New York City FC has expanded its global footprint with the launch of it’s new Chinese website and social media platform, Weibo, being the first and only MLS franchise to do so.
In an attempt to build interest and reward fans abroad, the Chinese platform will add to the club’s US and Spanish websites.
Get The Latest MLS Tech News In Your Inbox!
“The Chinese community is important to New York City FC as we continue to gain supporters from New York City’s local Chinese groups and increase our global fan base from locations abroad. We are proud that our new platforms will allow us to interact with our Chinese speaking supporters”, said Tom Glick, NYCFC President.
Glick also highlighted the fact that over one million Chinese tourists visit NYC every year, and that they wanted to be able to have a lasting impact on the tourists. Many Chinese fans visit the city and watch the games at Yankee Stadium, but have been going home to find that it’s extremely hard to replicate the experience they had in New York, let alone watch a full game. Through the new website and social media platform, they can now get live updates, highlights and exclusive digital content, all in the native language.
Whilst the move is certainly warranted, it’s probably no coincidence. China Media Capital, a Shanghai-based consortium of media, entertainment and sports companies, announced on Dec 1 that it had taken a 13 percent stake in City Group Ltd. City Group Ltd owns Manchester City of England’s Premier League, Melbourne City of Australia’s A-League, and holds an 80% in New York City of the MLS.
Andrea Sartori, head of KPMG’s sports practice, who cited FootballBenchmark.com, which studies the economics of soccer said, “This investor has a strong presence in Chinese football, being the owner of exclusive media rights to both the Chinese Super League and the China Football Association. The deal has the declared purpose of leveraging the potential for the growth of all the clubs of the group in light of massive growth and interest in football in China.”
For a club like NYC, who does not feature in the world’s biggest and most popular leagues, this is an incredibly smart move. Not only does it align itself with Manchester and Melbourne, but it also has the ability to engage an entire country. The NBA in particular has had tremendous success reaching out to China, and has shown us that the Chinese match the greatest of sports fanatics.