Camp Nou, one of the most iconic soccer stadiums in the world, is being rebranded as Spotify Camp Nou as part of a sponsorship agreement with Spanish soccer club FC Barcelona that gives Spotify naming rights to the stadium. Spotify’s name will also appear on the jerseys of both the men’s and women’s teams for the next four seasons starting in the 2022/23 season.
The deal still has to get ratified by FC Barcelona’s Extraordinary Delegate Members Assembly in a vote that will take place on April 3rd. It likely won’t have much trouble passing, however, as FC Barcelona is in a huge amount of debt and sought to sell a stake in its media production division last year.
The deal is reportedly worth $310 million. It could have been worth more, Spanish publication SPORT reported, if the club had a higher percentage of “registered” fans — fans who gave the club access to names, emails, and other personal information. Only around 1 percent of the club's 350 million followers are registered, according to the report.
Spotify will use its sponsorship as an opportunity to “amplify the work of artists” in a way that brings “the worlds of music and football together, giving a global stage to players and artists” at Spotify Camp Nou, Alex Norström, Spotify’s chief freemium business officer, said in a statement.
“Spotify is working with Barça to leverage our access to in-stadium elements to amplify artists and enable discovery,” Norström said. “For example, using the dynamic digital displays to showcase and geo-target relevant artists to Barça’s global TV audience. While viewers in Europe may see a message about one artist, TV viewers in India could be served a different and locally relevant message.” That could mean Spotify will be investing in those digital stadium ads that change based on your location and the channel you’re watching the game on.
But that’s about the only specifics Norström reveals about the partnership, and he said Spotify is considering “other exciting pieces” the company will share more about later this year.