Ben Schaefer

Manchester United TV Alters Its Approach

What comes with 20 years of experience? Well, 20 years of insights. This is exactly what Manchester United’s CEO of Media, Phil Lynch, has echoed about Manchester United T.V.

Manchester United T.V is a subscription-based television channel. The channel is wholly owned and operated by Manchester United. In 2013 Manchester United bought the last remaining shares to MUTV from BSkyB, making the club 100% owners. What this has allowed for is the ability to cater specifically to the needs of Manchester United supporters.

What Manchester United T.V currently offers is: radio feeds of Premier league matches, under-23 and under-18 matches, interviews, press conferences, along with a litany of behind the scenes content available only to MUTV subscribers. Over the past 20 years, MUTV has been tracking user data and has used that information to determine what is valued and not valued by the customer. Lynch notes that MUTV is working to, “solidify that voice, tone, and consumer expectation but using all of the data that we’re collecting to drive those decisions ” (SportTechie).

What MUTV has done recently to engage with a wider audience is offer its service on newer and different mediums. The club and channel have recently expanded its subscription to be compatible with Amazon Fire, Roku, Apple TV, and Xbox. Phil Lynch explains the theory behind that, “Ultimately, the mandate for us is to just constantly grow our reach and engagement”. Grow and reach they have done, the new offering has seen the average age of consumer drop from 54 years old to just slightly older than 30. Potentially even more exciting for the club, the new services have diversified its base with nearly 40% of consumers residing in the United States – a burgeoning market.

MUTV has been a maverick in the content business for decades, the club clearly understands the importance of off the field exploits and looks to continue its prestige – separate from winning titles.

Categories: Broadcast, Digital Content, Manchester United, Premier League, Streaming