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Americas digital news round up

Here are Grabyo’s favorite content production ideas and digital news from around the sports and broadcast industry over the past weeks.

From Bernie’s mittens to McGregor’s two-round fight, there has been a lot of innovative content produced over the past month. The X Games moved their fan festival online to create the virtual X Fest. UFC sold over 1.6 million pay-per-view passes for the McGregor and Poirier match, which despite technical issues, was shown to a global audience. Bernie Sanders won inauguration day, with his meme sweeping the internet across the world and IKEA launching a marketing campaign in reaction to it. Super Bowl preparations are underway, with some brands choosing to donate their usual marketing spend towards COVID relief charities.

X Games X Fest

The X Games is the extreme games, hosted by ESPN. Over the past few weeks it’s been taking place in Aspen, Colorado. The event would usually draw large crowds to watch a series of extreme sports competitions including ski big air and snowboarding big air. This year, to engage fans the popular X Fest has been moved online. X Fest is a fan festival that is held at the same time as the sports competition. This year’s virtual area allows fans to engage with the competition, through music, games and interactive competitions.

UFC Pay Per View

The UFC headline fight between McGregor and Poirier was expected to drive high pay-per-view ticket sales from fans. The fight surpassed all expectations, and reached a global audience, selling over 1.6 million passes. As pay-per-view passes are on the rise for big fights, this would place the fight as the second-highest number of passes bought. This is becoming a key commercial channel, especially in the absence of fans.

Bernie’s gloves

The inauguration of Joe Biden was headline news across the globe. However alongside this, a Bernie Sanders’ meme swept the internet. An unintentional piece of content that came from inauguration day, showing a picture of Bernie Sanders sat on a foldable chair. The meme is now being used to raise money for charity close to his home as well as companies creating reactive marketing campaigns, like IKEA’s foldable chair advert, called Bernie.

Super Bowl preparation

As the Super Bowl fast approaches at the start of February, NFL fans have been preparing for the big day. However, as expected this year will look slightly different. There will be a reduced capacity crowd but viewers from home will also notice the advertising will be affected too. Budweiser has booked a slot during the Super Bowl for the last 36 years, but this year, the company will be donating the large advertising fee to charity, supporting the COVID crisis.

To learn more about Grabyo and how we are helping global broadcasters, rights holders and media companies overcome these challenges with our cloud-based video production and editing platform – get in touch today.

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EMEA digital news round up

Here are Grabyo’s favorite content production ideas and digital news from around the sports and broadcast industry over the past weeks.

From football TikTok channels to Friday night chat shows, the world continues to stay entertained online. The Six Nations successfully completed their first virtual launch for the tournament, with a remote press conference that featured guests from all over Europe. The Graham Norton show on the BBC has adopted a hybrid chat show model, with remote and in-studio guests to take advantage of increased access to guests that can join via video call. Southampton Football Club are closer than ever to their fanbase, entertaining them with viral videos on their TikTok channel. Winter sports fans have been getting their fix with live streams and behind-the-scenes content from the Bobsleigh World Cup on their YouTube channel.

Southampton TikTok

Keeping fans connected to their team has been a challenge for the sports industry. Embracing one of the latest trends, Southampton have been using reactive content to keep their fans engaged on TikTok. Using a combination of light-hearted behind-the-scenes footage as well as match highlights the authenticity of the channel makes it easy for fans to engage.

@southamptonfc

Remember this guy, Jürgen? 🧐 #saintsfc #fyp #foryou #irememberwhen

♬ I remember when – Teo Domani

Virtual Six Nations Launch

The Six Nations 2021 campaign was launched online for the first time this year. Instead of the captains meeting for their annual photo campaign, there was a virtual press conference. The event included the 12 captains and coaches being streamed directly to over 160 media and hosted by ex-referee Nigel Owens.

Bobsleigh World Cup Live Stream

Moving events online also gives the opportunity for an increased audience. The Bobsleigh World Cup for 20/21 was streamed live on YouTube from all over Europe. The YouTube channel also includes full race highlights and some behind the scenes content to help take the fans to the races whilst they watch along from home.

Remote and in-studio guests on Graham Norton

The Graham Norton show has taken a hybrid approach to the recent series of the chat show. Guests from overseas are joining the show via video call and guests from within safe travel zones are in the studio. The distancing in the studio doesn’t allow for the show’s usual atmosphere, however remote guests provide the program with increased access to stars all over the world, not just those on tour in London.

To learn more about Grabyo and how we are helping global broadcasters, rights holders and media companies overcome these challenges with our cloud-based video production and editing platform – get in touch today.

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APAC digital news round up

Check out Grabyo’s favourite content from the past few weeks across APAC sports, media, and entertainment.

