A fresh scheme launched by the Saudi Pro League will give stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo the opportunity to turn their social media popularity into revenue.
Under the initiative, players and content creators will be able to share links to individual Pro League matches or game bundles on their channels and claim a share of the income generated.
That could prove highly lucrative for Ronaldo should he opt to participate, given his audience of over one billion followers across social platforms. The Portuguese forward joined Al Nassr in 2022, but has hinted the current season may be his last before retirement.
Anyone clicking a link shared by Ronaldo or any other partner in the 'Share and Earn' initiative will be taken to a league-owned streaming service.
Selected publishers will also be allowed to host official Pro League live and on-demand broadcasts directly on their own platforms, subject to league authorisation. This works in a similar way to the Bundesliga's UK partnerships involving YouTuber Mark Goldbridge and Burnley striker Jamie Vardy.
In that scenario, the stream for the fixture or fixtures would be embedded directly within an approved partner's platform.
The United Kingdom...