Manchester United to Launch New Social Network
Manchester United are widely regarded as one of the most popular football teams in the world. Now reports suggest they are looking to tap into this popularity by launching their very own social network.
The English Premier League champions have appointed a global digital agency to help build the network, designed to allow the club's 500 million fans worldwide to interact with both the club and each other.
The club has identified a target of more than 500 million fans, after research agency TNS estimated a potential global audience of 660 million with an allegiance to the club. The Manchester United Facebook page has attracted 20 million fans in the year since it launched.
The news of the club's new social network comes hot on the heels of them losing out to London rivals Chelsea in a study to find the best users of social media in the Premier League. The study, by Lewis Communications, ranked Chelsea top of the league, with Manchester United down in 8th place.
The study examined a range of factors, such as the number of Twitter and Facebook followers, level of interaction with fans, ease of online access and app development. The research found that despite having the highest number of Facebook fans - 19 million - Manchester United were using the social networking site mainly to broadcast messages and doing little to engage with followers.
The Old Trafford side’s Facebook following is nearly three times that of Arsenal in second place on 7.5 million, Liverpool and Chelsea both on seven million each and Manchester City on one million.
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