The reporter reported coldly The just-concluded 2024 United States America's Cup (1.572 million) broke the attendance record for the Centennial America's Cup (1.484 million) eight years ago, but it did not meet expectations. For 30 years, North America has been known as the "new continent of football", a market that has not been very receptive to the America's Cup, but has a very high enthusiasm for the continental giants. So, even though the Copa America has just ended, the European giants have already pounced on North America, and in their plans, there is no "refractory period" for spectators to enter the stadium to watch the game.
This year's North American summer business market gathered nine giants such as Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and AC Milan. Each club has its own "tour" program, including the "Soccer Champions Tour", organized by Sixth Street Investment in partnership with Legends and AEG, which has invited Real Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Manchester City and Chelsea, as well as Barcelona, Milan, Manchester City and Chelsea to participate in the FC Series commercial competition.
Even small and medium-sized Premier League clubs such as Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Wolves, West Ham United and Crystal Palace have qualified to enter the commercial market in the United States. Wrexham, the English League One club invested by Hollywood stars Ryan · Reynolds, also got the opportunity to play commercial matches with Premier League teams Bournemouth and Chelsea in United States with the popularity of the owner's entertainment industry.
However, unlike last year's unprecedented popularity, which was hard to find, this year's European Championship and Copa America caused a large number of top stars to be absent from the team, which affected ticket sales for the North American summer commercial tournament to a certain extent.
In the match between Arsenal and Manchester United on July 27, a total of 70,000 tickets were sold by July 23, with 19,000 still unsold. The commercial match between Arsenal and Manchester United on July 23 last year was sold out three days before the game, and more than 82,000 fans attended the game, setting a box office record for MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Arsenal and Liverpool sold slightly better tickets for the commercial match in Philadelphia on July 31, with more than 60,000 of the 67,600 tickets sold, and there should be no problems selling out before the game. The 76,000 tickets for the commercial match between Manchester United and Liverpool in Columbus on August 3 were sold out three hours after they went on sale at the end of February. The reason for Manchester United's booming ticket sales is that the Red Devils are the Premier League giants with the largest number of fans in United States. At 18 per cent, it is almost as high as Manchester City and Liverpool combined.
This year's North American Summer Business Championship is very important for the European giants, as is the 32-team Club World Cup that United States will host next year. With Manchester City, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Grand Paris, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund all participating, this year's North American Business Championship is undoubtedly a dress rehearsal in advance. Bayern, Juventus, Inter, Paris, Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund opted for the Far East and stayed in Europe, allowing other giants led by the Premier League and Western Super League giants to seize the North American market.
Manchester City have been catching up this summer, with the likes of Haaland, Grealish, Phillips and Ederson who did not play in the European Championship and Copa America bringing super-popularity to the Blues in United States. Manchester City is the most-watched Premier League club in the United States for the 2022/23 season and one of the most recognizable Premier League club brands in the United States, according to a survey by sports data company Nielsen. Manchester City's Premier League title match with Arsenal in March attracted 2.6 million United States viewers, setting a record for a single Premier League match in the United States.
The Premier League and other European giants have spared no effort to "pan for gold" in North America this summer, focusing on the huge potential of the North American market. Fan data firm CLV estimates that there are 100 million football fans in the United States, and 44% have not yet identified a "home team" of European giants, meaning at least $300 million in annual revenue is waiting to be divided.
Compared with the European and Asian markets, the North American market has the advantage of being younger and more powerful. The average age of Premier League fans in United Kingdom is 42, while 50% of fans in the United States are under 45. Manchester City's chief marketing officer Tale said: "The Premier League and other European giants are very focused on attracting the next generation of fans in the United States: because the North American market, which includes Canada and Mexico, has a huge football market of close to 500 million people.
European giants are not limited to the traditional commercial box office in developing the United States market. Manchester City pioneered the formation of an esports team to attract young fans in North America, and was the first football team to shoot a behind-the-scenes documentary series on the "All or Nothing" team on Amazon Prime, with European giants such as Arsenal, Tottenham and Juventus following suit. This year, Manchester City and Netflix launched a behind-the-scenes documentary of the Treble season, which was watched more than Amazon's behind-the-scenes documentary, was translated into 30 languages, and ranked in the top 10 in 35 countries.
Unlike the Copa America, which can almost only be tied to Messi or immigrants from Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, European giants with more and bigger stars are more attractive to North American fans. CLV Group analysis reports that Haaland's Manchester City are on track to win 36 million potential fans in the United States. Even if only 3 million fans can be locked in in the end, the revenue brought to the Premier League giants will be at least $30 million per season.
Actively participating in the North American entertainment industry to enhance popularity is a new breakthrough for European giants to deepen their efforts in the North American market. Manchester City is the first Premier League football club to appear in the hit American drama "Ted Lasso", with West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace also joining. Pep Guardiola even had a cameo in the third season of the show. Taylor · Swift's concerts at Real Madrid and Liverpool's home stadiums this summer are also one of the ways European giants can raise their profile in North America. Manchester City has also partnered with WWE, the North American professional wrestling federation, to host tours in North America.
For the Premier League and other European giants, the market development in North America this summer is far from being so superficial as earning commercial income.