MTN and Manchester United have concluded a three and a half year agreement ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, in which the SA operator agrees to become the exclusive South African telecommunications partner of the famous football club.
“By partnering with the Old Trafford-based club, MTN is providing customers and fans alike with a front-row seat to world club football”, said Veli Mabena, GM: Brand & Communications at MTN South Africa.
Manchester United has an estimated global fan base of 333 million people, which would provide MTN with a wide support base and the opportunity to feature exclusive mobile content and online inventory such as match highlights, player profiles, ringtones available to customers for download through the MTN Play entertainment portal.
“The partnership with MTN is a very important step in the Club’s plan to get closer to its family of fans based all over the world. MTN’s strength, particularly in the pre-paid market will provide the club with the perfect platform to achieve that”, commented David Gill, Chief Executive of Manchester United.
Furthermore, MTN will have the rights to produce co-branded premiums, receive signed memorabilia to use as competitions to reward its customers and also offer exclusive Manchester United-branded MTN products such as airtime vouchers.
According to Richard Arnold, Director of Commercial at Manchester United, the British club has 10.3 million fans in South Africa and enjoyed two recent visits there in 2006 and 2008.
The two parties declared they would work together on community initiatives, in aid of MTN SA Foundation, focusing on community upliftment.
Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a multinational telecommunications group, operating in 21 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
As a Man Utd fan I think this is good news, it will help ease the debt issues.