Saturday will see the launch of the Premier League Mornings Live fan fest, an activation from NBC Sports and Premier League that will see fans across the country welcomed for a series of full-day Premier League fan engagements. Stop number one takes place on Sept. 29 from Capitol View at 400 on N. Capitol Street, featuring the Premier League trophy and club mascots, along with NBC Sports’ Premier League Mornings studio team of host Rebecca Lowe and analysts Robbie Earle, Kyle Martino, and Robbie Mustoe broadcasting live from the event beginning at 7a on NBCSN. Other stops will include
Cynopsis asked Dan Palla, Director of Consumer Engagement, NBC Sports Group, about the tour, its goals and what fans can expect from the activation.
Palla on goals: We have a great partner in the Premier League. The quality of play is second to none. It’s the world’s best players in the world’s best league playing every Saturday and Sunday morning on the networks of NBCUniversal. Our primary goals are centered around exposure:
1. Ritualizing Premier League viewing for the American audience. We want viewers to wake up and start every weekend morning with Premier League Soccer week in and week out.
2. Growth. We want to draw in sports fans that may not have been exposed to the Premier League, make it relatable, create intrigue, and convert them into viewers that join us for Premier League Mornings.
On the genesis of the tour: The idea started from our internal NBC marketing team meetings last year with a notion of really wanting to get the American Premier League scene out of living rooms, basements, and pubs and into the open on display. We were able to pull off one event last year in New York City along with our on-air and production teams, and right away we knew we were onto something special. The Premier League was excited by the results from that event and are very committed to the U.S. market, so we teamed up for a fuller event series this season in multiple cities, beginning with the first celebration on Sept 29.
On stops: There’s no blue print here so we had to make a process. We went through strategic market research with the Premier League, reviewing data and insights on U.S. markets. We found target cities that had passionate scenes of Premier League supporters, fans, and viewership. So many cities across America have developed great morning soccer scenes now, so it’s our hope that we can put more of them on display with these efforts.
On the experience: The broadcast from the event will be appointment viewing. There’s nothing better in sports than the amazing reactions of the large crowds watching a game. The American fans will be watching eight different matches throughout the day, culminating in a clash of the two top clubs in the league right now: Chelsea v Liverpool. This is a day of celebrating the Premier League from coast to coast, so there’s special contests and social media shout-outs for fans & viewers to join in no matter where they are. It’s live sports in the morning over brunch. What’s not to love?
