Manchester City FC is the latest sporting brand and organisation to demonstrate their commitment to digital.
Exclusive fan content usually requires fans to pay subscription rates, occasionally in addition to a season ticket. Unlike the majority of football clubs worldwide, Man City has opted to cut the paid content strategy and invest in free digital services for fans.
Richard Ayers, Head of Digital at Manchester City FC, said: “We are focusing on audience growth. We were the first and may even still be the only club that gives away all our content.”
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the club’s owner, has spent £1 billion since he acquired the club in 2008, bringing in some of the biggest players, including Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Samir Nasri.
The Sheikh broke away from charging fans a monthly subscription to watch online videos and contracted Endemol to produce game highlights and behind-the-scenes videos that are uploaded on the club’s site for free.
This month City began its own YouTube channel, posting CityTV’s videos. One of the latest videos of new attacking midfielder, Nasri, reached 100,000 views in 10 hours.
Moving forward, it is the responsibility of sports marketers to acknowledge the advances of digital and social media by implementing digital strategies as part of an integrated marketing mix. The sport’s industry must also embrace the sports market as a global audience as opposed to just fans.
