Eric Cantona storms off talk show in devilish stunt for Africa’s Premier League streamer

TV integrations can be extra effective when there’s an element of deception involved—where viewers think they’re watching a show but it turns out to be an ad. Classic examples include Tide’s Super Bowl spot with Terry Bradshaw and Tubi’s famous interruption of 2023’s Big Game.

Soccer fans in Africa were treated to something similar last Friday, when they tuned in to their local feed of the Premier League’s official gameday show, “Matchday Live.” Things started out innocently enough, as host Julia Stuart introduced two former Manchester United players as guests—Owen Hargreaves and, most notably, the legendary Eric Cantona.

Also read: Guinness visits remote Eriskay, and its football team, to welcome back the Premier League

But things soon got weird, as Cantona seemed barely interested in talking, and Hargreaves had to pick up the slack. Then, around the five-minute mark, Cantona stood up, walked over to one of the studio cameras and gave a little speech—more of a rant, really—about how “the revolution will not be televised.”

It turned out to be an elaborate ad for streaming coverage of the Premier League on Showmax, which has online rights to live PL matches across Africa. Stuart, Hargreaves and Cantona recorded the segment exclusively for the African audience. It was seen by viewers not only on Showmax itself but those watching live on YouTube and on other cable/satellite TV providers.

The stunt was devised by Multichoice, Showmax, T+W, Retroviral, grid, 22Ours and Encircle.

Reaction was immediate, and the clip has since gone viral.

They got us bra Rob.....get on a call with @JuliaStuart_SA I want my heart back. That was some high level TV 🔥🔥🔥🔥 that's how you make an entrance.

— Shaded Black (@Shaded_Blac) August 16, 2024

The segment drove more than $4 million in earned media and has been mentioned some 56,000 times on social media, according to Showmax. It’s also been covered broadly in sports media.

“The reason for the stunt is Showmax’s value proposition,” said Yatish Narsi, chief marketing officer at Showmax. “To echo Cantona’s sentiments, the revolution is here! The revolution is about having the Premier League on your phone and at an affordable price. Hundreds of millions of people will finally be able to consume the greatest football league on the planet, for a fraction of what it costs to attend a live match in England while cheering on superstar African players, in real time.”

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