⚽️ FC Barcelona legend is revolutionizing soccer

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TOP STORY
⚽️ FC Barcelona legend Gerard Pique is revolutionizing soccer

First, some background on Pique:

• 1x World Cup champion

• 8x La Liga champion

• 3x UEFA League champion

• 5x UEFA Team of the Year

• Ex-Wife: Shakira

Now, the revolutionary stuff.

After retirement, Pique, as many retired players do, wanted to become an owner of a soccer club.

But rather than trying to buy his own team, Pique instead raised $65M to create his very own league, the Kings League.

Something you really don’t see every day. So no team; instead, a league. What’s the play?

Pique and his partners bought an abandoned warehouse in Barcelona, held open tryouts, and got over 11,000 participants, picking 180 of the best to enter a draft.

The games themselves are even unique:

• 7-on-7 instead of 11-on-11

• 40-minute matches instead of 90 minutes, with every game only held on Sundays.

But wait, how’s he gonna grow the league? Social media?

Instead of jumping through the hoops of running each team — because, after all, Pique created an entire league and not just a singular team — he’s gotten some help.

And help from people who have grown the league’s popularity exponentially.

Instead of running all the teams themselves, Piqué and his partners chose to collaborate with streamers on the project.

Yes, like streamers on YouTube or Twitch.

Some include:

• Ibai Llanos (11.6M subscribers on YouTube)

• Sergio Agüero (4.32M subscribers on YouTube)

• Perxitaa (2.54M subscribers on YouTube)

• Iker Casillas (168K subscribers on YouTube)

Each streamer has millions of loyal social media followers, which has propelled the growth of Kings League pages as well.

All games can be watched on YouTube or Twitch, the Kings League stream, or the streamer’s channels, so you don’t have to pay.

Take that, cable!

Now, the numbers:

• 800,000 viewers in the first-ever match.

• 38 million views on TikTok and Twitch in January 2023.

• 92,000 attendees at Barcelona's Camp Nou for the championship match.

We’ve never seen the audience of streamers utilized in such a unique way, and it’s amazing to see the results.

The model is perfect for both parties because, even though the streamers get equity, their combined reach is much greater than that of traditional cable.

Not to mention, the engagement on social media is much more authentic, making this a W for all.

MUSIC
🎸Sony eyes $1 billion deal for Queen's music catalog

The deal is not over yet, but Sony is reportedly close to acquiring the lucrative rights to smashing hits like "We Will Rock You," "Don’t Stop Me Now," "I Want to Break Free," and more.

And it’s not the first time Sony has done this:

• Michael Jackson (half catalog): $600 million (2024)

• Bob Dylan: $150-200 million (2022)

• Bruce Springsteen: $500 million (2021)

There are a few glaring reasons for the move, let’s dive in:

• First, music catalogs appreciate in value even better than your great uncle’s coin collection.

• Because they aren’t tied to a financial market like stocks, the value of a music catalog depends entirely on who it is attached to.

So, when legendary artists like those mentioned above sell theirs, it’s almost a guarantee it’ll go up in value as more and more people listen to Michael Jackson or Queen every day.

Not to mention the royalties it pays out, which are like getting a dividend from a stock.

The best example of insane royalty is Mariah Carey (and Sony), who brings home a multi-million-dollar Christmas bonus every year thanks to the song "All I Want for Christmas Is You."

And that’s just off the royalties.

Sony is just a business, after all. And rather than trying to invest in assets it doesn't know as well, it might as well profit from the artists that made it a multi-billion dollar entity in the first place.

ENTERTAINMENT
✨ Disney is still the master of IP

Disney's 100-year success story can be attributed to just two powerful letters: IP (intellectual property).

Since its inception, Disney has constantly turned its beloved stories and characters into unforgettable real-life experiences.

• First and foremost, there are the iconic Disney parks, which earned an astonishing $32.5 billion last year and will be receiving a $60 billion investment over the next 10 years.

• Next, there’s the media and digital world, which has arguably become Disney’s bread and butter.

• Disney+ alone is a powerhouse for leveraging IPs, from original spinoff series like "The Mandalorian" and "WandaVision" to hit documentaries like National Geographic’s "Free Solo."

• Not to mention unique partnerships like their $1.5B investment in Epic Games, the makers of Fortnite.

And now, Disney is leveraging its IP in a whole new way: becoming an Airbnb host.

Who knew Disney had such a deep bag?

For some context:

Over the past month or so, Airbnb has been previewing experiences for its “icons” program, which offers once-in-a-lifetime stays.

From a stay at the Museum D'Orsay to the Ferrari Museum, Airbnb is really going all out, but I'm most excited about the experiences they've partnered with Disney on.

• First, if you win the raffle, you can stay at the actual UP house, which will be suspended in the air by a freaking crane.

  • Yes, you'll literally be floating hundreds of feet in the sky.

• And if that isn't special enough, for all you (fellow) Disney fanatics, Airbnb has also recreated Edna Mode’s iconic mansion from The Incredibles movie, the super-futuristic one where she made all the super-suits.

We’re geeking out over here.

At Edna Mode’s mansion, guests can explore her stylish home, try on her wardrobe, and even design custom super-suits.

What? Remember the Barbie Malibu Dreamhouse? Disney is basically just amplifying that concept.

Whether it’s a theme park or a unique Airbnb, Disney’s innovative use of its IPs ensures that these timeless stories remain in safe hands and ultimately live happily ever after.