Dugout teams with PP Sports to provide European football content in Mandarin for Chinese fans
Dugout, a football content business co-owned by 10 of the largest clubs in Europe, has announced a new video content partnership with Chinese digital platform, PP Sports.
Using the latest technological advancements and working in collaboration and across national boundaries with China for the first time, this unique partnership in digital sport will help meet the ever-increasing demand for football content from fans in China.
With football leagues across much of the world currently suspended, Dugout, which is owned jointly by A.C. Milan, Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, along with PP Sports, will be working together to keep the reported 300 million football fans living in China connected to football by delivering bespoke Mandarin-language video content.
Unified by a shared love for football, the collaboration between Dugout and PP Sports represents a unique alliance between European and Chinese content providers. The breakthrough partnership is believed to be the first time an independent western digital media business has integrated in such depth with a Chinese technology provider with the businesses collaborating to deliver bespoke football content tailored to China’s football fans.
Complementing PP Sports’ existing football coverage, which contains a large live rights portfolio including the Chinese Super League, the English Premier League, Italy’s Serie A, Ligue 1 from France, Bundesliga from Germany and the UEFA Champions League, the partnership gives the Chinese platform a new way to engage with existing fans and attract new ones.
Fans in China will have the opportunity to connect with more than 100 international clubs by viewing exclusive, behind-the-scenes and archived content via Dugout’s video player which will deliver content into the PP Sports platforms in China.
Dugout co-founder and chairman, Elliot Richardson, said: “With live global football currently on pause, there is even greater demand for behind-the-scenes and archive football content, and we are pleased to partner with Suning and PP Sports to deliver international football content to passionate football fans in China. This new collaboration will benefit both our partner clubs and football fans in China with our exclusive digital football content supporting PP Sports’ existing rights strategy in China.”
Richardson added: “These are difficult times for everyone, including the global sports industry as leagues and events face an uncertain immediate future. In the last two months we have seen our number of video views increase globally from 300 to 400 million a month, so we know the appetite to watch football around the world will not diminish. Our partnership with PP Sports stands as a landmark achievement that will help Dugout’s community of clubs sustain and grow their businesses, and ensure their global fan base can continue to watch great football content, even during these challenging times.”
The management team at PP Sports said: “In good times and bad, sport can play a vital role in people’s lives. Even during this most challenging period, PP Sports has been able to bring a range of sports content to our millions of viewers across China. Our ability to continue to connect China’s passionate football fans to the clubs they love will be greatly enhanced through this collaboration with Dugout. Dugout is a unique company, owned by some of Europe’s biggest clubs and with partnerships across football, we look forward to working together to bring a range of exclusive, and behind-the-scenes content, built on Dugout’s unique capabilities and access, to enhance the service provded to PP Sports’ viewers.”