Appearing in Metro every Friday, MatchZone will cover a broad range of football news, including Premier League, all major leagues and competitions and headlines from across Europe. The magazine-style pull out will also feature news and views from a community of fan sites and bloggers.
Metro’s new app, 11versus11, is an original way of presenting football fans with Premier League news in a snackable mobile format, say the publishers. The app aggregates football coverage from a range of publishers and news providers including talkSPORT, Reuters, Press Association and Trinity Mirror.
11versus11 uses artificial intelligence to curate personalised editions, learning more about each individual user the more they consume content, delivering editions tailored specifically for them.
Both MatchZone and 11versus11 are being launched with Ladbrokes as the commercial partner in a deal brokered by advertising agency Blue449.
David Gurney, Sports Editor at Metro, comments: "We are constantly improving our sports offering for readers and MatchZone will give us an exciting new platform to provide a weekly snapshot of everything going on in and around the game. As well as previewing the week ahead, there will be more features, analysis and views from those who care the most – the fans.”
David Vokes, Sales Director at Metro, comments: "A regular football pull-out on a Friday has not been done in newspapers before, and alongside the 11versus11 app we are providing advertisers with new ways to connect with Metro's football-loving audience. We are delighted that Ladbrokes is behind both projects as headline partner.”
Tara Mendelsohn, Managing Partner at Blue449 adds: "Metro has always stood out for its creativity and innovative ideas and these new products are the ideal platforms for Ladbrokes to emotionally connect with fans throughout what promises to be a very exciting football season.”
Alex Donohue, PR Manager at Ladbrokes, adds: "We're pleased to continue our partnership with Metro. Metro’s readers are passionate football fans and recreational gamblers, making it the perfect fit.”
MatchZone will run for the duration of the domestic football season, launching ahead of the new Premier League on Friday 12th August.
