Merseyside Derby reaches two million viewers on Amazon

Just over a month since their debut as a domestic broadcast partner of the top-flight English Premier League, Amazon has already been a hit with fans.

The Merseyside Derby between Liverpool and Everton peaked in popularity as the match reached approximately two million viewers, according to online media outlet Digiday.

That number is comparable to the amount of people using pay-TV broadcaster Sky Sports when the two clubs previously played each other in March.

To put into perspective how Amazon has taken off, Sky announced earlier this week that Liverpool’s 3-1 victory over Manchester City in November drew an average of 3.36 million viewers, a figure that made it the third most-watched Premier League broadcast in the network’s history.

With Amazon already close to what Sky is achieving, it goes to show where the future of broadcasting may be heading.

According to Digiday, the US technology giant’s first year as a Premier League broadcaster was relatively well received by advertisers. Major brands such as Coca-Cola, Duracell, Heineken, Mercedes Benz and Papa John’s joined on as partners, though buyers have concerns about the data they have received from the streaming platform thus far.

Amazon did not release its viewing figures publicly, while agency executives reportedly received reporting on their specific campaigns from the company this week.

Digiday reports that Amazon’s starting prices offered to advertisers were a cost per thousand impressions of UK£50 (AUD$94) for a broadly targeted adult audience for ‘Tier A’ games, UK£45 (AUD$84) for ‘Tier B’ and UK£40 (AUD$75) for ‘Tier C’ matches. These are understood to be two to three times the price of ads that Sky has sold for similar Premier League games, although in both cases the final prices were subject to negotiation.

When it came to ad performance, the buyers who spoke with Digiday gave a mixed verdict, with below – by as much as 30 per cent – and above expectation impressions reported against Amazon’s initial forecasts.

Going forward, buyers told Digiday that they would like to add access to Amazon’s first-party data, and the option to add their own tags to ads for attribution purposes.

Despite reaming coy with its viewing figures, an Amazon spokeswoman said the 3rd and 4th December were the ‘two biggest Prime sign-up days in UK history’, adding that ‘millions’ of customer streamed the live broadcasts, without clarifying the exact figure.

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Liam Watson is the Co-Founder & Publisher of Soccerscene. He reports widely on football policy, industry matters and technology.

Melbourne City FC and Tarneit United to promote grassroots growth

Tarneit United and Melbourne City

Melbourne City FC announced that Tarneit United Soccer Club are a Macca’s City Clubs Platinum Partner for the current 2023/24 A-Leagues season.

Melbourne City have used their partnership with McDonald’s Australia to create The Macca’s City Clubs program. This program aims to engage junior grassroots football clubs across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria with the aim to help grow football on and off the pitch.

The club seek to create purposeful long-term relationships with every club they work with and make a huge impact on the development and participation numbers of the sport.

It was originally launched in the 2021/22 A-Leagues season, and the club continues to grow the club network utilising this amazing program every season.

There are plenty of benefits for Tarneit United SC that come out of this partnership including “Coach the Coach” workshops led by our experienced Melbourne City coaches, player meet and greets, and the opportunity to take part in exclusive matchday experiences and offers.

Tarneit United President, Burhan Farah explained why this partnership would benefit the members of the club greatly.

“Tarneit United is in the heart of the west and we’re excited to partner with the best A-League club in the country. Farah mentioned in a Melbourne City press release

“A love for football is our number one driver, and by aligning our club with Melbourne City FC, we hope to inspire our coaches and players to continue to grow our game in the community.

“It’s an honour to be a Macca’s City Club Platinum Partner and we look forward to supporting Melbourne City from the stands this season.”

Melbourne City FC CEO, Brad Rowse explained the importance of growing grassroots football in Victoria.

“We’re delighted to welcome Tarneit United to the Macca’s City Club program on the eve of the 2023/24 A-Leagues season. Rowse added in a club press release.

“Supporting grassroots football is important to us at Melbourne City FC, and with the addition of Tarneit United, we now have thirteen Macca’s City Club Platinum Partners stretching right across Melbourne.

“We’re incredibly excited to partner with Tarneit United and can’t wait to give their participants plenty of unforgettable experiences and opportunities in the years ahead.”

Melbourne City through their Football School and Maccas City Clubs programs have set a standard for the other teams in the league to hopefully follow in the near future.

The importance of setting a fantastic grassroots foundation of football in the country can never be undermined and this partnership provides another great example of it.

PSG eyeing huge Parc des Princes redevelopment

Parc des Princes revamp

Despite uncertainties over its future at the 48,000-capacity Parc des Princes, Paris Saint-Germain is continuing to investigate possibilities for significant redevelopment work.

According to the French publication L’Équipe, PSG is considering putting a roof and a retractable pitch to the Parc des Princes as part of an ambitious expansion proposal. The stadium is owned by the City Council of Paris, and any substantial renovations would need PSG to buy the site.

PSG has many possibilities on the table, according to L’Équipe, and the club is still interested in purchasing the Stade de France. PSG must submit an offer to purchase the Stade de France by January 3.

PSG held a survey with its supporters in March about the club’s stadium alternatives, outlining four ideas. A “significant” refurbishment of the Parc des Princes, a shift to a restored Stade de France, a new stadium to the west of Paris, and a new site within a 20 kilometre radius of the Parc des Princes that may include the town of Poissy were all possibilities.

If the team is unable to execute a deal to buy the Parc des Princes, it may attempt to buy the Stade de France or relocate to one of two new locations in the city.

The French government presently owns the Stade de France through the Consortium Stade de France. In 1995, the state handed the two corporations control of the 77,083-capacity stadium under a deal with the partnership created by construction firms Vinci and Bouygues.

The agreement between Vinci and Bouygues will expire on July 1, 2025. The cost of acquiring the facility is estimated to be over $657 million, with additional expenditure necessary to transform it to the demands of a football club.

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