Barça TV+ is Barcelona's latest project and part of the club's digital strategy overhaul that is set to launch in the spring of 2020. The 24/7 streaming platform will, of course, include instant highlights from first-team matches, exclusive player interviews and an archive compiling all the video.
Most important for us women's football followers, the streaming platform will have live streams to every single top-flight Primera Iberdrola Barcelona Femeni home match. These matches are currently available via the Barça TV network.
The matches and other media regarding the women's team will be available for people to watch Barcelona live or in replays from your home. The club is yet to confirm a price for the membership, but they have confirmed that the amount will vary by country. The goal is for people in different parts of the world to enjoy their favorite team at an affordable price. A good example can be Asisat Oshoala drawing Nigerian viewership.
Women are not the only ones getting love from this streaming service. The men's B team will also have its home games broadcasted through Barça TB+ and even show non-live content of other sports within the club including basketball and roller hockey.
The video content will be produced by the club's production team, Barça Studios, which will use its current subscriber data to provide
Barcelona's board member Didac Lee said that they are facing competition that they never thought they would ever compete against. Netflix, YouTube and video games are some of those competitors who seek to draw the largest group of people's screen time.
"We want to empower this vision by adding our own platforms. Our idea is very simple. We want to have a direct relationship with our fans, we want to learn about them, including what they like, and on what devices, so we can improve the fan experience."
The whole goal for this rebuild is to triple the annual $110.6 million the club already makes from digital ticketing and merchandise revenue streams over the next five years.
Barcelona Femeni is enjoying a great 2019-2020 season sitting at the top of the Primera Iberdrola, nine points ahead of Atletico Madrid. Funny enough, these two sides will meet in the UEFA Women's Champions League on March 25. In the 2018-2019 season, Barcelona finished second in the league and as a runner-up in the UEFA Women's Champions League.
In other words, the team is doing great on the pitch and taking long strides in the marketing side. They have just overtaken Real Madrid in total social media following and with Barça TV+ the numbers are likely to keep augmenting.
