The document proposes a weekly 45-minute podcast called "The Football45" focused on the English Premier League, targeted towards football fans in Southeast Asia. It would be hosted from London and Singapore, featuring interviews with current and former EPL stars. The podcast aims to give Asian fans direct access to the heart of the EPL through expert analysis and insights from notable journalists, presenters, and football personalities. A social media strategy and trial run on publisher digital properties is also proposed to build audience and explore monetization options.
2. Why?
Football is massive . Its is claimed that Manchester Utd have 325
million followers in Asia Pacific. (Kantar sports study)
It’s a passion point . A fan will join up with other fans in coffee
shops and bars to watch the games live and is happy to stay up late to
watch the games.
Fans want validation . A fan will be keen to gain news and
will scour the forums, Pay TV, club websites, social media and local fan
clubs for information, gossip and some sense of connection.
There is a Gap. Whilst APAC provides good coverage of games
they do very little for pre/post match analysis and key opinions.
3. The Podcast: Our Vision
A weekly 45 min podcast presented from London
and Singapore with a focus on the English
Premier league made especially for the Asian
football fan.
Taking the global game and making it feel local.
Giving fans in South East Asia a direct connection
to the heart of the EPL, an inside track to the
major issues in England and Asia from experts and
the stars themselves.
4. The Match Winner
Each week we will be joined by a big name from
the EPL.
In the first few weeks we expect to hear from star
players from the past and present from Liverpool,
Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea.
5. Potential Interviews
Current stars such as Jamie Carragher, Vincent
Kompany, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Owen
Ex-pros such as Denis Wise, Dietmar Hamann,
Stephane Henchoz and David James
Managers such as Rafael Benitez
Key personnel within the game such as
commentators, presenters and referees e.g. Peter
Drury, John Dykes, Andy Townsend, Howard Webb,
Jeff Winter
6. The show will be hosted by international DJ and BBC
presenter Nihal in London. Each week he will be joined by
a different guest from the football world ‘live’ in the
studio.
Respected journalists Neil Humphreys and Mayur Bhanji
make up the rest of the team giving views and insight
direct from studios in Singapore
7. Nihal Arthanayake
A life long Tottenham Hotspur fan
but most people will know him as DJ
of international repute. He has a
regular show on the BBC’s flagship
music network, Radio One and a
weekday phone in on the BBC Asian
Network.
He regularly DJs around the world and appears on a variety of
TV shows in the UK. As a British presenter of Sri Lankan origin
he takes a keen interest in the media in the Asian region and is
Trustee of the British Asian Trust and the British Council
8. Mayur Bhanji
A British journalist of Indian origin. Currently the
Football Producer at Fox Sports Asia, (formerly
ESPN StarSports) he has worked for some of the
largest media organizations in the world including
BBC Sport and Real Madrid TV.
Clarence Seedorf (left) Mayur Bhanji (Right)
He regularly reports on the Barclays Premier League and UEFA
Champions League and has interviewed some of the most
influential players and administrators in football including FIFA
President Sepp Blatter, UEFA President Michel Platini, Liverpool
defender Jamie Carragher and Chelsea Interim Manager Rafael
Benitez. Mayur has impeccable contacts in football both in
Europe and in Asia where he now lives.
9. Neil Humphreys
One of Singapore’s best-selling authors and an
award-winning football writer. His works on
Singapore are among the most popular titles in the
past decade. His fifth book,Be My Baby, (2008)
chronicled his journey to parenthood and was his
first international best-seller. Humphreys went on
to pen two novels –Match Fixer (2010) and Premier
Leech (2011) – to critical acclaim in the UK. Both
books were best-sellers in Singapore. Humphreys
has written extensively for Esquire Magazine,
FourFourTwo, The Straits Times, TODAY, The New
Paper, Men’s Health and many more.
He is also a popular Premier League TV pundit on Tiger, It's Your Shout,
a football discussion show in Singapore.
11. Caj Sohal
Almost two decades working in football
media. A former Head of Football for the BBC
he is one of the most experienced sports
specialists in the UK . He was responsible for
planning the national coverage of the EPL,
the UEFA Champions League, World Cups,
International football and various other
tournaments and competitions.
He has produced some of the biggest sports shows on British
Radio and TV including ‘Match of the Day’ and ‘Sports Report’.
He now runs a sport and media company whose clients include
Nike, BBC, Laureus and the ICC Champions Trophy.
12. Amit Patel
Specializing in content marketing
Amit has APAC experience in
content strategy, communication,
sponsorship and creation and
acquisition for branded
entertainment.
Brands include Proctor & Gamble (Gillette, SKII H&S, Pantene
etc), Tesco, Coca-Cola, Hugo Boss, Gucci, Shell and more.
Amit also has a holistic understanding of digital with past
experience in management of digital platforms, performance
based marketing, digital and social activations.
13. Key Contacts to success
• The Premier League and The FA.
• Close ties with top clubs Clubs e.g. LFC, MUFC,
Tottenham Hotspurs, MCFC and Chelsea
• Ex-pros, sports personalities and current
footballers
• Ties with major sports brands e.g. Nike, Adidas,
Warrior
• Ties with publishers and broadcasters
• Contacts with commercial brands
14. Brief Social Media Strategy Overview
1. Twitter Engagement from theFootball45 with
followers through Q&A, updates, questions for
upcoming interviews, competitions etc.
2. Increase influence through blogs
3. Increase awareness through leverage of the
digital presence of key influencers:
• Fans
• Ex-pros
• Celebs
• Footballers
• Sport personalities
15. Proposal
Trial and feature the first four shows on publisher
digital properties across SEA. (starting 2 nd April)
Publisher to estimate reach.
Report weekly stats to measure success
Discuss possible routes of monetization based on
metrics and production value after trial.