Barcelona sells 25% of its subsidiary for 100 million euros
Barcelona has sold 25% of the shares of Barca Studio, one of its subsidiaries responsible for managing the club's digital trading and audiovisual production, to Socios.com for 100 million euros, its president Joan Laporta announced Monday.
"We have reached an agreement to sell 25% of Barca Studio for 100 million euros," Laporta said at a press conference to introduce his new French player, Jules Conde.
Barcelona had sold 10% and then 15% of the TV broadcasting rights in the Spanish League, to the American investment fund "Sixth Street" over the next 25 years, for 400 million euros.
Barcelona continues its financial maneuvers to enhance its liquidity, after suffering in recent years, in order to register its new players, Brazilian Rafinha, Ivory Coast Frank Kessier, Andreas Christensen and Conde, while respecting the salary ceiling before the start of the Spanish League.
Unlike previous deals with Sixth Street, the contract with Sosius does not extend for 25 years because it is final, "it is a permanent sale," according to Laporta.
"There is a way to recover the 25%, but at the moment, this process means the entry of a new partner injecting 100 million euros," the president added.
The Socius platform allows clubs to increase their interaction with fans and better monetize them, especially with the use of fan tokens, which are digital assets based on cryptocurrencies.
In addition to selling part of his TV rights, Barcelona played on several fronts to raise its liquidity, such as borrowing 595 million euros from Goldman Sachs and a sponsorship agreement with Spotify estimated at 435 million euros.
In August 2021, Laporta, who was re-elected president of the Catalan club, said that the financial audit revealed the club's total debt of 1.35 billion euros.
The club allowed its Argentine star Lionel Messi to leave him last season to Paris Saint-Germain, saying that he could not keep him even with a reduced salary.
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