Dugout signs deal with Polish publishing giant for video content

Global digital media company, Dugout, has announced a partnership with WP SportoweFakty (owned by Wirtualna Polska), to supply premium football video content to the Polish digital publisher.

The deal gives WP SportoweFakty access to Dugout’s collection of archive and behind-the-scenes premium video content from more than one hundred top football clubs, national football federations and leagues.

Its editorial teams will be able to use Dugout’s video library to complement written content across its websites, and engage with football fans in an enhanced way.

WP SportoweFakty is the most popular sports website in Poland, therefore the deal with Dugout will help reinforce its sports credentials with this domestic audience, but also reach a wider regional readership, particularly with the Polish diaspora into neighbouring countries.

The partnership will bring Dugout premium video content to the Polish audience and represents a significant step in the region for the business.

Dugout is co-owned by some of the world’s largest clubs, including A.C. Milan, Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. It distributes more than 2,500 brand-safe, professional videos a month with more than 1.84 billion views in 2019 across Dugout.com and its network of more than 85 publishers globally.

Sebastian Gray, co-founder and SVP for Dugout, said of the partnership: “We’re thrilled to announce this partnership with WP SportoweFakty, Poland’s leading publisher and a very popular source of football news and entertainment for the country’s fans.

“We will continue bringing the world’s finest football moments to fans in the region at such a critical juncture for the sport, as we emerge from lockdown and live games begin again.”

Michał Chabas, managing director of the sport department at Wirtualna Polska, said: “We were won over by Dugout’s football pedigree and also its data-driven approach. This partnership will satisfy the huge demand for international football content among our audience, and also allow fans to follow the careers of Poland’s most beloved players around the globe.”

Dugout works with football clubs, leagues and federations to help repackage, distribute and monetise their video content. Through Dugout’s team of editors, a partner club’s brand-safe video is repurposed and localised into digestible videos for digital fans across the world. Once published to the club’s Dugout library, the video is distributed across all of Dugout’s owned-and-operated platforms and embedded network of premium publishers globally, reaching a qualified digital football audience.