Camp Nou, one of the world’s most recognizable soccer stadiums, is being renamed as Spotify Camp Nou as part of a sponsorship arrangement with Spanish soccer club FC Barcelona that grants Spotify the stadium’s naming rights. Spotify’s logo will also appear on the men’s and women’s teams’ shirts for the next four seasons, beginning with the 2022/23 season.
The agreement must still be approved by FC Barcelona’s Extraordinary Delegate Members Assembly in a vote scheduled for April 3rd. It is expected to pass, considering FC Barcelona is heavily in debt and attempted to sell a stake in its media production section last year.
The transaction is reported to be worth $310 million. It may have been worth more, according to Spanish publication SPORT, if the team had a higher percentage of “registered” fans – supporters who granted the club access to their names, emails, and other personal information. According to the estimate, only about 1% of the club’s 350 million followers are registered.
Spotify will utilize its sponsorship to “amplify the work of musicians” at Spotify Camp Nou, according to a statement from Alex Norström, Spotify’s chief freemium business officer.
“Spotify is collaborating with Barça to utilize our in-stadium access to elevate artists and facilitate discovery,” Norström stated. “For instance, by utilizing dynamic digital displays to highlight and geo-target relevant artists to Barça’s global television audience. While viewers in Europe may get a message about a certain artist, viewers in India may see a message that is more locally relevant.” This could suggest that Spotify will invest in those dynamic digital stadium advertisements that alter according to your location and the channel on which you’re viewing the game.
However, that is the extent of Norström’s disclosures regarding the relationship, and he said that Spotify is investigating “additional exciting aspects” that will be revealed later this year.
