March 29 – Premier League Arsenal is expanding its partnership with Chinese firm BNN Technology to support a grassroots public participation programme in the country.
BNN, a London stock market listed company focussed on delivering Chinese technology and content into the Chinese market, signed a three-year partnership in September 2015. BNN is Arsenal’s official lottery partner in China and delivers unique content into the marketplace.
The new deal will expand on that content proposition “providing ‘money-can’t-buy’ VIP experiences for Chinese football fans and offering competitions through the Xinhua News mobile app,” said a BNN press release.
The increased content provision will include manager interviews before games, pre-match press conferences, weekly news bulletin videos, weekly training footage, monthly bespoke coaching videos and three news articles per week.
This will be supported by BNN’s technology partner NewNet swho will manage a ‘coach the coaches’ programme for up to 250 Chinese football coaches to be trained by qualified Arsenal coaches in China. The programme is open to any coach already involved with a football team in China. Applicants have to be nominated via a microsite on the Xinhua News app.
Darren Mercer, Chief Executive of BNN Technology, said: “I am delighted that we are expanding our relationship with Arsenal … to help BNN play a wider role in supporting China’s football ambitions while also delivering first class content to the Xinhua News app and gaining further high quality data to support our other sales channels. Arsenal’s heritage, ethos and coaching style will be invaluable as our Chinese technology partner NewNet builds a programme that will ultimately improve coaching standards throughout China.”
Arsenal have built a significant base of support in China through its use of social media and building on local relationships and contacts. Vinai Venkatesham, Chief Commercial Officer of Arsenal FC, said: “As a club we have a huge and incredibly passionate supporter base in China; we have tremendous engagement with our Mandarin-language website and over 5million followers across the major Chinese social media platforms.
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