The football business is increasingly driven by broadband internet and mobile devices, Manchester United said.
Soccer is one of the most popular spectator sports on Earth and global fan interest has allowed the sport to market its activities through sponsorship, retail, merchandising, merchandise and apparel licensing, broadcast and Matchday.
As a consequence, soccer makes up a significant part of the overall global sports industry, according to AT Kearney.
In short, Manchester United is one of the most popular and successful sports teams in the world, playing one of the most popular spectator sports on Earth.
Throughout its 143-year heritage, the company has won 66 trophies, including a record 20 English league titles, with a global community of 1.1 billion fans and supporters.
Football business
In the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021, Manchester United posted trading revenue of £232.2m, with a loss of £92m.
Sponsorship revenue of the company
Above all, the growth and rising popularity of football is a product of consumer demand and interest in live sports, whether viewed in person on location or through television and digital media.
In parallel, according to Manchester United, sport revenue growth has been driven by the appetite of consumers, advertisers and media distributors to access and associate with these live sporting events, particularly those with globally recognized teams.
Globally, the major soccer leagues and clubs in England, Germany, Spain, Italy and France have established themselves as major entities due to their history as well as their highly developed television and advertising markets, according to AT Kearney.
The combination of historical success and media development in major European markets have helped drive revenue, which in turn enables those leagues to attract the best players in the world, further strengthening their fan appeal.
As television and digital media such as broadband internet and mobile devices expand their reach globally, availability and access to live games and other content from Europe‘s top leagues has increased and games live are now seen all over the world.
In addition, Manchester United points out, advances in new technologies continue to improve both the user experience of television and digital media and the effectiveness of sponsorships and advertising on these platforms.
These trends further strengthen the commercial benefit of partnering with football for media distributors and advertisers and increase global opportunities for the sport.
