Almost two billion people now follow the Premier League in some capacity, yet over a third of them have developed that interest in just the past five years since the pandemic. The question is no longer whether clubs have a global fanbase. It’s what they do with it.
How the Premier League became a global powerhouse
The 1992 Sky deal changed English football, and international football, forever, by setting a new standard. It repackaged it as a premium product for international sale. Territory by territory, broadcast rights were sold across markets until the league had hit every corner of the world.
Pre-season tours followed then followed to the US, Asia, the Middle East. This was at a time of an exploding middle class in Asia, for example, making it lucrative. But it wasn’t just commercial gain, as they had been building real audiences that last. Most of the league’s global audience watches on delay let’s not forget, so clubs have moving to more evergreen digital content that holds its value. Behind the scenes, comedy skits, and so on.
From passive viewers to active participants
What the Sky deal did was improve the efficiency and commercial viability of the one-directional relationship of watching a broadcast. It didn’t foresee the returning communication, where fans now had their own voice.
That’s the gap fan engagement platforms now occupy – for these global sports communities. Second-screen behaviour shows that football fans engage most intensely during live matches via mobile. They’re reacting and debating in real time, getting things off their chess like the pundits do. The clubs are finding new ways to harness this mass energy of global fans who can all freely communicate and share the experience.
Arsenal as a case study
Arsenal supporters reportedly exceed 100 million worldwide. All demographics have gotten on board, from the New York Mayor and Hollywood actors to the working classes in Nigeria and Indonesia. It’s estimated that most fans of the Premier League in the US simply support Arsenal – a one-club country.
Arsenal run dedicated social accounts in Arabic, Japanese and Indonesian. They’re not translated versions of the main feed, but distinct presences in their own right which takes into account each market’s relationship with the club.
Then there’s Arsenal+, their OTT platform, which has behind-the-scenes access to fans who will never see the Emirates. The starting position now is that these fans will not get to see the stadium, so there is a new primary third space.
Geographic engagement analytics are a huge currency within a club. They map out where interaction spikes by region and tap into that with new ways of digital fan engagement that take into the context of that culture.
Tokenised loyalty and the blockchain layer
Fan tokens are the next big thing in engagement. They’re blockchain-based assets that give holders voting rights and exclusive access to things. Most run on Chiliz Chain, a proof-of-stake network built specifically for sports and its match-day spikes.
Clubs have used them in many ways, like letting fans vote on kit decisions. The Arsenal fan token (AFC) is a great example, being traded across multiple exchanges around the world. Arsenal’s own position, stated explicitly in their submission to the Advertising Standards Authority, was that these are utility tokens for fan participation, not financial instruments. They give an immutable record of engagement for the fans, so they can be rewarded for their loyalty. It’s not merchandise. It’s a stake.
Premier League clubs need to treat international audiences as participants. The audience is there, they just need the right tools to express themselves and feel like they have a stake in the club.
