FC Barcelona raises €120M for 29.5 per cent stake of Barça Vision; Plans $1B SPAC deal

Spanish football club FC Barcelona announced that it has introduced new strategic partners to accelerate the growth of Barça Vision (Bridgeburg) and has entered an agreement with Mountain & Co. I Acquisition Corp to ensure the success of Barça Media.

Germany-based LIBERO football finance AG and private investors advised by NIPA Capital BV, a Dutch investment firm, are the new partners in Bridgeburg Invest, the holding company of Barça Vision.

LIBERO football finance offers holistic financial and economic advisory services to football clubs. They specialise in aiding clubs with financing, profitability, and various economic matters within the realm of professional football.

A €120M acquisition deal

The club mentions that investors have acquired a 29.5 per cent stake in Barça Vision (Bridgeburg), an FC Barcelona initiative focused on integrating all digital content related to Web3, blockchain, NFTs, and the metaverse to build the digital Espai Barça.

This €120M acquisition involves shares previously held by Socios.com and Orpheus Media. The sale of the stake in Bridgeburg Invest was carried out following authorisation from FC Barcelona’s General Assembly of Members on October 23, 2021.

Socios.com and Orpheus Media will maintain a key role in FC Barcelona’s Web3 strategy, serving as strategic partners. They will leverage their expertise and technological infrastructure to create fresh opportunities through multiple channels, including the BAR Fan Token.

Joan Laporta, President of FC Barcelona, says, “Over the past few years, we have made considerable progress in the digital ecosystem turning our assets into a creative hub that boosts FC Barcelona’s brand to unique levels in the World.”

“Club’s content strategy has proven to be a success and provides us with new ways to connect with our fans globally in addition to generating new revenue streams.”

“This step we are taking now is a strategic move that provides us with new resources to continue growing at a time when the demand for digital sports content is clearly expanding, reinforcing the path of digital transformation started in 2022,” adds Laporta.

The deal with Mountain & Co. I Acquisition Corp

FC Barcelona has also entered a Business Combination Agreement with Mountain & Co. I Acquisition Corp, a special purpose acquisition company focused on the European digital media and technology sector.

This agreement involves merging FC Barcelona’s Barça Vision and audiovisual content units into “Barça Media”. 

The partnership aims to provide Barça Media with access to funding from the US capital markets, accelerating the club’s digital and audiovisual initiatives and expanding its content distribution to new audiences globally. 

The projected enterprise value for Barça Media is approximately €910M, indicating its potential as a significant income source for the club.

The completion of this deal involves approval from both Mountain & Co. I Acquisition Corp shareholders and FC Barcelona’s General Assembly of members, along with other standard closing conditions. The closing is expected to occur in the last quarter of 2023.

Brief about Barça Vision and Barça Media

Barça Vision is FC Barcelona’s platform for integrating Web3, NFTs, and metaverse initiatives. It’s central to the club’s strategy for the digital Espai Barça and connecting with fans worldwide, especially Gen Alpha, Gen Z, and Millennials.

The club has taken steps like launching an official Discord channel and offering a collection of 3,000 Barça NFTs with Plastiks to support global sustainability projects.

FC Barcelona, led by Joan Laporta, says it places significant importance on constructing Espai Barça Digital alongside the physical transformation of Espai Barça. Their digital evolution began with NFT auctions, including a tribute to Johan Cruyff and an NFT inspired by Alexia Putellas. The official Fan Token, “BAR”, has also facilitated global fan engagement.

FC Barcelona is a global sports organisation with over 350 million fan base, 520 million TV viewership (2021/2022 season), and more than 440 million social media followers. With Barça Media, FC Barcelona has centralised the creation, production, and marketing of digital content for the last two decades.

Barça Media’s aim is to produce engaging content for distribution through its channels and major platforms like Disney+, Sony Pictures, Univision and DaZN. 

Every year, FC Barcelona creates extensive audiovisual content, making it a global sports and entertainment leader. The club’s digital broadcasting success is evident from its 2.5 billion social media interactions on its social networks (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Twitch) during the 2021-22 season.