Ahead of the upcoming NFL season, the Arizona Cardinals partnered with Grabyo to enhance its fan engagement and build on the online momentum the team built during the off-season.

Using Grabyo, the Cards are creating live video experiences for its digital and social channels during the season. Fans will be able to follow the team online, across almost any device or platform.

Live video provides a communal viewing experience across digital platforms, in which fans are able to interact with each other in real-time while watching the broadcast.

During the off-season, the franchise produced Cards Camp Central, a regular, social-first live show from inside the State Farm Stadium, broadcast to Facebook and YouTube. Using Grabyo’s advanced live production and streaming platform, the show has featured remote guest stars from the roster and offered news and insight from within the club. Each show has attracted between five and ten thousand viewers per episode.

The Cardinals have transitioned this format into a pre and post-game program for every regular-season game, creating a virtual space for fans to meet before and after games to get the latest news and reaction, while sharing their views with other fans.

While attendance at stadiums remains uncertain, the Cardinals are ensuring fan engagement remains at the heart of everything they do. The Red Sea are enjoying unprecedented access to the franchise.

Its Camp Sounds updates from the Cards’ training camp, and its continued Press Pass broadcasts, have ensured press conferences and player interviews are more accessible to fans across social media.

The Cardinals are maintaining this level of quality content with weekly social-first live shows called Morning Scramble. The show, delivered using Grabyo Producer, looks back on each weekly fixture with insiders from the club.

With more eyeballs on digital platforms than ever before, the Cardinals have been able to create valuable new inventory for its sponsors across multiple platforms. While games are played behind closed doors, many sponsors across sport are missing out on various in-stadium activations.

The Cardinals have been able to offset this by providing advertising and sponsor placements on its digital content with great success. Many of its live broadcasts are presented by COX, its exclusive WiFi and technology solutions provider, the Morning Scramble is sponsored by Verizon, while its NFL Draft show was sponsored by Ford. These prominent placements on live social broadcasts give brands high exposure that is available to view at any time afterwards. As the US emerges from lockdown, increased digital video consumption looks likely to remain and prominent content sponsorships will be an effective way for teams to continue providing value for brand partners.

Maintaining a connection to our fans has been our biggest challenge this year. While the Red Sea is watching from afar, we want our fans to feel like they are as close to the team as possible. This is what drives our strategy and why we have committed to providing live experiences where our fans can feel a part of the team, while allowing many staff members to contribute to the content remotely. Without Grabyo we would not be able to achieve this to the scale we need. We are reaching fans on the platforms they live on with quality live content, and we can’t wait to take this even further.”

Tim DeLaney, Vice President of Broadcasting and Digital Content at Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals use Grabyo Producer, Grabyo’s advanced live streaming platform, to produce and deliver live broadcasts to its social channels and website. For more information on how Grabyo can help to enhance your fan engagement strategies, get in touch.