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This July Manchester City FC and Tencent are joining forces to provide fans in the region with greater access to exciting, behind the scenes content during the Club’s pre-season tour of China.
The new partnership will provide Manchester City supporters with the opportunity to enjoy up close and personal insight into the Club they love across Tencent’s various platforms, including WeChat and Penguin Live.
As part of this strategic collaboration, there will be an exclusive player meet and greet with Tencent Sports users in Beijing. All the action will be streamed on Penguin Live allowing fans to capture the excitement in real-time.
As a leading global internet company with a strong footprint across China, Tencent has a proven track record of collaborating with sporting organisations to enhance the connection they have with their global audiences. By partnering with Tencent, Manchester City can now engage further with their rapidly growing fan base across China bringing them closer to all the action with unique and innovative content.
Both Manchester City and Tencent are committed to supporting the growth of football in China and by working together hope to raise the profile of the sport and the Club in the short and long term.
Commenting on the new partnership, Tom Glick, Chief Commercial Officer, City Football Group, said:
“The reach and strength of Tencent’s media channels make them a market leader in their field and everyone at Manchester City is hugely excited to kick start our partnership with them. We believe the extent of their channels, coupled with the engaging and compelling content we produce, will enable football fans to gain unique insights into Manchester City and how we are preparing for the upcoming season under Pep Guardiola.
By collaborating with Tencent, we hope to not only bring current football fans closer to the action, but to also introduce the wider public to the excitement and togetherness football generates on and off the pitch.”
Echoing Glick’s enthusiasm for the partnership, Zhao Guochen, General Manager of Tencent Sports added:
“Via the various online and offline activities delivered by Tencent Sports, we are confident Manchester City will grow their Chinese fan base. We have been committed to promoting the development of football in China for many years. With the exclusive content provided by Manchester City, more Chinese football fans can truly enjoy the happiness and excitement of football.”
ENDS
About Manchester City English Football Club
Manchester City FC is an Premier League club whose roots began in East Manchester in 1880 as St Mark’s West Gorton. It officially became Manchester City FC in 1894 and has since then gone onto win the European Cup Winners’ Cup, four League Championship titles, including two Premier League titles, and five FA Cups. Manchester City FC is one of four teams comprising the City Football Group and counts New York City FC, Melbourne City FC and Yokohama F-Marinos among its sister clubs.
Under manager Pep Guardiola, one of the most highly decorated managers in world football, the Club plays its domestic and Champions’ League home fixtures at the Etihad Stadium, a spectacular 55,000 seat arena that City have called home since 2003. Today, the Stadium sits on the wider Etihad Campus, which also encompasses the City Football Academy, a world-leading first team training and youth development facility located in the heart of East Manchester. Featuring a 7,000 capacity Academy Stadium, the City Football Academy is also where Manchester City Women’s Football Club and the Elite Development Squad train on a daily basis and play their competitive home games.
For more information, please visit: www.mancity.com
About Tencent Sports
Tencent Sports (www.sports.qq.com) is China’s largest online sports platform which integrates live events, news coverage and community interactions. Over the years, Tencent Sports has been taking an leading role in covering major sport events, such as the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup, as well as other major professional leagues including the NBA and the UEFA Champions League. As “Exclusive Internet Partner of the Chinese Olympic Committee” and “Exclusive Digital Broadcasting Partner of the NBA in China” and with more than 60 million monthly active users, Tencent Sports is committed to presenting more quality events to China’s growing sports fan base.