Manchester City Owners CFG Sign Development Deal With Sony

Manchester City owners, City Football Group (CFG), have announced a strategic partnership with entertainment behemoth Sony Pictures Television (SPT). It will allow them to produce and co-develop new and original television projects for audiences across the globe.

CFG’s poster club, Manchester City, have enjoyed global fanfare over the last decade. Under the leadership of CFG owner Sheikh Mansour, the Cityzens initially became a force to be reckoned with in England before conquering Europe for the first time in their history at the end of the 2022-23 season. By capturing the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and the FA Cup in 2022-23, City became only the second English club, after Manchester United, to win the Treble.

CFG’s in-house development unit City Studios has seen a surge in revenue thanks to Manchester City’s success. Their Amazon Prime documentary ‘All or Nothing’ and appearances on the Apple TV+ show ‘Ted Lasso’ drew eyeballs, while they also became the first Premier League club to produce an in-house documentary, ‘Together: Treble Winners.’ The six-parter docuseries was released through Netflix earlier this year.

Manchester City Owners CFG To ‘More Dynamic Approach’ To Content Creation

According to the official press release, the partnership will combine “CFG’s global network, expertise in sport and access to football talent, facilities and the group’s own media creative production unit, ‘City Studios’ with SPT’s globally acclaimed production legacy.”

Commenting on the collaboration, CFG CEO Ferran Soriano said (via Mancity.com):

“City Football Group is already a global entertainment company, and this initiative builds on our long-standing track record of innovation in the content space and the growth of City Studios in the last years.

“We will now take an even more dynamic approach to content production, and we are already developing several scripted and nonfiction series that will delight audiences globally. Bringing together the expertise of both CFG and SPT will enable us to create brilliant shows and remain at the forefront of football-led content production.”

Wayne Garvie, President of SPT’s International Production added:

“Football is the great global game, no other sport produces so many heroes, tears and laughter, joy and heartbreak as football.

“The basics are always the same: 22 players, two goals, one ball, but the game always evolves and over the last decade City Football Group have become an unprecedented innovator and global leader. Our aim is to be part of the next evolution of the game, creating a new generation of innovative football-based entertainment to thrill the world.”

Last season, Manchester City became the first club to win four consecutive Premier League titles, but they fell short in the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup. It will be interesting to see if Pep Guardiola can do it all once more and make City two-time Treble winners this season.