NEW DELHI: More and more clubs are teaming up with various production houses to come up with an in-depth look at a season gone by and Barcelona have followed suit. Their latest show Matchday: Inside FC Barcelona is a documentary chronicling the 2018-19 season with an in-depth look at the major players as well as up and coming academy talent. The New Indian Express caught up with Dídac Lee, board member and head of the digital division of the Catalonian giants, who spoke on the documentary as well as how social media is used by the club to reach the masses.
Excerpts...
What is the main motive behind the 'Matchday' show? What differentiates this program from the others currently available?
This is the first major initiative taken up by Barca studios after its launch. The studio is the in-club audio visual hub which manages all the digital content. The best way to connect with fans around the world -- who cannot attend matches, not get access to the first team -- is to provide special content. Most content nowadays has too much of focus on tactical analysis, but we are trying to provide entertainment which will be emotionally resounding. You will get to see players in a new light, learn about new stars and the story behind their rise. This show will also cater to non football people, who can learn about the sacrifices involved throughout the course of a season with a human touch and of course with lots of backstage access.
The 2018 season had quite a few ups and downs. Looking back, why specifically pick that season?
Winning La Liga is considered a good year always! But we cannot dispute the fact that the season had a lot of ups and downs including the Champions League disappointment (vs Liverpool) and the Copa de Ray heartbreak (vs Valencia). The reason was that we conceptualized the show for that particular season and it ended up being full of drama and high on emotions.
Fans always want more so are there plans to come up with another season?
Matchday 2 was planned prior to the coronavirus pandemic. But now things have changed and with so many protocols in place, it would be difficult to get in-depth access and in that case, the end product would not be up to the mark. But for sure, we will return with Matchday 2 or even 3 who knows. We will focus on improving, maybe even change the format but spirit of the show will remain
Social media is a huge market but often becomes a place where one needs to tread carefully. What protocols does Barcelona follow to avoid such noise?
There is a vision for social media. Best way to connect with fans is through social media and we were one of the first clubs to start functioning on social media. We have always garnered good traction with all our content being well received. Currently all clubs are trying to capture the market not only on the television but also on mobiles and computers. As far as players and employees of the clubs are concerned, we respect their opinions. The medium is very complicated to control as everybody has an opinion. Best way is to be proactive, create confidence in your vision and then things will follow naturally.
For a huge club like Barcelona, what sort of plans are in place to tap a market like India?
This is the first time such premium content is coming to India. Hopefully all fans will love it and it ends up being successful. No specific plans so far but why not more content specific to India? Why not involve the popular aspects of culture here like Bollywood? Hopefully some day soon.
Since the pandemic, matches are being played behind closed doors with social media playing an even more important role for fans. What is the club doing in that respect?
All social media action is geared towards generating more fan content. We launched Barca Tv Plus, our own OTT platform which means more fans around the world can connect with us. Since lockdown, we have been in the process of giving fans more interviews wit their favourite players along with content related to safety including stay at home messages, along with players advising on health and nutrition aspects.
Matchday: Inside FC Barcelona is streaming on the Discovery Plus app