The global popularity of the Premier League, the most-watched football league in the world, is forcing European football rivals to compete for audiences and streaming channels. Recognizing that young audiences engage with football through online content creators, German football, in particular, is now reaching out to this demographic.
As a result, Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich will start their defense of the Bundesliga title this evening, with a live broadcast reaching 1.4 million subscribers on the That’s Football YouTube channel. This channel, managed by Mark Goldbridge, is known for its engaging commentary that often goes viral on social media. Goldbridge believes that traditional viewers need to recognize and respect the popularity of a certain content style within young audiences.
European leagues are having a hard time selling their rights due to the dominance of domestic football. Rights deals for showing matches have traditionally gone to broadcasters like Sky Sports and Discovery-owned TNT Sports. However, smaller channels like Goldbridge’s are now stepping in to fill the void left by these deal changes.
While commentators like Gary Neville have similar appeal on Sky Sports, Goldbridge doesn’t see himself as a competitor to mainstream broadcasters. He views his platform as a community where Bundesliga fans can engage and learn together.
Goldbridge feels that new media forms need to collaborate with traditional media outlets to meet the diverse preferences of football fans, suggesting this multichannel approach is the future of football broadcasting.
Source: https://news.sky.com/story/why-germanys-top-football-league-is-turning-to-this-man-13415910
