The star, Cristiano Ronaldo, is one of the most successful football players who today can be considered an example of perseverance and success in the sports industry. But he’s already a digital superstar, with more than 900 million followers on social networks.
But Ronaldo has not restricted himself to his regular lifestyle and has recently taken a great step to enhance his popularity level and establish himself as a global personality – he opened his own channel on YouTube.
Ronaldo’s new channel – the easy-to-remember “UR” – went online today and immediately set records. Just to recap, within the first 90 minutes of its existences it breached 1 million subscribers – the swiftest any new channel has ever done that on YouTube. And by 4 hours, it had a record 5 million subscribers.
This super-fast growth proves the extent of Ronaldo’s reach, especially among the target demographic – Gen Z who have hardly know a world without social media and content consumption.
It also indicates that the 39-year-old athlete understands the dynamics of the newer economy and is keen to unlock it for himself more than he is willing to let anyone else own it.
On the channel, Ronaldo has said that he would post not just about football but also about his ‘family, wellness, nutrition, preparation, recovery, education, and business.’
Such a strategy is consistent with how successful creators have husbanded their audiences by posting content that is not strictly related to their career.
“I have always loved such close proximity with fans on social media and my Youtube channel exposes me even more and they get to know me and my family as well as my view on many issues.” Ronaldo said in the announcement of the channel.
The start of “UR” also highlights how important YouTube has become as a platform for athletes, celebrities, and other public figures to connect precisely with their fan bases.
Where once conventional media like television and magazines would have been the principal means for such figures to share their stories and perceptions, now social media offers a means for them to evade gatekeepers and speak to audiences on their own terms.
This is a trend that is only likely to speed up, as more and more high-profile sports stars acknowledge the value of creating their own digital media enterprises.
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