October 30 – Manchester United have launched a TikTok channel saying that it pioneer the use of Augmented Reality in the creation of new channel-excusive content.
Channel content will include behind-the-scenes stories including short-form video clips of the first team squad, Under-23s and Women’s players, “providing a never-before-seen perspective”, said the club.
Phil Lynch, chief executive of Media at Manchester United, said: “This exciting launch will help us connect with a new generation of fans around the world and provide a platform for new forms of storytelling and innovative club content.”
The club said the augmented reality content will include “#challenges, stadium takeovers and other brand collaborations at televised matches”.
The video-sharing social media app has become one of the most downloaded apps in the world. It is now in more than 150 countries worldwide and versioned in 75 languages.
In China, where TikTok is not active and where Man Utd have a large following, the club will be launching on Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, as part of a wider partnership with Bytedance.
Harish Sarma, Global Strategic Partnerships & Corporate Development at TikTok, said: “We are really excited to welcome Manchester United onto the platform. Our community is always looking for new ways to keep entertained and they never fail to surprise us with their creativity and love for sports content. We’re expecting to see some great engagement with the club, so watch this space.”
Contact the writer of this story at paul.nicholson@insideworldfootball