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Game changer [Gulf, The (Bahrain)]
[January 05, 2014]

Game changer [Gulf, The (Bahrain)]


(Gulf, The (Bahrain) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Football has been popular in Saudi Arabia for a long time. But while fans follow local clubs very closely, the fortunes of international clubs - especially those competing in the Spanish La Liga and English Premier League - are arguably even more comprehensively supported.



Saudi Telecom Company (STC) has been acting as an information, access and interaction bridge between Saudi football fans and international leagues for some time. Over the last five years, through agreements with international clubs, exclusive content has been provided to fans passionate for such information and access.

Recently, STC signed agreements with two of the world's most recognised and successful football clubs from the Spanish and English top divisions. The deals with Real Madrid and Manchester United renew and broaden existing partnerships with the two clubs.  According to Riyadh-headquartered STC, the five-year extension not only renews existing sponsorship agreements but also makes STC the 'Official Multimedia Partner' for Real Madrid and the 'Official Triple Play Partner' for Manchester United.


STC says the activation and content will include everything fans could want - from advancement of content-rich apps, exclusive content and competitions to win match tickets, to even the opportunity to travel with the football stars themselves.   The group says its customers in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Turkey stand to enjoy many add-on services and innovative promotions linked to its multimedia partnership relationships with Real Madrid and Manchester United.  "These will be offered through SMS and MMS, apps and web-based platforms. Users can download club and player images through SMS and MMS, receive live coverage of goals on their mobile devices, and even use as wallpapers. Through the web-based applications, customers can ask players questions which will be answered on a monthly basis," says an STC statement.

"There are some exciting in-stadium promotions for STC customers: exclusive seats will be offered in the STC box during home matches, which gives fans the chance to travel with the Manchester United and Real Madrid players to watch matches and stay at the same hotel as the players," the company adds.

In addition, STC says it will bring Manchester United's dedicated TV station, MUTV to the Gulf region for the first time. Throughout the partnership, it will have the exclusive rights to distribute MUTV via its TV, Online and Mobile services in these territories through Invision, an STC service which contains a diversified library of movies and online Arabic and western TV series.

Unveiling the partnerships during a recent press event, STC's Investment Committee chairman Mohammed Aldhoheyan said the company was excited to renew and expand its successful partnership with globally-recognised brands.  "Our partnership with Real Madrid and Manchester United will bring the club and its content closer to all the fans in the region," he said.

"Sports marketing is an untapped area and offers huge growth opportunities for regional organisations. We also hope to promote healthy sports activities in the region through the partnership," Aldhoheyan added.

STC says it has been working to promote sports and other healthy activities in the region for an extended period.  By expanding this latest partnership by including Turkey on the list of countries benefitting from this partnership the group will now be reaching an even wider audience with much more exclusive content, it says.

(c) 2013 Al Hilal Publishing & Marketing Group Provided by Syndigate.info, an Albawaba.com company

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