World beating 1,000,000,000 interactions on social media
Barça is still on top of the sports world on social networks. In 2018/19, the club generated a staggering 1.086 billion interactions across its Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts – more than any other sports club in the world!
According to Crodwtangle and Hootsuite Analytics data, Barça lead the way over Manchester United (916 million), Liverpool (754), Juventus (749) and Real Madrid (636) in a comparison of the likes, shares and comments on these teams’ official networks.
It’s Instagram where the most interactions happen, and with 963 million of them, nobody compares to the Catalans, with second-placed Man United some way adrift (764). There were 125 million interactions in April alone, when Barça won the league title, one of six calendar months in which FC Barcelona topped the charts.
On Facebook, FC Barcelona are second, with 82 million interactions, where this time Man United do come out ahead (102), while boosted by their Champions League winning campaign, Liverpool are at the top of the Twitter tree.
Successful video strategy
Video content is proving to be the best way to connect with fans around the world. Despite the limitations on what kind of content it is allowed to publish during competitive games, Barça is still producing a spectacular amount of content, generating 2.144 billion views on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Barça has 7.2 million YouTube subscribers, more than any other football club, and led the way last season with 320 million views, a huge 45% increase on the 2017/18 season. Liverpool come closest to that amount with 208 million, followed by Manchester United with 128 and Real Madrid with 120. The new formats introduced this season, included the Match Day Live videos and live coverage of training sessions with commentary, are among the most successful products.
The @FCBarcelona are obviously the ones getting the most hits, but with a presence on 14 social networks and 65 official accounts, the club is also generating interest in its other sports teams, the women’s football team, the Foundation, its supporters movement, the Barça Innovation Hub and more. In total, that’s an online community of around 342 followers who are especially using their mobile devices to stay connected to what is happening at their favourite club.
This increase in supporters and consumer patterns has also been boosted by the club’s strategic focus on China, where it has made major efforts to create contents adapted to the country’s social and cultural reality. The new channels on Douyin and Toutiao are already helping to further expand in the Chinese market.
