Manchester United Launches Presence on Social Messaging Channel

TOKYO, JAPAN--(Marketwired - Aug 20, 2014) -  Manchester United (NYSE: MANU) have today announced details of an exciting new presence on LINE, one of Asia's biggest social messaging platforms, which could see the club engage with over 490 million users across the globe.

The Club's presence on the social messaging platform, will allow users to access Manchester United news, videos and imagery directly from their mobile phones, to share with friends and contacts. Today's launch sees the English language version available to users across the globe, with local language versions available in Japan and Thailand as well.

This latest expansion into social messaging platforms comes after the Club recently exceeded 55 million fans on Facebook, the fastest of any sport organisation to do so, and celebrated a year on twitter amassing nearly three million followers in the process.

Manchester United's Group Managing Director, Richard Arnold said: "I am delighted that the Club has launched a presence on LINE. With a potential audience of nearly five hundred million users, it's the latest innovative and fun way for our fans in Asia and beyond to engage and deepen their ties with the Club they love."

Earlier this year, Manchester United and Google+ embarked on a world-first effort to give fans the opportunity to cheer on the team virtually, appearing via a live Google+ Hangout -- the free, multi-person video call feature -- on Old Trafford's pioneering digital hoardings.

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About Manchester United
Manchester United is one of the most popular and successful sports teams in the world, playing one of the most popular spectator sports on Earth. Through our 136-year heritage we have won 62 trophies, enabling us to develop the world's leading sports brand and a global community of 659 million followers. Our large, passionate community provides Manchester United with a worldwide platform to generate significant revenue from multiple sources, including sponsorship, merchandising, product licensing, new media & mobile, broadcasting and match day.

About LINE Corporation
LINE Corporation is based in Japan and develops and operates the LINE app for smartphones. Since launching in June 2011, the LINE app has grown into a global service used in 230 countries, ranking first in the free app category in 60 countries. LINE offers free one-to-one and group messaging, as well as free domestic and international voice and video calls. LINE also includes a wide array of social elements such as fun and expressive stickers, a personal Home, a Timeline, and numerous LINE family apps, including LINE games and LINE camera. For more information about LINE, please visit http://linecorp.com/en