Elon Musk‘s X has set its first UK Original in the shape of a currently untitled docuseries on Premier League club Burnley, we can reveal.
The deal is a first-of-its kind for X with a Premier League club, and will feature 20 episodes (10-12 mins each) released fortnightly during the upcoming season. This is a departure from previous soccer docs such as Welcome to Wrexham which were released after the season had ended.
The show will capture Burnley’s first-team players, staff and leadership behind the scenes at the training ground, stadium Turf Moor and inside the dressing room throughout the season. There’s due to be real-time content and streaming material as part of the deal.
Jonathan Lewis, X Corporation’s UK Managing Director, said the deal marked the “launch of our X UK: A New Chapter strategy.” The strategy, X said, is to support key voices in sport, business, tech, and entertainment. The platform’s “partners will receive support from a dedicated team on X platform management, content creation, distribution, and user engagement to drive significant audience and revenue growth.
The UK docuseries follows previous X Original commissions in the U.S., Japan and MENA, spanning sport (NFL, NHL, Boston Celtics, and WWE), popular culture, business and finance. Most recently, the social platform teamed with tennis superstars Serena and Venus Williams, and the NFL Top 100, both debuting on X this summer.
Alan Pace, Burnley FC Chairman, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with X as we enter an exciting period for the club ahead of our return to the Premier League. Whether it be our now world-famous transfer reveal videos, or our incredible end of season dressing room celebrations, X has been home to some of our most popular and engaging social content. Community is at the heart of everything that we do, so partnering with X enables us to expand that community even further and bring our passionate fanbase closer together, while growing our visibility with new digital audiences. This partnership is part of our long-term plan as the Club moves forward with fan engagement and content at its very core. We have lots of exciting plans together and look forward to sharing more details in the future.”
Jonathan Lewis, X Corporation’s UK Managing Director, added: “We’re very proud to partner with Burnley in this multiyear deal which includes our first ever UK X Originals series. The Clarets have one of the most passionate fanbases in the game and we can’t wait to bring the spirit of the club’s supporters to life on X as the club chases glory this season. This unique collaboration with Burnley launches our X UK: A New Chapter strategy, and showcases how X’s unmatched real-time engagement and highly active global audience will transform sports fandom through unrivalled, authentic engagement for clubs and teams into the future.“
Musk’s X was in the news last week for problems with its AI chat bot Grok. The platform has had to delete an array of racist and problematic messages by the tool. Given controversies surrounding Musk and his platform it remains to be seen whether there will be any backlash against Burnley’s deal with X. Other clubs may also raise an eyebrow at preferential treatment being given to a league rival.
