neil Young to pull his music from Spotify in protest.
Clips also resurfaced of Rogan using racial slurs, causing Spotify to remove a number of episodes from the platform.
Last year, Spotify‘s CEO and co-founder Daniel Ek faced backlash from both artists and users of the streaming platform after it emerged he has invested in artificial intelligence defence technology.
The Swedish tech billionaire confirmed in November 2021 he was investing 100million euros (£85.2 million) into defence firm Helsing and joining its board.