Bayern Munich is gearing up to host the first “purely digital, interactive and global" team presentation this weekend, the German club said. Under the slogan, "Dare to be the first," the Bundesliga champions this Saturday will put on a digital team presentation, inspired by classic late-night TV talk shows, for its int'l fans. The entire event will take place in front of a live studio audience, consisting of media members and fans, at Munich’s Allianz Arena and streamed on Facebook Live to viewers around the world. The whole team, including first-year head coach Carlo Ancelotti will be introduced during the show, with select players set to engage in short interviews with the host, who will be provided by Copa90, a division of U.K.-based football media company Bigballs Media. The show will also feature live music along with a number of pre-produced segments. The club set up three additional "stages" within the arena, where fans and viewers will be able to interact with players. Bayern’s partners, in particular Allianz, which came up with the idea of a digital team presentation, as well as adidas and EA Sports, helped create the event. “It was important to maintain the traditional player presentation for our fans in Munich,” Bayern Munich Media, Digital & Communication Dir Stefan Mennerich said. “That will still happen after the digital presentation. However, considering our strong connection to our fans around the world and that 92 percent of our Facebook followers are international, we know creating a virtual experience for all of our fans would bring a new level of engagement and excitement.”
ON TIME: The presentation will kick off at 2pm local time in Munich, which corresponds to early morning in the U.S. and late evening in Asia, the club’s primary target markets, Mennerich said. “It’s the best possible solution for the multiple time zones we’re trying to reach,” he said. The event will be produced by Kuby Concept, editorial support comes from Vice and Evisco generates the streaming signal. Mennerich told SBD Global that the club intends to increase its use of digital tools to engage and interact with fans but there are currently no specific plans for similar projects. “Bayern Munich is an international club with over 400 million supporters worldwide,” he said. “We realize the importance of expanding our digital reach and footprint to continue bringing our global fans closer to the club, as well as to introduce new fans to our club, its values and traditions.” Bayern Munich fans will be able to find Saturday's team presentation show using #FCBDAY1 and #FCBCHALLENGE on Facebook.
