POSTED: Monday September 20th 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sports Revolution Drives into Digital with Snack Media
Sports Revolution expands into social media with a 40 percent acquisition of Snack Media, which builds and runs fan-based sports websites, including Live for Liverpool and the Manchester United portal The Busby Way.
14 September 2010: Sports Revolution, the largest media rights owner in UK football stadia, is expanding into the social media arena with a 40 percent acquisition of sport fansite publisher Snack Media (www.snack-media.com).
Snack Media has built and runs a stable of 10 fan-based sports websites, including two of the fastest-growing football fansites: the home of real fans and real opinions, Football FanCast, and the transfer rumour mill, FootballTransferTavern.
Other sites run by the company, which describes itself as a “one-stop-shop of fan opinion”, include Liverpool fansite Live 4 Liverpool and Manchester United portal, The Busby Way.
With over 2.5 million visitors per month, the Barnet-based dotcom allows Sports Revolution to deepen its reach into the football fan community. Advertisers using Sports Revolution’s in-stadia media can already reach nearly three million fans attending league matches every month.
Antony Marcou, Managing Director of Sports Revolution (www.sportsrevolution.co.uk)
says: “We connect advertisers with fans at matches every Saturday, but Snack Media allows us to continue that relationship all through the week. Football is a thriving environment for social media. This helps us tap into the media value of this exciting space.”
The deal sees 20% of Snack Media acquired by Sports Revolution and 20% by its Executive Chairman and majority shareholder, the media entrepreneur Chris Ingram.
Snack Media co-founder Niall Coen says the deal will allow Snack Media to dramatically raise its profile among fans, by advertising on Sports Revolution’s media. This spans static posters, HD concourse television, LED perimeter boards, and field and experiential marketing in 72 clubs across all the leagues, including 19 in the Premier League.
He says: “Football FanCast will be the first independent football fansite to advertise in UK stadia to our core audience. It has the potential to substantially grow our user base.”
Former Gillette marketer Sarah Kennedy, who co-founded the company from home in Barnet - also the birthplace of Friends Reunited - says traffic to Snack Media’s sites grew 300% between February and September.
Chris Ingram says the investment signals Sports Revolution’s strategy: “We aim to be at the centre of all football-focused media, offering brands intelligence, insight and multiple connections with the highly valuable football audience.”
Over the last two years, Sports Revolution has rapidly expanded its offering. It acquired Sports TV, which provides local football news to football clubs, and formed a sponsorship consultancy joint venture, SMG Sports, with Starcom MediaVest Group. It has also expanded its international reach, becoming a major player in the global-facing Premier League LED perimeter advertising market.
“This latest investment sees us begin a new chapter, extending our comprehensive stadium-based media estate into the digisphere,” concludes Marcou.
For more information contact: James Curtis, Stampa, 020 7242 7814 / 0779 964 1325
About Sports Revolution
Founded in 2001, Sports Revolution is the largest media rights owner in UK football stadia. Sports Revolution has developed long-standing partnerships with many of the leading football clubs in England and Scotland with contractual relationships with 72 clubs across all the leagues, including 19 in the Premier League.
This comprehensive access to match-day football fans allows Sports Revolution to offer advertisers a unique opportunity to connect with men through sport. From concourse TV, jumbo screens and in-stadia posters, to field and experiential marketing, Sports Revolution offers advertisers fully integrated and expertly planned media solutions, targeting a captive match-going audience.
Managed and backed by a highly experienced team, drawn from the highest levels of sports business and media, Sports Revolution employs an insight-driven, client-led approach, using proprietary audience and media intelligence.
www.sportsrevolution.co.uk
About Snack Media
SNACK Media was formed by Niall Coen and Sarah Kennedy in 2007. It operates a stable of 10 sports-focused websites, including www.footballfancast.com, www.footballtransfertavern.com, www.live4liverpool.com and www.thebusbyway.com. Blogs and club-based podcasts are the key engine of its traffic, with the company also running a content division,creating hundreds of search-engine optimised articles for a variety of companies.
www.snack-media.com
# # #
Keywords · Sports Revolution · Snack Media · fansite · Manchester United · Liverpool · FanCast
Name: James Curits
Organization: Stampa
Email:
Phone: +44 207 242 7814
Please refer all questions to the company listed above issuing the press release. SFC will not be able to assist you with any inquiries and disclaims any content in these press releases.
