Mutv Extends To New Platforms

25 Jul 2018 | james.sanwell@benchmarksport.com

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Manchester United is making its MUTV OTT service available on four additional platforms, the club has revealed.

The channel is to launch on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku and Xbox, following its debut on iOS, Android and MUTV.com last season.

The club says the move is driven by changing viewing habits among younger audiences.

It follows a recent report by UK media regulator Ofcom, which revealed that subscriptions to OTT TV services Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Now TV have overtaken traditional pay TV services in the UK.

United’s “platform-agnostic” approach means that existing subscribers to the MUTV app and web platform will be able to use a universal login to access the content across all the new platforms.

The development also expands access to the MUTV service in new geographical markets, including the US and various countries across Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa, where Manchester United enjoys strong international support.

MUTV, which originally launched in 1998 as a joint venture between the club and traditional broadcasters ITV and BSkyB, has been wholly owned by the Old Trafford club since 2013.

It features both linear and on-demand content, which the club says will be expanded to incorporate new on-demand categories including match-day programming and highlights, a library of classic matches, MUFC Original films and celebrity features.

For the first time, a selection of this content is also to be made available for free, in a bid to encourage non-subscribers to deepen their engagement with the Reds.

Commenting on the move, Manchester United’s CEO of media, said: “The continued expansion of MUTV and the launch on these platforms expands our reach, opens up new audiences, and provides our fans easy access to our award winning on-demand and linear programming, without having to leave their set-top-box environment.”

Earlier this month, Championship side Hull City became the latest UK club to launch its own OTT streaming service, Tigers TV, with the aim of driving audience and fan growth in international markets.

Overseas fans will be able to stream almost every City game in the Championship this season, with coverage being made available home and away.

UK-based fans will be able to stream all the Tigers’ midweek games and every non-televised match outside the traditional Saturday 3pm window.