The web is now one of the most commonly used means to provide information and disseminate news and images. Thanks to the Web it is possible to access millions of items of information which until just a couple of decades ago it was almost impossible to find except with long and detailed research. Sometimes the Internet can be considered harmful – as in the case of the spread of illegal streaming of films, music or, in the case of football, live games – but sometimes, and above all if used intelligently and pragmatically, it can be one of the most important partners for business.
That is why in the Internet era it would be very stupid not to at least try to maximise the potential of this new technology, and in particular companies and firms of whatever kind certainly cannot let slip the fantastic opportunity to disseminate their products quickly and effectively (if we take, for example, a toy factory, it will be much easier to reach the highest number of potential purchasers online).
That is probably how Florentino Perez – the President of Real Madrid who many consider the real leader of this club, who is setting increasingly significant records, from football to finance – sees it. That is also why Perez himself in this context has reached an agreement in principle with the American fund Providence Equity Partners for the sale of the online image rights of Real Madrid.
It is estimated that thanks to this agreement the Madrid-based club would be able to maximise its profit from the dissemination of its image on technological devices of every kind, reaching the figure of 500 million euro for the next ten years.
For Perez this agreement could be very important: managing to earn such a significant amount would mean returning to the top of the rankings of the richest clubs in the world, a classification that for the season 2015/2016 (according to Deloittes) – despite victory in the Champions League and Club World Cup – Real Madrid failed to head: the top two places were in fact held by Barcelona, its closest rival, and Manchester United.
The case of Real Madrid makes clear that the use of the Internet and all its potential must now be seen no longer as an optional but instead as a truly essential step, in an era where technology in itself has become, for most of the global population, an integral part of everyday life.
Of course, as the world gradually moves into the Internet Era, it will be necessary to pay increasing attention also to the dangers of the web, above all the spread of illegal streaming of live games online. For that, it will be necessary in the future to work to enhance online services, which must have characteristics and prices such as to ensure that the public need not use illegal systems to follow football. This is an issue which must be addressed immediately to ensure that the Internet does not cannibalise TV rights in the future– rights that now represent an essential part of the revenues which keep the global football system working.