During 2017 Grabyo delivered over five billion video views to social and digital platforms and our partners shared over 260,000 clips with 17,000 live broadcasts. 

Videos shared using Grabyo generated more than 25 billion video impressions for our partners this year.

2017 will be remembered as the year that social, digital and mobile became the dominant screen for video. These platforms are an integral part of the strategy for publishers looking to grow, engage and monetize audiences online. Grabyo was proud to support the world’s leading broadcasters, rightsholders and publishers shape an evolving digital landscape and create experiences that meet the needs of today’s consumers.

Video engagement: right here, right now

Much of this growth came from the increased demand from audiences to consume content as it happens; engagement peaks when the event is live, and our partners capitalize on this by delivering both live and near-live content experiences to their audiences. A core focus of product development for Grabyo this year covered live streaming, production and real-time publishing for mobile – meeting the needs of audiences migrating away from linear TV.

The most viewed video clip this year came in the aftermath of the tragic events in Manchester, as fans around the world tuned to Facebook to share the moment Ariana Grande closed out the #OneLoveManchester benefit concert in May. More than 13.5 million people watched a clip shared by Capital FM of the final moments of the show.

AELTC Wimbledon once again used Grabyo across this year’s Championships, delivering key moments in real-time to social platforms as well as innovative new live experiences such as Roger Federer’s fan Q&A during qualifying week. Engagement peaked with over three million views for the emotional moment Roger Federer won his eighth Wimbledon title.

Live news: stories break on social

Social platforms have changed the way audiences discover breaking news across the globe, becoming the go-to destination for mobile audiences. During the violent earthquake in Mexico earlier this year, Univision News used Grabyo as the first network to broadcast on Facebook Live during the aftermath. The coverage generated over 13 million views from viewers worldwide – this social live news event features alongside groundbreaking coverage of the Las Vegas shooting, Grenfell Tower fire and Hurricane Harvey this year.

This year Buzzfeed News partnered with Grabyo to enhance its live news experience and create new formats across social and digital platforms for news consumption. Using Grabyo for much of its political and breaking news coverage, Buzzfeed News generated nearly three million views for its Facebook Live coverage of the neo-Nazi hate rally in Virginia. The social publisher went live with over 700 news broadcasts this year using Grabyo Producer – launched this year to support browser-based digital production and streaming.

Sports: Engaging passionate fans

Sports fans continue to change the way they watch their favourite sport, engage with teams and players or follow key events. Near-live video publishing is vital for broadcasters looking to keep audiences on their platforms and to drive awareness of media rights and key formats in a crowded marketplace. As engagement and eyeballs move from linear TV platforms the content follows – short form video is growing more rapidly on social platforms than anywhere else at present.

During the FA Cup game between Arsenal and Lincoln FC, BT Sport shared a brilliant goal from Alexis Sanchez, the clip became Grabyo’s most watched video on Twitter in 2017 with over 11 million views.

That’s a brilliant solo goal, @Alexis_Sanchez. 👊🙌 #EmiratesFACup https://t.co/ENm6P1M79p

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 11, 2017

Moto GP use the virality of social video sharing out the key moments from its high octane practice and qualifying sessions to drive awareness and TV tune-in ahead of the live race broadcast. As a Grabyo partner, MotoGP has shared thousands of clips from all its race properties, including this spectacular clip from World Superbikes that was viewed over 10 million times.

Live video: Delivering new fan experiences

Sports properties use live video as a way to deliver new experiences for fans, making the most of the content rights available to them across social and digital platforms. Direct to consumer video distribution from sports federations, teams and leagues has been a feature of the market in 2017 – one which we expect to grow rapidly in 2018 and beyond.

Real Madrid C.F. used Facebook Live to bring its fans closer than ever before as the team celebrated its 33rd LaLiga title. The broadcast was shared over 100,000 times and viewed seven million times as Real Madrid fans from across the globe joined in with the pitchside celebration.

Southampton FC used live video to take its fan engagement strategy one step further. Ahead of this season’s game against Manchester United, the Saints created a fan-first, pre-match show on Facebook. The broadcast featured live inputs from around the St Mary’s Stadium, live comments from fans on social media and featured VOD assets and highlights from previous games, interviews with staff and players and clips from the best Southampton moments against Manchester United.

Audiences watch more social and mobile video than ever and publishers need to deliver content experiences to these platforms that match the production values and quality of linear TV.

Grabyo: Continuous innovation

The Football Association became the first Grabyo partner to use our new 360 video feature – providing England fans with unprecedented access to the England national team across social media before the crucial World Cup Qualifier against Slovakia.

This year, Facebook launched Facebook Donations, a mechanism for publishers, charities and nonprofits to collaborate, raising money directly through the addition of a donate button to Facebook Live posts. Grabyo proudly supported Andy Murray Live this year and raised over £5,000 during the event for the charity partners.

It’s been a fantastic year for Grabyo and our partners continue to innovate and develop our product to ensure our partners have the best tools for digital video production, editing and distribution.

We can’t do any of this without our customers and the feedback from our users. With many exciting projects and features to come next year, please get in touch to see how Grabyo can help you and your digital video strategy in 2018.