Ricky Rubio effect: Barca merch highs, ticket sales surge and Instagram frenzy / News - Basketnews.com

Ricky Rubio's addition to FC Barcelona has resulted in a 28% surge in ticket sales, 60,000 new Instagram followers, and an average monthly increase of 500,000 interactions.

Credit: /IPA/SIPA - Scanpix Credit /IPA/SIPA - Scanpix

FC Barcelona's mid-season addition, Ricky Rubio, has boosted the Spanish team's income and social media presence.

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According to EFE, ticket sales have surged by 28% since the legendary point guard's arrival, also making him the player with the highest number of shirts sold.

Additionally, the team's Instagram account has gained 60,000 new followers and experiences an average increase of 500,000 interactions per month.

Rubio officially joined Barca on February 6 and was presented on the 26th of the same month.

Record-breaking revenue

Rubio's EuroLeague return on March 1 at the Palau Blaugrana against AS Monaco marked a historic milestone.

As club sources informed EFE, the game witnessed the highest revenue in the history of Barca's basketball section, excluding games against Real Madrid, and ranked fifth in all-time revenue, including El Clasico matchups.

Rubio's first game drew 7,045 spectators to the Palau Blaugrana, marking the third-highest attendance of the current season, trailing only behind EuroLeague games against Real and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens.

Credit AFP - Scanpix

Increased ticket and merchandise sales

Rubio's arrival also translated into increased ticket and merch sales.

Since his comeback to Barca, single-game ticket sales at Palau have surged by 28% compared to the season's average. Moreover, promotional offers have seen a 23% uptick in ticket sales.

Rubio quickly became one of the top-selling players in merchandise, tying with Nicolas Laprovittola for the highest number of shirts sold this season. Together, they each accounted for 27.65% of total sales, showing a considerable lead over another guard Tomas Satoransky, who contributed 9.85%. The centers, Willy Hernangomez and Jan Vesely, trailed behind with 6.44% each.

Social media impact

The ripple effect of Rubio's signing is also evident on social media platforms. Club sources confirmed to EFE that Barcelona emerged as the EuroLeague team with the highest interactions on Instagram during the week of Rubio's signing announcement and his presentation.

In the two months following Rubio's official signing, Barca's Instagram following surged by 60,000, and monthly interactions saw a substantial increase of around 500,000.

The club reports that content featuring Rubio tends to garner higher interactions, although it's challenging to quantify. For instance, when Barca announced Rubio's return to training, it generated 370,000 impressions across X and Instagram. The image of his first training session received 560,000 interactions, and the official confirmation of his signing reached 1.3 million.

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