Digital football! Real Madrid, Microsoft sign pact to blow fans’ minds

Real Madrid and Microsoft have signed an agreement to build a digital platform to enhance the experience of Madrid fans when it comes to following their team and sharing their passion for the club. Through Microsoft technologies, he club’s supporters will be able to access experiences, content and exclusive digital services, at the stadium, at home or in any other location. They will have more personal and direct interaction with players and the club.

Photo Credit: microsoftinsider.es

Below is part of a press release by Microsoft:

Real Madrid C.F. and Microsoft have signed a landmark agreement accelerating the digital transformation of the club through technology. This alliance, through which Microsoft becomes the strategic technological partner of Real Madrid, will revolutionize the experience enjoyed by members and supporters of the club by providing digital services that are accessible anywhere, anytime and on a host of devices (such as PCs, tablets, smartphones and wearables).

Florentino Pérez, chairman of Real Madrid C.F., and Orlando Ayala, corporate vice president and chairman, Emerging Markets at Microsoft, announced this strategic partnership at an event hosted at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, and at which Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, participated with a video message. The announcement was also streamed live online, so Real Madrid fans around the world could hear about this milestone in the history of both organizations.

Left to right: Real Madrid President Florentino Perez, Microsoft Country Manager of Spain Maria Garaña and Microsoft Corporate Vice President and Chairman, Emerging Markets, Orlando Ayala. ....Photo Credit: news.microsoft.com

Fans of the club, stars of this agreement.

The first step in the collaboration between Real Madrid and Microsoft will be to build a digital platform that will revolutionize the way in which Madridistas can follow their team and share their passion for the club. Through cutting-edge technologies, supporters of Real Madrid will be able to access experiences, content and exclusive digital services, either at the stadium, at home or in any other location. Fans will improve their interaction with players and the club, making it even more personal, direct and exciting.

A host of online services will provide an enriched experience for watching matches. For instance, supporters of the club will be able to access the stadium virtually, before, during and after each game, selecting the content they want to see when they want to and where they want to see it. The aim of this technological initiative is to make Madridistas the real stars of their own experience by allowing them to view and consume the content they want and also create and share it with their friends on social media and other digital channels.

Services and devices
This agreement also provides for the use of services and devices, such as Surface Pro 3, by players and coaching staff as key work tools, with the aim of enhancing the performance and efficiency of the team. New internal collaboration and communication solutions will also be adopted, as well as the latest technology trends in areas such as cloud computing or big data.

In addition, both organizations will collaborate by exchanging and facilitating access to useful information and knowledge on the application of technology in the sports industry and assess potential partnerships on joint research projects with Microsoft Research in this area.