The company that runs Liverpool FC’s official website has joined forces with a Hong Kong based company in order to provide Reds fans in the region with access to official Liverpool news and more.
China.com Inc and LiverpoolFC.TV signed the partnership which will see the launch of an official Chinese LFC website and also wireless services.
China.com are described as a "Mobile Value Added Services (MVAS), Internet portal, and online game provider".
The deals gives China.com the exclusive rights for provision of Internet and MVAS services for the European Champions in the People’s Republic of China. They also become exclusive partners and providers of Internet applications and services for the club in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
The main part of the deal which will be of interest to Reds supporters in the region is for the launch of the official Chinese website for the Reds. Liverpool have millions of fans across Greater China and this site will provide much of the same features as the current official English-language site, with a little extra thrown in by China.com. The Chinese public will get access to extra services through SMS, WAP, MMS and other mobile technologies.
In a press release, Stephen Michael, the General Manager of LiverpoolFC.TV said, "We are excited to team-up with China.com, one of the top wireless and online services providers in China, to make our official Chinese website and wireless services a reality and provide our fans with an exciting and interactive experience in their native language." LiverpoolFC.TV is a joint venture between Liverpool FC and ITV and is – according to Webtrends – the most visited football club site in the world, with 2.8M unique users recorded last month.
No details were released in terms of the financial benefits to Liverpool of the tie-up, which is part of Liverpool’s aims to reach more and more supporters globally. A two-game visit to Japan had been planned for this summer but had to be cancelled due to the earlier-than-expected start to Liverpool’s competitive season, which starts on July 12th or 13th.