Bundesliga International has extended its content partnership with global media platform Footballco, working together to bring the biggest storylines from Germany’s top two divisions to fans throughout the MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa regions.
The series will be distributed across Footballco’s channels, which reach in excess of 250 million fans a month across both regions.
Footballco owns and operates a number of free-to-use properties, including Kooora, the largest digital sports publisher in the Middle East, as well as global football publisher GOAL, which publishes local editions serving fans across MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa in both English and Arabic and operates a range of localised social media accounts.
Bundesliga International Chief Marketing Officer Peer Naubert said: “Since 2018 and the introduction of the Bundesliga International’s localised marketing strategy, our focus has been on working with the highest quality partners in order to let them tell the most relevant and engaging stories to their audiences.”
He further said that content partners are a key element of Bundesliga’s strategy, and that the extended partnership with Footballco is the perfect example of this. “The ‘Era of Arabs’ documentary aptly shows Bundesliga fans – new and old – the great history German football has with the region, a legacy which continues today.”
The Bundesliga content partner network works in tandem with the league’s broadcast partners, including beIN Sports and their streaming partner TOD in the Middle East, as well as Azam TV, Canal+, New World Television, SABC, StarTimes, ZAP Media across Sub-Saharan Africa. Content partners focus on the Bundesliga’s most exciting and interesting narratives, then utilise the DFL’s extensive media library to tell each story in a locally relevant way. Footballco joins a group of more than 20 content partners strategically placed around the world, working in collaboration with the league and its respective clubs to deliver engaging and insightful content.
Footballco’s head of global football partnerships, Ben Honeyman, said: “As the biggest producer of Arabic language football content in the world, we’re looking forward to continuing our partnership with the Bundesliga and bringing fans the best stories and multi-media content from one of the most exciting leagues in the world.”
“We’re also immensely proud of ‘The Era of Arabs’ series and how it highlights the impact and stories of players often overlooked in European football. We’re grateful to Bundesliga International for trusting us to tell this part of the league’s history,” he said.
The platform claims that every football season, posts from content partners reach nearly two billion unique users, with engagement close to 500 mn across social and digital sites.
