La Liga, the top soccer division in Spain, and Microsoft recently entered into a “global alliance,” it was announced Wednesday. Through the partnership, Microsoft becomes the Official Technological Partner of La Liga and will help further change the digital experience for the league’s 1.6 worldwide fans.
With the assistance of Azure, Microsoft’s cloud platform, fans will now be able to select their specific interests and access content, videos and statistics geared towards their favorite teams and players as they receive a more personalized experience.
“It’s a very important day for La Liga,” said its President Javier Tebas in a statement of the collaboration.“Our 360-degree strategy is key. 180-degree refers to live games, but that didn’t cut it for our supporters. Today, we’re announcing a digital strategy which is fundamental for us. Taking into account the different competitions, teams and players, La Liga has the most followers in the whole world, but we won’t stop there. We have to give our fans experiences. We want to obtain information about their preferences in order to do so. If we manage that, fan loyalty will be boosted.”
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Tebas added that providing fans unique access to a 90-minute match is not enough anymore; the league has to continuously find unique ways to reach their current fans but access new ones as well.
For example, La Liga will utilize Microsoft’s artificial intelligence tools in order to forecast the demand for online content and predict attendance figures at stadiums. Additionally, the Spanish league will now leverage chat bots, a new form of communication, to interact with fans through voice message and text.
Through gamification, they’ll also give fans the opportunity to win experience points and virtual currency, which will then unlock new pieces of exclusive content and services, transforming the fan experience online even more.
“Our partnership with La Liga is going to lead to a major new wave of innovation in the sports industry, revolutionizing the way in which supporters relate to clubs and players, and radically transforming the management model of the sports organizations themselves,” said Pilar López, President of Microsoft Ibérica in a statement.