Digital football business Dugout and News Corp have announced a partnership that sees Dugout acquire News Corp’s mobile and online platform ballball, which delivers near-live highlights of the world’s leading football leagues and other content to the fastest-growing football markets in Southeast Asia.
Dugout represents the first time the world’s biggest clubs have joined forces to create a business – with partners including AC Milan, Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, FC Barcelona, FC Bayern Munich, Juventus, Liverpool FC, Manchester City FC, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid CF, Inter Milan, Roma, Napoli, Tottenham Hotspur, Atletico Madrid and more.
ballball.com was launched by News Corp in August 2013 and is now one of the leading football video platforms in South-East Asia. The platform distributes short-form highlights from European and other top football leagues to the region – generating 800 million video views during the 2017-18 football season.
The acquisition will lead to the creation of a new Dugout entity – Dugout SE Asia – which will be headquartered in Singapore and will lead the expansion of Dugout in the region.
While parent company Dugout will be the majority shareholder of Dugout SE Asia, News Corp will also have a stake in the new business. This strategic partnership will include senior News Corp executive Simon Greenberg sitting on the board of Dugout SE Asia.