MADRID (AP) — EA Sports will be the title sponsor of the Spanish league starting in 2023-24.
The league said Tuesday that the video game company will replace Spanish bank Santander, which is entering its final season as the main sponsor of Europe’s second-richest domestic league.
The league and EA Sports signed a multi-year contract, although further details of the deal were not immediately released.
Spanish sports daily Marca said EA Sports will pay 30 million euros ($30.7 million) a season to the Spanish league in a rebranding deal that includes the first and second divisions and other league-related competitions, including for youth teams and e-sports.
New logos and audiovisual features will be put in place when the new deal starts in 2023.
“The agreement paves the way for new experiences, deeper in-game integrations, improved broadcast communications and commitment to grassroots initiatives,” the league said in a statement. “In addition to the naming rights partnership, fans will experience the benefits through technology, gameplay enhancements and development, and real-world soccer highlights.”
Spanish league chief executive Óscar Mayo said the partnership “is set to truly transform the way football is enjoyed around the world” and show the league is “a global brand.”
It will be the first time that the league, which continues its push to increase its global reach and move closer to the English Premier League, will have an international title sponsor.
It announced a few weeks ago that it was ending its partnership with Santander, which replaced Spanish counterpart BBVA in 2016.
The deal with the league comes after EA Sports announced in May that it was ending its relationship with FIFA and changing the name of its best-selling soccer video game to EA Sports FC.
The Spanish league begins on August 12.
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