With players forced into quarantine prior to the Australian Open, a variety of tennis stars have taken to social media to document the creative ways in which they have been able to train and entertain their fans. As the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) launched their newly expanded club tournaments for this new season, the official draw for all group stage fixtures were live streamed to their social media platforms from their headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. Success from the 2019 Rugby World Cup hosted in Japan has summoned increasing domestic Rugby interest resulting in a new three-tier professional league to launch in 2022. Given the lockdowns that kept most of us at home throughout much of 2020, gaming saw a huge surge in popularity with over two billion tweets on gaming topics.

Australian Open – Tennis Stars make the most of quarantine on social media

Sunbathing by the window, hitting tennis balls against a mattress and sprints in the hotel room, quarantined tennis players get creative as they try to kill time in their hotel rooms before next month’s Australian Open. As more than 70 players have been forced to abide by the strictest safety protocols since landing in Melbourne prior to the Grand Slam, hotel rooms have become de facto gyms for the tennis season’s first major. Many players have taken to social media to share footage of themselves training inside with makeshift facilities, vollets practised against high-rise windows and 5km runs in hotel hallways.

Expanded AFC club competitions official draw via virtual live stream

The AFC Champions League and AFC Cup hosted the official draw for group stage fixtures in its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. The official draw was live streamed to AFC Facebook and Youtube pages. In this new season, AFC Champions League (ACL) will see an expanded format to 40 teams by adding an extra group of four in both East and West Zones and the second tier AFC Cup will increase to 39 clubs from 36. Both tournaments will be held in centralised locations due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic.

Japan to launch new Professional Rugby Union League in 2022

A new three-tier professional rugby union league is set to debut in 2022, in bid to raise domestic games to a new level. Rugby union has become an increasingly popular sport in Japan as the country successfully hosted the 2019 Rugby World Cup and achieved great results, as Brave Blossoms reached the quarter finals.

Japan, Korea, Thailand, India and Philippines among top ten countries tweeting most about gaming in 2020

Gaming saw a huge surge in popularity in 2020 and for the first time, there were more than 2 billion tweets about gaming topics throughout the year. As fans from around the world connected on Twitter to talk about the biggest gaming moments, there was a 75% increase in the number of tweets from 2019, with five Asian countries claiming the top ten spots.

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UFC reviews 2020 with Grabyo: A report

Grabyo’s new report explores how UFC pivoted its social content strategy to thrive during 2020.

While 2020 was a challenging year for live sport, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) reacted quickly to a reshaped production environment, adapting its workflows in order to continue delivering for its fans.

As stay-at-home measures have locked many out of production studios, and with only essential personnel on-site for events, UFC has leveraged its long-term partnership with Grabyo to bolster its remote production capabilities.

Grabyo’s new report explores how UFC was able to produce real-time highlights, video clips and live broadcasts for its global audience entirely in the cloud.

Here are some of the highlights – click here to view the full report.

Global to Local

Growing a global fanbase takes time and a continued focus on the needs of each local fanbase. With an established presence in markets across the world, UFC cannot afford to drop the quantity or quality of the content it produces for each territory.

However, using traditional broadcast hardware or software, delivering content to multiple destinations in multiple languages is laborious, time-consuming and expensive.

Using Grabyo Studio, Grabyo’s real-time clipping, editing and publishing service, UFC is able to streamline this process and ensure it is first to market with content across multiple regions simultaneously.

grabyo ufc

Grabyo enables the rapid sharing and redistribution of customized content within a single, distributed workflow. The UFC content and production teams can collaborate remotely from anywhere in the world.

Live innovation

When social distancing measures were put in place across the world, UFC needed to adapt quickly to deliver the raw, unfiltered content fans had come to expect.

UFC launched a new live Facebook show, Quick Hits, to give fans access to fighters in short interview segments, broadcast live during headline events.

UFC has broadcast 20 Quick Hits shows to date, achieving 72.5M video views, and within that, 26.7M minutes of video has been watched. Quick Hits posts have hit over 121M impressions.

In order to deliver Quick Hits with minimal crew and equipment, UFC used Grabyo Producer and Grabyo’s integration with LiveU to broadcast high-quality video directly to Facebook Live.

The workflow was able to facilitate social distancing, while the presenter and talent could discuss the fights and interact in real-time. UFC has evolved this workflow to include high-grade cameras and Grabyo’s remote contribution features to bring in remote guests for various segments of the shows.

“UFC makes it a priority to produce high-quality content across all our digital media platforms. It is one of the primary ways UFC stays connected to a global fan base of more than 300 million. Grabyo plays a key part by helping us maintain an efficient workflow and content delivery system. With the tools provided by Grabyo, our digital team is more agile and flexible than ever, ready to deliver the best content to our fans, 24/7.”

