Shotglass Media’s Neil Smythe on The Football Republic and the buzz of Live Streaming

The Football Republic is a network of football channels created “by fans, for fans”. They create original content, host debates and Q&A’s and most recently, stream live shows with some of the most outspoken fans and YouTubers in football.

What began as a single-club YouTube channel (FullTimeDEVILS) is now a multi-channel, multi-platform network featuring seven channels with over 540,000 subscribers amassing almost 30 million views in April.

Digital Sport sat down with Neil Smythe – Head of Sport at Shotglass Media – to talk about TFR, the excitement of live broadcasting and the future of the network.

How’s it all going? 

There’s been quite a significant shift in emphasis for us over the last few months. We’ve focused more on the development of our flagship channel- The Football Republic – which launched last summer, and we’re also putting more emphasis on Facebook and live streaming. It’s a really exciting time for us because it’s opening up new opportunities.

What kind of opportunities? 

More specifically, Live Streaming. We’re piloting various formats across both YouTube and Facebook, and the results have been very interesting.  Facebook Live is everyone’s favourite tool at the moment and we’re putting a lot of effort into that but we’re also finding a home for live formats on YouTube.  We’ve been piloting a global football Skype-in reaction format – a video 606 for the digital generation – which is proving really popular.  We’ve been connecting with fans on 4 different continents on a weekly basis and although the format needs finessing, we’ve got big plans for next season.  We’re also running regular ‘watch-along’ formats which encourage fans to engage with us whilst watching key live games, and without saying too much, we’re excited about the potential.  We want fans to experience our show as a second (actually more like third or fourth) screen experience. As an 18 year-old, who would you rather listen to: Mark Lawrenson or some of your favourite YouTubers having a laugh and chatting about the game?

Why Live Streaming?

“From a strategic point of view, digital video is one of the hottest prospects in sport right now, and live streaming is the hottest prospect within video. But I also love the fact that technology is helping us connect live with our viewers worldwide at the touch of a button. 10 years ago in TV, to connect with a fan in Canada would have been an awkward, expensive undertaking. Now, with the likes of Skype, Facebook and YouTube, we’re able to put worldwide fans at the heart of our content.  What’s more, working on a live show gives the production team a real buzz; you’re expected to deliver under pressure and the feedback is instant.  This is the most fun I’ve had since I used to produce the live gallery at Soccer AM!

match-day-winner

The Football Republic creates a range of video content outside of Live, including fan reactions, Top 10s, match reviews, TFR FC and the debate show, “A Game of Two Halves”. But it’s their Live Streaming which currently sets them apart from the likes of Copa90 and Football Daily on YouTube. 

One of the difficulties you have with VOD is if a produced match review video takes a day to edit, it can lose its relevance. We can, and regularly do, upload very simple post-match reaction videos within minutes of the final whistle but if you want instant reaction with a more produced feel, live offers great potential and has the added bonus of better engagement levels. We’re also able to clip up highlights during the live stream and push them across other channels which is another great asset to have.

Once the Football Republic has worked out Live Streaming, they have to get the content balance right. With a relatively small team, it comes down to consolidating your resources. In the space their network is operating in, you’ve got to operate a very lean work flow. 

Are you working on any other live shows? 

We’re always working on new formats, whether live or VOD.  We are lucky to be able to test a range of ideas, drop things that don’t work and introduce new formats.  Our ethos is to experiment, fail fast and iterate until we get it right.  We know we’re lucky enough to be given that chance.

It sounds like Live Streaming is the way forward. Do you think clubs should be doing more in this space?

There’s huge potential there for everyone; with every cool new digital tool comes more opportunity for creativity, whether you’re a rights holder, professional publisher, brand or bedroom creator.  Creators have the luxury of being able to experiment without huge risk, and that’s not the case for clubs, rights holders and brands who naturally have more to lose.  So I’d never presume to tell clubs what they should be doing; if I were them I’d look to the creative community to experiment and then jump in when the time is right….and some are already doing that to great effect.  There’s obviously nothing new about live streaming, it’s just that it has now become accessible to all.  What I would say, based on our experience and more general research, is that live streaming is great for engaging your audience.  They feel closer to the action, and are therefore more invested in what you’re saying.  For us, it’s great for building subscribers.

What does the future hold for The Football Republic? 

In 2015 we focused on launching new channels and growing the team.  This year is about building our audience and influence and continuing to innovate with our content.  We’re also out and about a lot building the business, getting word out that not only do we have a highly engaged audience but also that with Fremantle’s backing, we can be trusted to deliver to our partners, whether they be brands, rights holders, talent or publishers.

We’re also now working a lot more closely with Squawka since we invested in them, we’re about to launch our own website and of course Euro 2016 will be an exciting month for us, both as creators and fans.

The network has had a great first year, and I’m really happy that The Football Republic channel has been nominated for a Broadcast Digital Award, but we’ll never stand still.  This landscape shifts rapidly so we must keep evolving.  I would be very surprised if we were doing the same things the same way this time next year!”

About author

Toby Marriott
Toby Marriott 91 posts

Toby is an Account Executive at Snack Media and Editor of Digital Sport. Follow him on Twitter @TobyMarriott

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