Gerard Piqué’s new "Kings League" soccer league is really interesting. Piqué saw the consumption habits of his kids changing, with their attention spans getting shorter and a desire for quicker, action-packed content. So Piqué set out to reinvent how traditional soccer looks and feels. He took over an abandoned warehouse near the Barcelona Port. He posted an application for players to his website, receiving over 11,000 applicants. And he partnered with fans to create an entirely new set of rules. • 7-on-7 amateur soccer • Unlimited substitutions • 12 player rosters with two guest players • Shortened indoor field for games • Penalty box for red and yellow cards • All games take place on Sundays • Secret weapon that can be deployed once per game But the smartest thing the Kings League did came with its distribution strategy. Rather than creating a single entity structure where Pique and his partners run all the teams, they strategically picked streamers to partner with on the project. Each streamer has millions of followers on Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, and they have helped the league acquire 13 million followers. Kings League Social Media Metrics • Twitch: 2.9 million followers • YouTube: 718,000 subscribers • TikTok: 6.3 million followers • Instagram: 2.3 million followers • Twitter: 801.6k followers This streamer ownership model is working so well because the Kings League allows anyone in the world to watch its matches for free. That’s right, you don’t need cable TV, a streaming service, or pay-per-view packages. Instead, the Kings League streams all of its matches for free on Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok, using its own channels while also simulcasting the matches (commercially free) on the streamer’s channels too. This helped the Kings League draw 800,000 viewers on Twitch and YouTube for its first-ever match. They had more than 92,000 people show up at Barcelona's Camp Nou for the Final Four. And in January 2023, the Kings League amassed 238 million views on TikTok and Twitch, which was more than every other traditional European football league...combined. So keep an eye on this league going forward. The business model may not lend itself to multi-billion-dollar broadcasting deals, but their streaming partnerships will allow them to expand through languages rather than location. For instance, the Kings League could quickly multiply revenue by partnering with English streamers, French streamers, Arabic streamers, Portuguese streamers, Russian streamers, and Japanese streamers to start other versions of the league. ** Follow me (Joe Pompliano) for more sports business breakdowns. #linkedinsports #sportsbiz #sports
Snehit Kumar
8mo
Interesting to people who call football "soccer"
Henry Phoenix
8mo
A new version of a game many people think cannot/should not be adapted to the new age. The Kings League has created very good example of finding a gap in the market and a unique selling point, then molding them together with modern streaming services (without the need for subscriptions). Inclusive, fast-paced, high quality and a vast amount of room for growth. Will be interesting to see what next for this type of competition in the footballing world.
Great post Joe. The reverence for football as "the perfect game" gives it strong tradition over generations, but over the long term the unwillingness to consider core changes to rules on the pitch opens it to more competition from entrepreneurs like this. Having more types of football is good or bad depending on your view then. In the US, the NBA has an "always evolving" mindset that I think is exciting as a fan. Not that it will be this radically different, but I think women's football leaders have an opportunity right now to consider if there are elements of the game they might do differently from men's football to better fit their core demographic and the modern entertainment context.
Jed Corenthal
8mo
There are some positives here for sure and the numbers are fantastic, Joe, but there are a few negatives as well. Gerard and co. are giving away their fans to all of these streamers. Sure, they will get some data back, but not if they built a DTC product. And revenue in the form of advertising gets split rather than keeping it all. Additionally, each streamer uses technology that causes each fan to watch the game at a different time essentially negating any form of interactivity ie. texting friends during the game about a great goal. If anyone at Kings League wants to discuss, let me know.
Felix Haufe
8mo
Baller League GmbH will start with a similar concept at the end of this year in Germany. Check out OMR's article on this: https://omr.com/en/daily/omr-exclusive-ballers-league There is definitely more to come!
For me the smartest thing is: Combining the best elements from football with the interactive elements of gaming/ esports/ live streaming Let’s see what Tiger and Rory set up with their adapted golf venture 🙌
Josep M. Monti
8mo
It has been more of an entertainment and a show than a sports competition with the best footballers. We'll see if it lasts beyond the novelty. In any case, we should congratulate him for proposing new formats inviting to practice sport.
Mauricio Cabrera
8mo
Actually, they are already expanding their tournament with the upcoming launch of Kings League Americas in Mexico City
Ed Birchall
8mo
Joe Pompliano great article man, really interesting approach to attracting a different audience base. I wonder if Rugby Union or Women's Football (soccer) could take this model and grow their fan base and ultimately their revenue. Tom Akehurst - one for your monthly meeting.
CEO of SportsKitchen Entertainment Group
8moHey you watched that video too. (LOL) The one in which Tebas (President of LA LIGA) called this a circus and GP responded by adding clowns... Why is it that people are "flying off the shelf" for this "thing"? Simply because it's popular (ON PAPER) and most people are so "depressed" these days that FOMO syndrome kicks in and they need to feel part of something. (HENCE THIS CONVERSATION) This thing is a chit (Spanish accent) show for the depressed by the depressed. GP had a wealthy successful "partner aka wife" who basically messed that up (too). Note (too)... means his TENNIS SL is now doing Circus soccer. Note. I live in Spain, Barcelona to be exact. Haven't seen ONE King's League jersey being worn by anyone. This thing has gained a following of the NPC online community... Simply because it was created by NPCs. So respectfully so... Most of this "thing's" followers are almost non-existence to mainstream broadcasters, of which, we can agree, may be the gatekeepers of the next generation of digital broadcasting. When did the world go from quality to quantity? The only value here is quantity. Where's the QUALITY Joe? Your post is only based on QUANTITY? I can go on... But I regress.