Kieran Maguire: Man City fear ‘scaring off fans’ as source reveals financial overhaul
Man City likely take the view that “it is best to get it right than get it early” when it comes to augmented and virtual reality technology.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about City’s apparent U-turn on the new media.
City were one of the first sides in world football to seriously explore using AR and VR in the context of the metaverse, an immersive online experience described by many football business analysts as the next big thing.
They signed a deal with Sony to construct a digital recreation of the Etihad Stadium and partnered with metaverse specialists Roblox earlier this year.
But a source told Football Insider last Friday (30 December) that in an overhaul of their original policy, City are now moving away from the idea of using AR and VR in their media output.
The reigning Premier League champions are likely waiting for the right time to roll out the technology so as not to “scare off” fans in the short-term, suggests Maguire.
“This is an interesting one,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“Man City may have seen the amount of money already spent by organisations such as Facebook, which we now refer to as Meta.
“They may have taken the view that it is far too early to have real success from a financial point of view.
“There is little cost to City if they delay the introduction of these products. They probably take the view that is best to get it right than get it early.
“What you don’t want is for fans to have a bad experience that could scare them off in the long run.“
In other news, ex-PL referee on extended ban for “reckless” Erling Haaland as Man City footage re-analysed.