LONDON: Manchester City have become the first Premier League Club to reach 1 million YouTube subscribers.
City, which is setting the pace in the Premier League title race, have doubled subscriber numbers in less than two years and grown to become one of world football’s leading YouTube channels, adding nearly 250,000 subscribers in the last year alone.
City’s most famous YouTube videos include players taking on the Harlem Shake (9.2million views), Dude Perfect teaming up with Manchester City Legends in an epic Bubble Football battle (5.2million views) and Pep’s Taxi with superfan Braydon Bent (2.2million views).
Michael Russell, head of City TV and Social Media, said: “When we launched City’s YouTube channel in 2011, we wanted to create a channel that produced original and innovative content.
“Through its unrivalled access to players over the years, CityTV has created outstanding content that has appealed not only to supporters of our Club, but also engaged fans from across the wider football community, both here in Manchester and around the world.
“We’re fiercely passionate about not treating YouTube as a just video hosting platform but a way we can listen to our fans on a daily basis. Reaching one million YouTube subscribers is a huge milestone for us and we will continue to work hard to produce videos that fans can be proud of!
Tomos Grace, YouTube head of Sport, EMEA commented: "Manchester City run an exemplary YouTube channel which combines the creativity of De Bruyne, the execution of Aguero and the intelligence of Guardiola.
They understand what works on YouTube and have used the platform brilliantly to build a young, engaged and global fan base."
With subscribers in more than 180 countries, regular features include Inside City and Tunnel Cam and give viewers an access-all-areas pass to the Club. The channel has also seen collaborations with YouTube royalty including KSI, Touzani and F2 Freestylers.
The past 18 months has seen Manchester City reach a number of significant digital firsts in Premier League football including the signing of eSports player in Kieran Brown, being the first club to hold a hackathon and the use of Snapchat Spectacles.
To see how Manchester City marked its 1 million YouTube subscriber, visit www.youtube.com/mancity.
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