Manchester United aims to score in UAE with TV channel

David Sternberg, head of media at Manchester United at Gitex in Dubai. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Manchester United is planning to launch its television channel in the UAE before the end of this year as it looks to increase its fan base in the Middle East.

The Premiership football club announced the launch of Manchester United Television in Saudi Arabia at Gitex with partner Saudi Telecoms Company (STC), with the rights set to be extended to Bahrain and Kuwait.

“The UAE is not part of STC territory so we are exploring opportunities to find additional distribution in the UAE,” said David Sternberg, the head of media at Manchester United. “We are talking to potential distributors that can help complement the distribution with STC.”

FC Barcelona also launched a new mobile application today at Gitex with Cairo-based Tawasol to engage fans in the region.

“We are delighted to be one of the selected companies to partner with FC Barcelona and be able to support the club as it reaches out to fans across the world. Football is a game that stirs passions and gets hearts racing worldwide. With the FCB Studio app, supporters all over the world will live the Barça experience every day,” said Osama Moustafa, the chief executive of Tawasol.

While Manchester United struggled somewhat in the Premier League last season after the departure of long-standing manager Sir Alex Ferguson, things are looking up on the digital media side, according to Mr Sternberg.

“In terms of club media, we’ve continued to grow all our platforms in the last 18 months irrespective of the results on the field. Regardless of whether you are winning or losing, fans always have an opinion and want to interact with the club and learn what’s going on and engage with us.”

There are about 4 million Manchester United fans across the region. The club has 60 million followers on Facebook, of which 3.4 million are from Saudi Arabia.

“It is much more of a two-way discussion now,” said Mr Sternberg “Fans have a hunger for proximity to the club and it is important for the validation and reach of the club. It shows our sponsors and business sponsors with Manchester United that they are getting not just wider overall reach, but also the highest levels of engagement.”

Manchester United has websites in six languages including Arabic, the region is a significant one for the club and it was STC that produced the first mobile app for the team supplying fans with video, text alerts, images and audio feeds.

“Football is the No 1 sport in the region without a close second,” said Paul Venn, a partner at Race ME. “Brands want to be associated with that sport because it speaks directly with the Arab youth.”

The Middle East is a big growth market for football clubs alongside the Far East and the US. Europe is a domestically driven market and so opportunities are fewer for clubs that want to expand their reach. In the case of Manchester United, launching a television channel in the region is a way to globalise the brand and present itself as a global club that plays in England rather than be identified as an English football club only.

“Ultimately it is about commercialisation,” said Mr Venn. “They want to commercialise the brand name. It is so much more than just a sport, it is a bigger business. The international football clubs like Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United dominate live TV coverage, they have a massive following and these clubs want to build a brand on a global team.”

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