Germany’s Bundesliga is betting on digital content to conquer new markets. German Football League (DFL) Interactive Media Dir Susanne Timosci, speaking at SpoBiS on Tuesday, laid out the league’s strategy aimed at increasing its relevance in foreign markets. She said that digital marketing and digital products are essential parts of this strategy. “The main focus of our digital efforts is making the Bundesliga accessible through targeted content marketing across digital channels,” Timosci said. “It’s important for the Bundesliga’s future to emotionally excite people around the world.” Those digital media channels include the league’s own channels along with those of its partners. Over the past several years, the Bundesliga has created a network of digital channels, from its own website to its own social media accounts. Timosci said these channels create 400 million touch points. However, she added that reach is not the primary goal. “For us it’s about creating relevance in the various markets, along with raising acceptance and awareness,” Timosci said. In addition to pushing its desktop applications, the league is putting an increased emphasis on mobile apps. In the B2B sector, the Bundesliga is considering offering content for the apps of its TV partners, or offering white-label products. It will also start producing promotional digital packages for social media and fan engagement TV partners.
ON TWO FRONTS: Timosci said that two of the league’s most important focus markets are the U.S. and China. Talking about its U.S. efforts, Timosci pointed to the league’s new media rights deal with 21st Century Fox, which will start this summer. The Bundesliga currently can be watched live in more than 700 million households across 208 countries. The new deal with Fox, which acquired the league’s int’l broadcast rights to more than 80 countries, is expected to provide a significant boost to the league’s global image. While the league has had more interactions than the Premier League on social media, and surpassed La Liga in terms of followers, it still lacks global awareness, with 60% of its users coming from Germany. For the Chinese market, the league created a separate strategy. It produces local content through a partnership with a Shanghai-based agency and also agreed to other media partnerhsips. The Bundesliga’s official Chinese social media accounts on Sina Weibo, WeChat and Youku, which were launched in July, have already attracted large followings, Timosci said. She added the goal for this fall is to create a value in the conversion and tie China to the Bundesliga product for the long haul. With all these efforts on the digital front, the league expects to create more than 1 billion touch points during the next season.
