Serving Fans: Why FC Barcelona Are Embracing An Overlooked Social Platform 👾

Discord has been largely ignored by much of the sporting world but FC Barcelona's recent adoption of the platform could serve as a catalyst for other rightsholders to also get onboard...

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BIG IDEA

In a ground-breaking move last month, FC Barcelona took the bold step to enhance its fan engagement efforts by joining Discord - and has already amassed over 60,000 members on its server.

Only the second international football team to leverage the platform (after Manchester United), the club has placed a spotlight on the potential of Discord, which has been largely overlooked by much of the sporting world until now.

Launched in 2015 as a platform catering to gamers, Discord's unique ability to foster niche communities has since grown exponentially.

While it initially gained popularity among that gaming demographic, it has now become a hub for many diverse interest groups, including sports fans, music enthusiasts, and crypto aficionados.

The increasing popularity of the platform, as well as of messaging apps like WhatsApp (where FC Barcelona also launched last month) and Telegram, suggests that the future of social media lies in connecting with smaller, more engaged communities who have shared interests.

This concept has been coming for a while.

In 2019, Mark Zuckerberg wrote a Facebook post stating that he saw private messaging and small groups becoming the fastest-growing areas of online communication.

Platforms like Zuckerberg’s Facebook and Instagram, as well as the likes of Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube, essentially function like megaphones, broadcasting messages to a large, faceless audience.

In contrast, Discord servers or WhatsApp groups feel more like intimate gatherings, allowing for meaningful interactions and connections within smaller, focused communities.

“While socials might help you build a fanbase, they don’t give you the tools to build a community,” explained Adam Callan (Director, Juicebox Recordings), who manages the dance music duo, Franc Moody.

Furthermore, unlike these one-to-many social platforms where creators compete for attention. The platform’s community-driven approach ensures that everyone who is present on a server is genuinely interested in the subject matter and is served this content.

For example, while you might follow a team on Instagram or Twitter, the algorithm won’t necessarily surface their latest posts to you. However, on Discord, everyone in that team’s server can see the content which has been shared.

“You’re one button away—if you drop a song, post the link, and @ everyone, it sends everyone a ping to their phones,” explained Niz, a 24-year-old music streamer who runs his own Discord community, as part of an interview for online music publication, Pitchfork.

The conversation goes beyond what you would see in a typical social media comment section too.

Take NASCAR, another rightsholder that has embraced Discord (since 2021!).

GMGN Reviews report that the racing series has driven (no pun intended) an astounding 450% more conversation on Discord than on TikTok and Instagram combined, despite producing 6.7 times less content on the platform.

This isn’t to say it’s all rosy.

As servers grow larger, maintaining the intimacy and connection that is currently on the platform may become more challenging for the likes of FC Barcelona and NASCAR.

Similarly, maintaining a safe and inclusive environment will become harder – which has already led many musicians and brands that use the platform, from Fred again.. to Starbucks, to embrace additional platform management agencies and applications – giving them additional layers of insight on audience as well as moderation tools.

As the landscape of social media continues to evolve, time will tell if Discord emerges as the ultimate platform or if another contender surfaces to facilitate these dynamic connections that fans crave.

Undoubtably though, following in the footsteps of FC Barcelona and embracing these one-to-one social platforms (as well as the one-to-many), will offer advantages for any rightsholder that is seeking to transform their audience into a tight-knit community.

A precedent is currently being set and it would seem only a matter of time before others follow suit and jump onboard.

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JOB BOARD

• Head of Social Growth - SailGP (London, UK)

• Commercial Director - The FA (London, UK)

• Lead Sports Consultant - Two Circles (London, UK)

• Senior Director, Head of Partnership Marketing - Cleveland Cavaliers (Cleveland, US)

• Social Media Manager - Las Vegas Raiders (Las Vegas, US)

Do you have a job you’d like to promote to the amazing readers of this newsletter? Drop me a note at andy@sportspundit.org