Alternate broadcasts are not new or innovative. For decades, the sports industry has dreamed about alternate broadcasts. The only newness is in the technology.
There are two approaches to making an alternate broadcast.
1/ Own the content and use your distribution to segment the audience into different broadcasts. In one way or another, this is how every approach you’ve ever seen works. It is all anchored to distribution rights.
The best example is MNF and the ManningCast. ESPN distributes the same game on two cable channels and has two different production crews to present the game in two different ways.
The problem with this approach is that it is limited by the distributor – their reach and editorial freedom. It can also have pretty high production costs.
@omahaproductions Peyton Manning was in his element breaking down the Bears' interception on the ManningCast 👀 #fyp #manningcast #sports #mnf #nfl #football #peytonmanning ♬ original sound - Omaha Productions
2/ Let anybody anywhere call any game and synchronize the creator’s experience with the TV of the viewing fan.
This relies on a critical assumption that both creator and fan have already paid to access the game video feed individually. If I’m watching the Dallas Cowboys in New York and somebody else is watching in Dallas, we’ve both already paid for the game. All I want is to listen to the person in Dallas react to the game. That’s all play-by-play really is: a reaction to and perspective on the game.
Traditionally this has been impossible. Most of us cannot get two TVs in our house in sync. That means watching a creator react to the game would result in spoilers or lag. No thank you!
But a lot has changed in the last 20 years. With our platform, any creator can stream their reaction to the game. And any fan can seamlessly sync that reaction to their TV in order to enjoy the creator and the game together. Since every fan has access to the game, the internet and a laptop, every incremental “broadcast” has zero cost.
This lets you watch along with somebody else. Isn’t that interaction and community what sports is really all about?
Come watch along with our creators!