Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) claims that it has the biggest stadium of football fans, a report from Bloomberg notes, citing a story from The Financial Times in which executive Will Platt-Higgins was interviewed.
According to Bloomberg, The Financial Times reports that Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) claims it can reach a staggering 500 million football fans. Bloomberg adds that this figure is almost twice Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) monthly active users.
This comes as the 2014 FIFA World Cup is set to begin in Brazil this June 12.
The publication’s Hannah Kuchler wrote that the social media giant says it has the “biggest stadium in the world” when it comes to football fans.
Indeed, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has made such a claim. In a post on its business site in mid-May, the social network did say that it has a world’s biggest stadium of football fans with a reach of 500 million users. It said that 48.9 million of those fans are in the U.S. In a similar post focusing on the U.K., it said it had 13.2 million football fans in the territory.
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) said that most of its US football fans are young with 35% being between 18-24 years old and 25% being between 25-34 years old. According to the social media giant, U.S. fans post 1.7 times more photos, 1.8 times more updates, 1.7 times more comments, and send 1.9 times more messages. Fans in the U.K. seem to be more engaged as the social network says that fans there post 1.8 times more photos, 2 times more updates, 1.8 times more comments, and send 2.5 times more messages.
According to Kuchler, the world’s largest social networking site is hoping the World Cup will show that they have the upper edge in the battle with Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) as well as television networks over live events marketing.
Will Platt-Higgins, director of global accounts at the social media giant, told Kuchler that the company has identified these 500 million football fans based on the stories they have clicked on and links they have shared. Platt-Higgins added that it is very, very difficult to find a 500-million reach in television.
Furthermore, the executive said that the company’s focus on mobile is a great reason for marketers to use their platform. He is quoted by Kuchler as saying:
“For the first time in 2014, we, all of us, are carrying around a mobile stadium in our pockets, where you will be watching, learning scores, team sheets, changes, injuries, substitutes – all of it – and sharing it. That is a hugely compelling thing for a marketer.”
Shareholders in Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) includes Rob Citrone’s Discovery Capital Management which reported 2.74 million shares in the company by the end of March. William B. Gray’s Orbis Investment Management also declared 2.66 million shares in the social networking giant by the end of the first quarter.
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