David Shaw, SVP, International & Content, UFC

Read the full report here.

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Grabyo’s five 2021 broadcast and media predictions

Check out Grabyo’s five 2021 predictions for the media and broadcast industry. From remote working to 5G adoption, 2021 is set to be a transformative year for media production.

1. Remote production becomes the new normal

At the beginning of 2020, nobody could have predicted how much the media industry was about to change. As we look forward, it’s also a good time to reflect on how quickly and effectively the industry was able to adapt in 2020.

Although the shift to remote production required many to shift their entire workflow to remote working in the cloud in a matter of days or weeks, many began to thrive in the ‘new normal’.

We’ve seen truly innovative productions and engaging content as a result. From the first virtual Emmy Awards, to pop-up gameshows with MTV, major broadcasters and publishers have continued to entertain.

This year we’re set to see production teams build on that success and integrate remote working into their ‘plan A’. Remote capabilities are a key part of production services now.

The industry is beginning to fully realise the reliability and scalability of cloud-based production, with new technologies and services coming on stream all rapid upgrade cycles for services in the market.

The ability to bring in talent from anywhere in the world, on both sides of the camera, while experimenting with formats and being reactive to fan feedback, tees up an exciting year for content, despite the ongoing challenges of empty stadiums and pressure on key revenue streams.

2. 5G becomes more than a slogan

The low latency and high bandwidth promise of 5G has been a discussion point for the broadcast industry since the technology was launched in 2018.

For any type of production, 5G has the potential to remove the need for on-site production hardware or fibre, untethering camera operators and production teams, bringing a new level of flexibility and agility to remote and cloud production.

A few years ago, it would have been inconceivable that a remote news broadcast or sporting event could be shot and produced over a mobile network, but this is the new reality.

2021 predictions
BT Sport and EE first demonstrated a two-way sports broadcast over 5G in 2018

As 5G is rolled out across the globe, we know the likes of BT Sport and the BBC have committed to leveraging the technology to reduce costs and foster more creativity in sports media, as seen in the recent IBC Accelerator Project from 2020 supported by EE and Vodafone.

It’s likely we’ll see some meaningful strides taken in 5G adoption this year.

3. Social video continues to thrive

While it looks more hopeful that lockdown and stay-at-home measures may be eased in 2021, there will be many staying at home for the foreseeable future.

This means the increased consumption of video on social, digital and mobile for consumers of all ages.

Real-time video content, such as news and sports highlights, will always have its place in the social content mix. But consumers expect constant innovation – new formats, different camera angles and intimate access to celebrities, actors, politicians and sports stars that’s made possible on social platforms.

Liverpool FC recently introduced a new content segment ‘Wingmen’, with first-team stars Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson, which features the two players answering fan questions and discussing their teammates whilst driving around the city.

2021 predictions
Wingmen, starring Liverpool FC players Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson

This type of raw, behind-the-scenes content provides more context for fans and has been successful throughout the pandemic. Adding a new USP (such as two players driving around the city) keeps it fresh and attractive to fans…although they must thank James Corden for the format!

Broadcasters, publishers and rights holders will need to commit to creating more content, with fresh ideas if they want to continue to attract and grow their audience.

4. D2C will continue to grow

Throughout the pandemic, consumers have shown an appetite for exclusive, tailored content, and are willing to pay for it. The growth of direct to consumer streaming services such as Disney+, Prime Video and DAZN accelerated in 2020.

Grabyo’s At Home Video Trends Reports found that over 1/3 of paying video customers in the UK and US subscribed to at least one new streaming service in 2020, with many of those opting for more.

Around 80% of those who added new streaming subscriptions report they aren’t planning to cancel them anytime soon. We are likely to see this increased spend on streaming maintain and grow throughout 2021.

5. Digital drives the dollars

Recouping lost revenue from physical events is a top priority for publishers worldwide.

We saw many great digital activations in 2020, from sponsored live social broadcasts to bespoke content segments. The uplift in the value and focus on digital as vehicle for sponsorship and content monetisation was a clear trend through last year.

With most events still held virtually, many broadcasters and publishers have taken to live social broadcasts to recreate the communal experience for audiences. These shows are highly interactive and feature guest speakers and live reactions, which drives engagement and longer watch-time.

A win-win for publishers and sponsors, and the opportunity to create new video formats and assets that sponsors can own, in place of lost inventory from the traditional IRL marketing.

We are likely to see much more of this in 2021 as digital consumption remains high and drives more value for sponsors.

For more information on what Grabyo is doing to help broadcasters and publishers create engaging content for broadcast and digital platforms, get in touch.

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