In his 10th exclusive column for CaughtOffside, Jon Smith, one of football’s first-ever agents and a man who was an integral figure in the forming of the Premier League, discusses the incredible growth of fan TV, which manager Leicester City are considering and why more US-based investment is likely to hit the Premier League.
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Supporters do not yet realise their power…
The voice of the supporters has suddenly become even more significant and let me explain why – obviously they are the heartbeat of the game. Nothing has changed there but with the slow demise of traditional broadcasters, BBC, ITV, etc. the fans’ voices are actually becoming louder.
Arsenal Fan TV (AFC TV) and The United Stand are the two biggest fan channels. Their monthly audiences are over 100m viewers. All the mainstream broadcasters would love that audience! – And now, all of a sudden, they’re looking around and saying ‘this is a real opportunity!’.
TalkSPORT is another that is on the up, their audience numbers are also growing, and that is not surprising.
As I have said many times before, sports, particularly football, is becoming the population’s emotional repository. As life gets harder, socially and economically, more and more people are turning to football as a way to escape, so after a game, a large section of fans are turning to outlets such as TalkSPORT and using them as a platform to vent their frustrations. The exact same is happening with fan TV channels.
Mark Goldbridge, who runs the United Stand channel, is a phenomenal broadcaster but the platform he has created is so much more than just a hobby. He is now attracting some absolutely massive sponsors – L’Oreal for example. Huge brands.
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It’s a real big moment and fans probably don’t even realise it yet but their voices are being heard and although fans’ response to the proposed European Super League has played a part in this mentality shift, it is not the only reason. Life, in general, and how hard it is, is a major factor. Clubs understand that sport has become our emotional outlet and they know that if they ignore that audience, they do so at their peril.
Leicester City’s owners may have lost interest, but the US is waiting…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Transfer Rumours – CaughtOffside…