GARY NEVILLE has revealed a stunning new broadcast feature for Arsenal’s clash against Manchester United next month.
The Gunners take on the Red Devils on December 4 at 8.15pm in what will be only Ruben Amorim‘s fourth game in charge of the club after being named new head coach.
The Emirates clash will be part of a huge midweek package of games being broadcast by Amazon Prime Video, rather than Sky Sports.
However, Neville has revealed how a conversation with Ian Wright has sparked a brand new idea that will allow fans to see their reaction live as the action unfolds.
Speaking on The Overlap’s Stick to Football Podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Neville, 49 said: “We were driving along a few weeks ago [and talking], Man Utd play Arsenal on a Wednesday night and Ian suggested a watchalong.
“So we’re going to do a Stick to Football watchalong Man Utd v Arsenal live in here on December 4.”
Watchalongs have become a popular way for fans to keep track of games when they are not on TV or at the ground.
Man Utd fan Mark Goldbridge is one of the most famous content creators to tap into this market.
For example, on the That’s Football channel Goldbridge sits in front of a camera and streams himself reacting to games.
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He streamed the 1-1 draw between Chelsea and Arsenal, and has had more than 192,000 viewers on YouTube, while the channel itself has nearly 1.3 million subscribers.
On the United Stand – another Goldbridge-made channel – the watchalong of Man Utd’s 3-0 win over Leicester has received more than 410,000 views.
Fans of numerous other clubs have also tapped into this market, including Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle, while there are also rival Man Utd fan channels.
Even after they are done, viewers will often clip moments from the watchalong which then do the rounds on social media, often in the form of memes as a means to ridicule a rival fanbase, particularly after a defeat or after conceding in the game.
However, Jill Scott has revealed she won’t be able to attend because she is “going back to the jungle” to work on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!.
She let slip this means she will be in Australia working for ITV as a guest for 10 days.
Roy Keane, ever the traditionalist, had some thoughts of on the watchalong idea.
He said: “So we’re just going to be watching the game like we would at home? So, swearing given up?”
Scott joked: “So he’s going to be in his boxer shorts,” which prompted a smirk from the 53-year-old.
He quipped: “That’s what your missing Jill, we’ll send you a picture.”
The idea is likely to be a one off, with most of the pundits usually working for broadcasters during matches.
