The famous Camp Nou, the home ground of FC Barcelona has finally gotten a title sponsor for the first time in the history of the stadium. The stadium will be known as Spotify Nou Camp from 2022-2023 season.
Since 2020, there have been speculations that Barcelona was in search of a title sponsor for Camp Nou. After a series of back and forth, the indebted club settled with a multi-purpose deal with Spotify.
Spotify is a Swedish audio streaming and media services provider which was founded by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon on April 23, 2006.
The streaming platform is the largest music streaming service provider in the world. Spotify has over 406 million monthly active users, including 180 million paying subscribers, as of December 2021.
As of December 31, 2021, the revenue of the streaming platform is said to be US$9.668 billion. Spotify’s total net asset is said to be US$7.170 billion.
The first time Spotify was mentioned in elite European football was during the 2020-2021 season. Then, Daniel Ek, the Chief Executive Officer of the company, tried to buy Arsenal football club.
After a series of back and forth, the current owner of the Premier League club, Stan Kroenke, stressed that Arsenal was not for sale. Hence, reports about Daniel Ek’s interest in the North London club died a natural death.
Months after the saga between Arsenal and Daniel Ek, FC Barcelona announced the mega-deal between the Spanish club and Spotify.
Though the deal came with a series of aspects, the most prominent of them all is the naming rights to the club’s Nou Camp stadium.
Aside from the fact that Barcelona’s home ground will be known as Spotify Nou Camp from the 2022-2023 season, the club’s training kit will carry Spotify on it from the start of the 2022-2023 season.
What will know about FC Barcelona’s deal with Spotify and Spotify Nou Camp
At the end of the 2020-2021 season, FC Barcelona reported a loss of €481 million. Also, at the end of last season, the club’s president Joan Laporta announced that Barca is owing €1.35 billion as of August 2021.
Based on this, the club’s new administration led by Laporta went on a revenue generation drive. Spotify is one of the results of the club’s effort to bounce back financially.
The breakdown of the deal between Spotify and FC Barcelona showed that Spotify will sponsor Barca’s women’s and men’s team shirts for four seasons. Also, the streaming platform will sponsor the club’s training kit for three seasons.
As for the club’s home ground, the club’s stadium will be known as Spotify Nou Camp on a long-term contract. The expiration date has not been known.
This is the first time since 1957 that the stadium will have a sponsor name. The stadium which is located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, has a seating capacity of 99,354 and 23 executive suits.
While reacting to the sponsorship deal, Barca’s president, Laporta said: “We are very proud to announce a pioneering alliance like this with a world-renowned organization 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.”
We’re partnering with @Spotify to bring football and music together like you’ve never seen before 🏟
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 15, 2022
