Yahoo! and Virgin Media launch new football services

Yahoo! is launching a multi-million pound football marketing campaign, with the slogan: “Miss a game? We didn’t.”

After matches, Yahoo! will show highlights online just after midnight on Sunday evening, and weekday games’ highlights will be shown the following day.

Additionally, UK Yahoo! users will be able to watch ‘best of’ highlights, including ‘Best Goals’, ‘Best Saves’ and ‘Team of the Week’.

The highlights, and ‘best of’s, will be available for users to share, via social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter.

Promotion for the campaign will begin shortly on radio and digital platforms, including partnership with XFM and a digital campaign which combines search engine marketing and direct response.

Mark Rabe, managing director of Yahoo! UK, said: “Following on from the success of Yahoo!’s World Cup activity with David Beckham, our ambition for Barclays Premier League coverage is for Yahoo! to become your home for football online – whether you’re a user or an advertiser.”

Virgin Media has also announced a new football related service – an app called ‘Sofa Stadium’; highlighting its line-up of Sky Sports channels for pay-TV.

Designed by digital agency Spike, the app combines match statistics, social networking and voting, and is designed for fans to use while watching live Premier League football.

Cindy Rose, executive director of digital entertainment at Virgin Media, said “Sofa Stadium is the perfect place for armchair supporters, commentators and managers alike, to get actively involved in football, and a brilliant way to bring together the multi-screen entertainment experience.

“A perfect companion for fans looking to get the most of their football experience, Sofa Stadium provides an incredible way to enjoy the beautiful game, especially with Sky Sports now available in HD on Virgin Media.”