Alternate broadcasting is proving to be a valuable tactic for rights holders to expand their audience reach and build inroads into new demographics. 

Alternate broadcasting for sports, or ‘alt-casting’, involves repurposing broadcast coverage of an event and repackaging it for new audiences across various platforms. This includes changing or adding new elements to the alt-cast, such as multi-language commentary, tailored graphics, or reformatting the show to include new segments, such as celebrity appearances. 

In this blog, we’ll cover five successful examples of alternate broadcasting in sports and the strengths and tactics of each. 

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1. Nickelodeon slimes the NFL

Children’s TV broadcaster Nickelodeon has taken alt-casting to the next level, airing multiple major NFL fixtures with a kid-friendly twist. 

Nickelodeon’s live NFL games take the clean broadcast feed and overlay playful graphics and elements for its young audience. The game presentation is highly tailored to engage Nickelodeon’s core demographic – popular children’s characters such as Spongebob Squarepants feature prominently to appear on the field, commentate and explain the rules. 

The games regularly feature AR (augmented reality) graphics, with the familiar Nickelodeon slime cannon regularly ‘soaking’ the playing field. 

The Nickelodeon NFL broadcasts highlight two key components of a successful alt-cast. 

Firstly, using audience interests as a draw to capture the attention of new fans. In this case, Nickelodeon shows and characters. By creating a cross-over of children’s entertainment and sports, Nickelodeon and the NFL have created a new product for a new audience. 

Secondly, providing tailored context to keep viewers engaged. This is more important for new fans, who don’t fully understand or appreciate the nuances of your sport. Each Nickelodeon broadcast provides explanations of NFL rules and statistics to make the games more accessible and understandable. 

2. NLL hosts a watch party

In 2023, the National Lacross League launched the NLL Watch Party, a new format for watching live matches.

NLL Watch Party debuted in March 2023 for the fixture between Toronto Rock and Philadelphia Wings and is delivered to OTT platforms ESPN+ in the US and TSN+ in Canada.

Using the clean original match feed, NLL used Grabyo to produce the alternate broadcast and bring in special guest commentators for each quarter, with graphics to encourage fans to get involved on social media using the hashtag #NLLWATCHPARTY. 

The NLL Watch Party highlights another key element of successful alt-casting: Interactivity. Fan engagement peaks around live events, and the NLL created an online forum for fans to discuss the game and interact with the broadcast itself, creating a more immersive experience that drives up watch times. 

The production of the show was relatively simple, run by a remote, two-person crew – a director and a technical director (TD). 

The TD managed video switching, layout set-up, and talent cues, while the director called the shots while collecting and moderating fans’ comments on social media.

3. NBA Hoopervision goes deep with analysis 

NBA Hoopervision provides a unique and tailored experience to Basketball fans, using many of the same tactics as the NFL Nickelodeon partnership.

Delivered to subscribers of NBA League Pass, the alt-cast is hosted by decorated former NBA players who provide more in-depth analysis and commentary than you would find on the regular TV broadcast. Players are also regularly joined by special guests from across the music and entertainment industries. 

Hoopervision’s USP is its advanced commentary and insight. Where the Nickelodeon-NFL games help audiences understand what they’re watching, Hoopervision does the opposite – its coverage is more analytical, giving its core audience a way to experience the game with a deeper understanding. 

Hoopervision proves once more that fans value hearing the opinions and views of current and former players, alongside celebrity guest appearances that draw a larger cross-section of audiences. 

4. Tennis Channel goes international, FAST 

Alt-casts don’t always need to be heavily reformatted to increase your viewership. Tennis Channel uses alt-broadcasting to service its international FAST channels with live tennis, broadening its reach and creating a new revenue stream.

Tennis Channel has already delivered these alternate international streams for its Italian Open, Bad Homburg Open, Stuttgart Open, Madrid Open and Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. 

Its team sends the clean broadcast feed to Grabyo to bring in remote, international commentary and overlay fresh graphics to audiences on FAST platforms. The whole workflow requires only a handful of people in a remote/hybrid setup. 

5. NHL gets fully animated

Last but not least, the most ambitious alternate broadcast for sports has to go to the NHL and Disney, for their partnership on the NHL Big City Greens. 

Similar to the Nickelodeon-NFL activation, the NHL teamed up with Disney to produce a live sports broadcast aimed at engaging a young audience. 

However, instead of altering or reformatting the broadcast feed, the ESPN production team recreated the rink, players and even the referee inside a fully virtualized environment, themed around the Disney show ‘Big City Greens’. 

Using puck and player tracking, the 3D virtual environment exactly mirrors what is happening on the ice, with certain players replaced by characters from the show. 

The Big City Greens game was broadcast to Disney XD and the Disney Channel on broadcast, alongside ESPN+ and Disney+ OTT platforms. 

The cross-section of servicing sports and entertainment platforms, as well as within live content, is another emerging tactic for capturing new and younger audiences in an increasingly competitive streaming landscape.