Richard Arnold (left) said that commercial interests and on-field performance go hand-in-hand.GETTY IMAGES
ManU Managing Dir Richard Arnold said that "extensive online engagement is an essential part of building fresh success" for the club, according to Simon Evans of REUTERS. Arnold was speaking at the Web Summit in Lisbon and outlined the club's "widespread involvement" with its global online fanbase, which he said amounts to 659 million followers. ManU has 73.3 million followers on Facebook, which Arnold said is more than the NBA, MLB, NFL and NHL combined. The club also has 18.5 million followers on Twitter. Some pundits said that ManU's focus on the club's commercial interests is a "distraction from the need to get back to the top" of the Premier League but Arnold said that the two "go hand-in-hand." He said, "Commercial success is only possible because of the unparalleled engagement we have with our fans. The end goal is creating a virtuous circle, where more engagement with our fans equals greater opportunities for our partners." Interest in the club "shows no signs of waning" and Arnold said that ManU is "responsible" for generating 44% of all Premier League club interactions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Arnold said that the millennial demographic accounted for 51% of ManU fans and followers as well as 77% of its social media following (REUTERS, 11/6).
