Images: Sony
English Premier League football club Manchester City has launched a virtual stadium experience in partnership with Sony.
The ‘Man City Virtual Etihad Stadium’ offering sees City become the first sporting brand to utilise Sony’s new FavoriteSpace service. The two parties have been working on the fan engagement PoC (proof of concept) experience since a partnership between the organisations was announced in November 2021.
At that time, City became Sony’s first partner in the ‘sports innovation’ space, with the agreement designed to build on the company’s successful digital fan experiences in music and the wider entertainment industries. A virtual recreation of the Etihad Stadium was named as one of the partnership’s key goals.
Available to fans for the first time, the app launched today (Friday) allows users to take part in a virtual fan community, where supporters from the UK, US and Sony’s home market, Japan, can connect and celebrate the club throughout the season.
Fans are able to create a personalised avatar and participate in a variety of activities including daily challenges, social events, minigames and co-creation functions. Digital merchandise is also available to redeem within a virtual City Store.
Powered by the data tracking technology of Hawk-Eye Innovations, a Sony group company, fans can explore 3DCG immersive match highlights for City home matches during the 2024-25 men’s season, as well as relive key moments from the 2023-24 campaign.
Through the FavoriteSpace service, the club is providing new opportunities for partners within the Manchester City experience, with the likes of Etihad and Nissan being the first to develop activations. This includes reactive LED messaging within the immersive highlights for Premier League matches and specific challenges within the interactive stadium tour.
Nuria Tarre, chief marketing and fan experience officer at City Football Group (CFG), said: “We’re delighted to launch this new experience today alongside our long-term partner Sony as part of our wider strategy to embrace new technologies and continuously explore new ways to engage and entertain our audience.
“It’s exciting for us to be able to see the PoC partnership come to life with today’s launch and we’re grateful to Sony for collaborating with us to launch the Man City Virtual Etihad Stadium today.
“This is the latest digital experience we have launched for our global fanbase – following success on other platforms such as Roblox and Fortnite in recent years – and we hope fans across the world will enjoy it.”
Today’s announcement comes after CFG last month entered into a new strategic collaboration with Sony Pictures Television (SPT).
The venture will see CFG, which holds total or partial ownership of 13 clubs worldwide, including Manchester City, partner with SPT to co-develop and produce new original scripted, nonfiction, and kids’ television projects for worldwide audiences.
The initiative will combine CFG’s global network, expertise in sport and access to football talent, facilities and the group’s own media creative production unit, City Studios, with SPT’s production acumen.
Yuhei Yabe, head of the new business development division at Sony Group Corporation, said: “Sony is committed to making the future of sports more engaging and innovative by utilising Sony’s technology and entertainment expertise. It’s been an incredible journey from the PoC phase with our partner Manchester City, and today, we are thrilled to announce the launch.
“At FavoriteSpace, we will continue to develop services that bring fans closer together, making the act of supporting their favourite teams and players even more enjoyable.”
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