News Corp launches dedicated football app for Asia

News Corp has unveiled a new Android app dubbed ‘BallBall’ for Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam initially, which it says will deliver near-live highlights of football leagues from around the world as well as other exclusive content.

The multilingual app will reach a combined market of more than 460 million people in the initial launch phase. It features exclusive highlight clips, including every goal from England’s Barclays Premier League and video highlights from more than 1,600 games, including Bundesliga (Germany), Ligue 1 (France), Serie A (Italy), FA Cup (England), Championship (England), Capital One Cup (England), Brazilian Championship and Major League Soccer.

“BallBall’s launch is a significant moment in the e-evolution of the new News,” Robert Thomson, the chief executive of News Corp said in a statement. “It is all about the mobility of unique content and the upward mobility of Asia. As well as exclusive highlights, our company has unique access to great football writing, statistics, and the players, both on the field and in the industry, and we will bring Asian fans much closer to the action. Football is the ultimate global sport in an era of globalization and digitization—this new company will ride the momentum of those two mega-trends.”