Microsoft and Real Madrid seal deal worth $30 million to create digital platform

Real Madrid and Microsoft have sealed an agreement to create a digital platform to connect fans of the European champions around the world.

Real president Florentino Perez and Orlando Ayala, a Microsoft vice president, presented the platform at a ceremony at Real’s Bernabeu stadium in the Spanish capital on Tuesday.

“Powered by Microsoft’s cloud solutions, we will offer fans exclusive, personalized and customized content and digital services,” Ayala said. “So fans will be able to choose not only what content they want to access but also create their own customized versions of an experience whenever, however, and from wherever,” she added.

“And because sport is intrinsically community oriented, we’re setting up social and other digital ways for fans to share these experiences with friends and family in real time.” Perez, who has transformed Real into the world’s richest club by income, said the agreement was “a powerful alliance” that was “capable of changing the relationship of millions of fans with Real Madrid”.

“In every country, on every continent, there will always be millions of Madridistas connected by a feeling that knows no borders,” added the construction magnate.

Real last month announced a long-term strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi fund International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC) that will help fund a planned overhaul of their stadium.

Forbes pointed out that, financial terms of the deal have not been made public. But marketing experts familiar with the negotiations but not authorized to speak about them publicly, say the Real Madrid-Microsoft pact will be worth slightly more than one between RM’s Spanish rival, Barcelona, and chip maker Intel because it is a year later and will be part of modernizing Real’s stadium. The Barcelona-Intel deal is worth $25 million over five years. So figure around $30 million over four years for Real Madrid-Microsoft pact.

With inputs from Reuters