Telefonica connects with Real Madrid

Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica has agreed a sponsorship deal with Real Madrid under which it will serve as the ‘connecting partner’ of the LaLiga football club.

The deal, which was presented today (Thursday), will run for the remainder of the 2016-17 season, as well as the 2017-18 campaign. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed, but Spanish newspaper El Pais said it will be worth around €15m ($16.3m).

The agreement also includes Real’s basketball club and Telefónica said it will provide activation rights in its key markets of Spain, Germany, the UK and Latin America.

The agreement includes, in its first phase, marketing and advertising rights, hospitality rights, events with players and image rights.

Telefonica’s Movistar brand will also be part of Real Madrid’s social media output before, during and after each match with the hashtag #RMMovistar, and joint content will be created to share with the followers of both brands.

In addition, Telefónica said it will make available to Real Madrid its technological capabilities applied to sport, as it has already done with other disciplines such as cycling or winter sports, thanks to the analysis of big data, which is developed by the company’s LUCA unit.

Domestically, Telefónica president José María Álvarez-Pallete said the deal will reflect the company’s new sponsorship focus in Spain, which aims to provide benefits for Movistar customers through the www.movistarlikes.es portal.