By Paul Nicholson
February 18 – Premier League giants Liverpool and Manchester City have both announced digital media upgrades with Liverpool relaunching their social portal via Vixlet, and City Football Group (CFG) shifting three of their club brands to web development platform Wix.com who become the clubs’ Official Website Design & Hosting Partner.
Liverpool will use Vixlet to upgrade the club’s LFC Xtra magazine website into a social network available on iOS and Android platforms as well as online at http://xtra.liverpoolfc.com
The site will users to post their own stories and works through the use of Vixlet’s proprietary Capsules innovation. The platform will also hold its own club-generated content – like following news on players and some exclusive stories – as well as being customisable so users can “create their own LFC world”.
Billy Hogan, chief commercial officer at Liverpool, said: “Vixlet is a social network like no other and we’re delighted they have become a partner enabling us to bring a brand new social portal to our fans. LFC Xtra will be the place for our fans around the world to interact with the Club and each other like never before.”
CFG consolidate club platforms
The decision to consolidate Man City, New York City FC and Melbourne City FC web platforms into one global partnership with Wix will, said CFG group commercial director Omar Berrada, “not only introduce our clubs’ global fan bases to an easily accessible online tool, but will also provide them with increased opportunities to get closer than ever to all the on the pitch and behind the scenes action taking place across Manchester City FC, New York City FC and Melbourne City FC.”
Wix.com will start the partnership with Manchester City FC across the Club’s digital channels, including their website, and their social media networks. The Wix brand will appear on pitchside LED boards.
The first fruit of the partnership will be the release of an online video featuring Man City players Pablo Zabaleta, Fernandinho, Nicolas Otamendi and Raheem Sterling. In the video they build a Wix website dedicated to the fans and their own favourite chants.
Central to the agreement is the drive to increase active fan engagement, as opposed to passive readership. For example, next week fans will be encouraged to create their own videos to feature on Sergio Aguero’s official website, created in partnership with Wix.
Wix.com, headquartered are in Tel Aviv with offices in San Francisco, New York, Miami, Vilnius and Dnepropetrovsk, is a cloud-based web development platform with more than 79 million registered users worldwide.
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