7/20/2015

Celtic FC strikes the UK's first 'full-scale' Wi-Fi-stadium commercial deal I Marketing Week

NEWS SPORT TECHNOLOGY ft TELECOMS

SPONSORSHIP ft EXPERIENTIAL

Celtic FC strikes the

UK's first 'full-scale'
Wi-Fi-stadium
commercial deal
Celtic FC has become the first club in the UK to
commercialise its high-density Wi-Fi network,
signing up Unibet as its first major backer in a deal
hopes kickstarts efforts advertiser interest in the
benefits of being able to target fans with real-time
promotions during matches.
By Seb Joseph on 20 Nov 2014

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Fans of the Scottish champions will be able to

use the stadium's wi-fi app to place bets with
Unibet as they unfold, such as penalties,
cautions. next scorer and result predictions.
Unibet wants to raise its profile in the crowded
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7/20/2015

Celtic FC strikes the UK's first 'full-scale' Wi-Fi-stadium commercial deal I Marketing Week

football market and will be the only betting

brand to use the service despite Ladbrokes
being one of the club's official partners.
Ladbrokes trialled the technology last season,
according to Celtic but was not yet ready to
commit to using the relatively new technology.
It means that supporters will be able to place
online bets with Uni bet from their smartphones
or visit a kiosk within the stadium to bet with
Ladbrokes.
The Unibet tie-up is the first full-scale
commercial service to run on the stadium's wi-fi
since it launched last October. Celtic sponsors
Magners and Ladbrokes have tested the app for
several matches with the former using its Man
of the Match" voting feature, while the latter ran
in-game betting prior to Unibet coming on
board.
Moving forward, Celtic says it will accelerate
sales plans for the service, using Uni bet as a live
case study to demonstrate how reaching
supporters via their smarpthones can elevate
the matchday experience rather than dampen it.
Industry observers have voiced concerns that
the prospect of fans looking at their phones
rather than the pitch could have a negative
impact on a stadium's atmosphere.

agsssq spas as sassssaassss cs ascss cusses

sponsors and companies in general. The

restriction to the app gives the club greater
control over the data of those fans that opt-in
for targeted offers, which it is contractually
obliged to share with the partner brands.
Kevin McQuillan, head of marketing and multi
media at Celtic FC, says the club is building a
"second-screen proposition so that fans who
want to come to Celtic Park when weighing up
the other places to watch football don't feel
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7/20/2015

Celtic FC strikes the UK's first 'full-scale' Wi-Fi-stadium commercial deal I Marketing Week

they're missing out on things they could get

elsewhere.
"Very few"' commercial opportunities have arisen
to date, admits McQuillan but those brands that
have shown an interest have looked at how they
can drive sales from the app. Celtic's kit maker
Nike has had talks about how it can promote
new launches.
McQuillan adds: "It's taken a while to get a
commercial partner on board but we didn't
expect to bring a partner on board later this
season, so the fact that we've achieved this
[commercial] target within the first half of the
season is pretty much in keeping with the time
scale we set ourselves."
Football clubs view the notion of a connected
stadium as a way to lift matchday revenues but

have been reluctant to commit due to tie raft of

unproven solutions on the market, Manchester
City is the only Premier League to offer free wifi throughout its stadium, while other clubs have
opted to hold off investments due to Financial
Fair Play rules to comply with.

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