Name of your website?OleOle
Your name?
Nina Grenningloh, PR & Marketing Manager OleOle
Your Location (city, etc)
Beverly Hills
Please give us a short summary of your website?
OleOle is the worldwide leading social media site for football fans. Fans around the world need a site that enables news and information that is independent of the traditional media, leagues, clubs or organizations who deliver their own content. OleOle’s multi-lingual site enables football fans to connect with each other in an environment that has 100% fan-driven content - blogs, fan clubs, articles, news, podcasts, photos, videos, stats, and history.
What inspired the founder to launch OleOle?
OleOle's founder Doug Knittle enlisted the help of David Mok to create an alternative news source for football fans after he couldn’t find the information he needed during the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany. Together they started OleOle to break the mold of old-world geographic limitations and centralized news reporting that tethers large media conglomerates to the 1950’s. Together, they set out to build an online experience for football fans where the fans drive the news and discussions, not some commentator in a suit or a glassy-eyed editor behind a big walnut desk.
When did Doug Knittle launch his first website, and what was it?
The founders shook up the ticketing industry in 2001 when Razorgator, the world first online ticket exchange, went live – enabling ticket holders anywhere to find buyers quickly and securely, and vice-versa. Razorgator quickly became one of the most successful disruptive technologies the ticketing industry has seen, and the concept was quickly copied by dozens of competitors.
When was OleOle founded?
OleOle was founded in late 2006 and and began initial beta testing of the platform in May of 2007. OleOle is a privately-held international company with headquarters in Beverly Hills, California and offices in New Zealand as well as across Europe and South America. After a successful beta period, the site launched to the public in May 2008.
What makes OleOle different from other, similar offerings?
OleOle’s multi-lingual site enables football fans to connect with each other in an environment that has 100% fan-driven content in 10 languages - groups, blogs, articles, forums, chat, news, podcasts, photos, videos, and history. Unlike any other site, OleOle delivers news, stats, facts and social networking in one place.
A one stop, customizable portal for football fans, OleOle has already established itself today as the leading global social media website for football. OleOle's lateral social network covers the long tail of professional football - 170 competitions, 300 leagues, and 208 national teams. OleOle's full range of communications channels lets users pick and mix those important to them offering them a personalized and editable football fan experience.
What are OleOle's latest developments?
OleOle has recently acquired and integrated several top football blogs, communities and forums. After the successful integration of Arseblog, the award-winning blog on Arsenal FC, the company has subsequently added: The Lord of the Wing, Chelseablog, Harry Hotspur, Fans del Real Madrid, Boca Juniors Fans, Soccer-Art.co.uk, Football-Spot, and Real Madrid Talk to its site. By gathering together market-leading bloggers in multiple regions and across ten languages, OleOle is successfully building the world’s dominant social media site for football.
In how far did the EURO 2008 stimulate the company's business?
The EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland helped to further strengthen OleOle's market leading position. OleOle added an interactive MatchCentre to its global football platform in time for EURO 2008. Many football fans visited the OleOle MatchCentre before matches to get pre-game commentary and squad details, and during matches for real-time play by play and stats, live blogging, match photos and videos, and “smack talk” discussions with fans of rival teams. The OleOle MatchCentre received great feedback and countless fans in Europe and beyond took the opportunity to become a football commentator. The OleOle MatchCentre is continuously active on the site and fans can access it for any match of their choice - whether local league or international tournament.
What is OleOle's business model?
With the kinds of traffic numbers that the company feels it can achieve, display advertising will play a central role in OleOle's revenue model. Other revenue streams come from e-commerce and subscriptions such as match tickets and hospitality packages, live match streaming, and merchandise sales.
Give us some background on Doug Knittle, OleOle's founder?
Doug Knittle is the chief executive officer and founder of OleOle. He oversees business operations as well as acquisitions. Doug founded the company in 2006 with a vision to build the world’s largest football platform and continues to drive OleOle’s business strategy and growth plans. Prior to starting OleOle, Doug served as chief executive officer and founder at Razorgator, the worldwide leading online ticket exchange agency specializing in hard-to-get tickets for events, concerts, and theatre. Doug founded the firm in 2001 and negotiated partnerships with Yahoo!, MSN and Fox Sports. He helped Razorgator become the top Web destination for hard-to-get tickets to high-profile events such as the Super Bowl, the FIFA World Cup, and the Olympics. With his help, the company raised USD $49.5k from KPCB, Oak Ventures and Steamboat Ventures and grew from concept to a USD $170+ million company. Doug is a successful serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in the ticket industry. Naturally, he is a spirited (over the top?) football fan, and supports Liverpool FC. Doug never walks alone.
Why is OleOle headquartered in the US where football isn’t very popular?
California is an ideal place to headquarter a technology company -- to leverage the latest technologies originated in the region, as well as benefit from an experienced social media talent pool. California’s time zone is also a perfect half-way point between Asia and Europe, enabling more efficient global coordination.
OleOle is a global company with employees distributed around the world. There are millions of football fans in the United States that follow MLS teams as well clubs outside the US - America has other sports, but football is still quite popular.
How big is the site? What does it cover?
OleOle covers all of professional football. This includes more than 170 competitions, 300 professional leagues, 208 national teams and football associations, 5,580 football clubs, and over 57,000 players. Each of these topics has a separate, user-controlled section on OleOle that offers photos, videos, facts and history, news, blogs, football scores, forums and much more.
Every section is available in each of ten languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
What is your website address?
OleOle
