Sources: Man City pull U-turn on ‘the next big thing’
Man City are moving away from the idea of using augmented or virtual reality technology in their media output, sources have told Football Insider.
The U-turn is significant as AR and VR have been described by analysts such as Doctor Dan Plumley as “the next big thing” in football business, especially in relation to their use in the metaverse.
City at one stage appeared to have gone all-in on the technology, becoming the first football club to create a digital reconstruction of their stadium for VR users in the metaverse.
That development was part of a collaboration with tech giants Sony and is far from the only commercial deal City have signed with companies in the AR-VR industry.
With Puma, they announced the launch of their 2022-23 third kit in the metaverse and have also commenced a partnership with video game platform and metaverse specialists Roblox.
But a source with knowledge of City’s parent company City Football Group’s internal operations has now told Football Insider that their interest in the technology is cooling.
It is not believed that they will abandon their foray into AR and VR entirely, but it is likely that they will decelerate their efforts within the industry, particularly in terms of plans to integrate it into their media output.
City’s media department is one of the most successful in world football and has helped catapult the club to record revenues in recent years.
Football Insider revealed last Tuesday (20 December) that representatives from City Football Group recently held a summit with South American broadcast chiefs.
In other news, Kieran Maguire claims Man City ready to join forces with Uefa as they “go to war” against Fifa.