Madrid’s WiZink Center will rebrand as the Movistar Arena in 2025 as part of a new sponsorship deal with telecommunications company Telefónica.

Telefónica, the parent company of Movistar, agreed the deal with Impulsa Eventos e Instalaciones, the company that manages the arena. Movistar also sponsors arenas in Buenos Aires, Bogotá and Santiago.

Spanish online bank WiZink has sponsored the 17,400-capacity arena since 2016. In 2020, the company agreed a new six-year deal that had been due to run until 2026, but it has now been replaced by Movistar.

In a statement, WiZink Center said that WiZink expressed a willingness to end its sponsorship early, motivated by the launch of its new strategic plan which will run from 2024 to 2028.

WiZink Center serves as the home of basketball teams Real Madrid and Movistar Estudiantes. It has also hosted EuroLeague, EuroBasket and FIBA events, as well as regular concerts.

Parc del Fòrum has made available nine days of programming across the year for both large and small night-time music festivals

The Comunidad de Madrid-owned venue is one of the busiest arenas in the world, attracting more than two million visitors and staging more than 200 events annually.

Elsewhere in Spain, Barcelona’s Parc del Fòrum (home to Primavera Sound and Cruïlla) is going out to tender for new live music events between 2026 and 2028.

The park has made available nine days of programming across the year for both large and small night-time music festivals.

Events will be awarded by tender, with all bidders required to meet a new set of obligations regarding acoustic impact, mobility, safety and sustainability.

These measures are aimed at improving “good coexistence and the positive impact of their activity in the nearest neighbourhoods”.

“The new award formula also responds to the music sector’s demand to be able to work in the medium term, improving logistics services and artist recruitment,” reads a statement from the park.

Parc del Fòrum is permitted to host 15 days of musical activity during cultural hours and 15 concert days.

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Argentine singer-songwriter Emilia has sold out 10 dates at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires in less than 10 hours.

In the process, the 27-year-old, who recently released her second studio album .mp3, broke a record previously held by Mexican artist Luis Miguel, who sold out nine shows at the arena in one day, with another night later added.

Produced by Fenix Entertainment Group, the dates will take place at the 15,000-cap South American venue on 6-7, 19-20, 21 & 23 April and 3, 29-31 May 2024. Tickets cost from 10,000 pesos (€26).

“Having sold out shows in my career is truly special,” Emilia, who is represented by WK Entertainment, tells Billboard. “To me it basically means my fans are connecting with my music. I am so thankful.

“It’s all about creating an unforgettable experience for my fans”

“I want every detail of the performances to be just right. It’s all about creating an unforgettable experience for my fans.”

The .mp3 Tour will also visit Anfiteatro in Rosario (12 April), Quality Arena, Cordoba (27 April) and Estadio Delmi, Salta (10 May) in Argentina, Antel Arena in Montevideo, Uruguay (4 May) and Paraguay’s SND Arena (25 May).

Other upcoming concerts at Movistar Arena include Tom Jones, David Guetta, Slash ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, Nicki Nicole and Laura Pausini.

The venue became the third South American venue to take Movistar’s name in 2019, following similar naming rights deals between the telecommunications giant and arenas in Santiago, Chile and Bogotá, Colombia.

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The 61st edition of the International Festival of Viña del Mar got underway last night (23 February) to a backdrop of anti-government protests, which caused delays to the opening of the event.

The festival, which is taking place until 28 February at the 15,000-capacity Quinta Vergara park in Viña del Mar, started three and a half hours after schedule due to anti-government protests that congregated around the festival site and the O’Higgins hotel.

The opening act of the festival featuring Chilean hip-hop band Tiro de Gracia and singer Jordan did not take place as planned.

The opening act of the festival featuring Chilean hip-hop band Tiro de Gracia and singer Jordan did not take place as planned

Puerto Rican star Ricky Martin was the first artist to perform on Sunday, displaying his support for the protestors and stating: “May Chile serve as the catalyst for other parts of the world, where our voices are not heard.”

A wave of protests has been taking place across Chile for the past four months, sparked by a public transport fare hike and evolving into wider demonstrations against social inequality, living costs and the country’s constitution.

The protests have caused the cancellation of many major concerts and events, with the Movistar Arena in Chilean capital Santiago closing for almost a month in October.

Other acts performing at the six-day Viña del Mar festival include Ozuna, Ana Gabriel, Maroon 5, Pablo Alborán and Mon Laferte.

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After 26 days of silence at Santiago’s Movistar Arena, live music returned once more with a two-night run by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi.

On 8 and 9 November, the ‘Despacito’ singer played the first concerts at the 17,000-capacity arena since Iron Maiden’s 14 October show.

Anti-government protests have been ongoing in the Chilean capital since 18 October, sparked by a public transport fare hike and evolving into more general protests about inequality and the cost of living. The protests, and consequent government-imposed curfew, resulted in the cancellation of many live entertainment events.

The Fonsi dates marked the end of the singer’s Vida world tour, which has seen him play 16 shows in Europe, ten in North America and six in Latin America.

After 26 days of silence at Santiago’s Movistar Arena, live music returned once more with a two-night run by Luis Fonsi

The concerts also signalled the resumption of programming at the arena, with upcoming dates from Erkyah Badu, Marco Antonio Solís, Shawn Mendes and J Balvin.

Hot Chip, who were supposed to play in Santiago on Saturday, had their performance cancelled last minute. “We don’t have details yet but we were set up and ready to play when we were to told it was not going ahead for safety reasons,” the band posted on Twitter.

The group were scheduled to play at the Ten Years of Fauna event, a replacement for Fauna Primavera festival, which was cancelled earlier this year due to “difficulties in finding an appropriate headliner”.

For an in-depth look at the fast-growing Latin music world, read IQ’s recent feature on the genre here.

https://www.iqmagazine.com/2019/11/ole-industry-experts-on-latin-musics-inexorable-rise/#.XcmKxjL7Si4

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