Du signs up Manchester United for video content

The UAE telecommunications company du has scored a deal with Manchester United through which it will offer customers exclusive video clips and news about the football club.

The company's mobile, TV and Web users will be able to gain access to the content, which is exclusive to the UAE market, the operator said yesterday at the Gitex Technology Week.

Farid Faraidooni, the chief commercial officer at du, said the deal would include a "wealth of content" - but would not include the streaming of football games. "The partnership will allow us to bring a wealth of Manchester United content on an exclusive basis here in the UAE. This includes news about their activities, images, video clips and so forth," he said. "We will be progressively rolling out different activities to make this content available."

Osman Sultan, the chief executive of du, said the content would be available to all of du's subscribers. He declined to specify the value of the deal.

The retired striker Andy Cole, now employed by the English Premier League (EPL) team as a coach, was present at the announcement of the two-year deal.

The footballer - one of the most successful in Premier League history - said he may become a more regular visitor to Dubai in light of the deal.

"No doubt I'll be here quite a bit," said Mr Cole. "I think Manchester United is a leading brand when it comes to football, and du is a leading brand when it comes to communications."

The deal is the latest association between UAE companies and EPL teams.

Etihad and Etisalat have sponsorship deals with the rival Manchester City, while Emirates has a long-standing arrangement with Arsenal.

bflanagan@thenational.ae