The Broadcast Sport Podcast

New Sports: How to Reach a Global Audience

Building up a fan base for a new sport means navigating a complex maze of options to successfully distribute both live sports and on-demand insights and documentary content around the sport.
In each global territory, the content mix includes going D2C, utilising dedicated streaming sports platforms, free-to-air TV, pay-TV, social media platforms, YouTube, Twitch, fan-created content, and so on.
There's no right or wrong way to do this, but certain combinations of rights deals bring proven results. This is demonstrated in this podcast episode, which features content specialists at new sports federations explaining how they have utilised different distribution channels to find and grow their audience.
The podcast includes Abner Aceves, Global Content Director at SailGP; Ria Walia, Marketing Manager at E1 World Championship; Laura Watts, Executive Producer at Aurora; and Ali Russell, Managing Director at Extreme E. It is moderated by Jake Bickerton, Editorial Director at Broadcast Sport.
The podcast is a recording of one of the well-received speaker sessions from the Broadcast Sport Summit held at Lord's cricket ground on 1 November 2023.
 

How we made Made Of Steel: Wheelchair Rugby’s Fiercest Rivalry

This ​week’s edition of the Broadcast Sport Podcast sees Made Of Steel: Wheelchair Rugby’s Fiercest Rivalry’s co-directors Nick Mattingly and Emma Everitt speak to senior reporter Max Miller about how they made the BBC Storyville documentary. 
Available on BBC iPlayer now, the film examines the rivalry between the England and France teams at the recent Wheelchair Rugby World Cup, and delves into debates around the sport and society. It was produced by Noah Media Group.
Mattingly and Everitt explain how the film was created, and navigating production around two sides that were in fierce competition. The pair also discuss wider subjects such as the importance of continuing to make documentaries about lesser-known subjects, how to ensure competing views both get a fair airing, and working with teams in competition.

Global Sport Leaders Interview: Scott Young, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, Europe

An in-depth interview with Warner Bros. Discovery Sports head Scott Young, by sports presenter Rachel Stringer, recorded at the sold-out Broadcast Sport Summit, held on 1 November 2023 at Lord's cricket ground.
The Global Sport Leaders sessions are a series of one-to-one fireside chats with European broadcast sports leaders.
In each session we drill down on business issues, rights deals, how they are responding to the changing market, innovations in fan engagement, the biggest success stories of the last year and the key challenges and opportunities of the year ahead. 
In this insightful interview, Scott Young talks about Warner Bros. Discovery's acquisition of BT Sport under a joint venture to roll out TNT Sports in the UK, with a string of high-profile sports rights.
Young reveals the future plans for the wide range of brands in the Warner Bros. Discovery portfolio, including TNT Sports, Discovery+, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, Eurosport and HBO Max.
He also talks about how the organisation has increasingly brought production in-house or has changed production partners for key sports, as well as its plans for future sports rights acquisitions.

How we made The Brighton Miracle

Director Max Mannix and producer Nick Wood speak to Broadcast Sport's Max Miller about how they made The Brighton Miracle, a film about Japan's famous victory over South Africa at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Conversation topics include getting talent on board, the use of dramatisations, and how to appeal to audiences outside of sport.

The past and future growth of the NFL in the UK

Broadcast Sport speaks to broadcaster and writer Nat Coombs, who has worked extensively on the NFL and is currently host of NFL show The Nat Coombs Podcast. Coombs delves into how the game has grown in the UK, how best to approach growing a sport outside of its domestic market, and what could be done to continue the NFL's success.

Social Media Insight: Sports on Snapchat

Kahlen Macaulay, senior manager, international sports partnerships at Snapchat joins the Broadcast Sport podcast to provide invaluable insight into sports content opportunities on Snapchat. The visual messaging social media app is now 12 years old and focuses on bringing people together, providing "intimate connections with real friends". It reaches a user base of 400m people every day, the majority being Gen Z and Millennial audiences, with 90% of 13-24 year olds reached in 20+ countries. Snapchat's sports partnerships therefore serve the next generation of sports fans, through "communication, camera and content". It's a very closed network – there are no followers, likes or public comments. The sports content is varied, so for the Women's World Cup, for example, Snapchatters could virtually try on team kits, watch match highlights, follow athlete content creators, and catch up with the latest news and views on the 'Offside Special' twice-weekly series. In this podcast, Macaulay talks to Broadcast Sport editorial director Jake Bickerton about what's different about Snapchat; how the company works with sports partners, athletes, clubs, federations and sports content makers; how to monetise content on Snapchat; and how to make the best content for the users of the app.

How to make a YouTube hit

Bubble Agency MD Louise Wells speaks to Atlas Film director/produder Samuel Davies, Cut Media CCO Scott Marshall, and LadBible Group senior creative producer for sport originals Connor Suckling about how to make a YouTube hit.
The group cover how to work with athletes and brands, creating new formats, how to get viewers to your videos, and more.

Sky Sports’ head of cricket on its packed 2023 summer

This summer sees both men's and women's Ashes taking place over June and July, with The Hundred still to come in August. Sky Sports' head of cricket and NFL, Bryan Henderson, spoke to the Broadcast Sport Podcast about its plans for the competitions.
The broadcaster is bringing a number of tech innovations to its broadcasts, as well as producing both Ashes series with net zero carbon emissions and a focus on promoting women in sports broadcast. In addition, Henderson speaks about the current situation with The Hundred, amid reports that the ECB is considering the short-form competition's future.

How to make a great sport podcast

Recorded at the Broadcast Sport Content Summit 2023 at dock10 Studios, this episode features BBC Radio Five Live commissioning editor Richard Maddock, Crowd Network creative director Tom Fordyce, IMG Productions head of audio Steve Tebb, and Voiceworks Sport managing director Sophie Hind speaking to Broadcast Sport senior reporter Max Miller about how to plan and produce a great sport podcast.
The conversation covers the podmaking process from start to finish, including creating a format, reaching your audience, building on a successful product, and more.

How the FIH and LTA took their social content to the next level

The International Hockey Federation and Lawn Tennis Association have had a successful 12 months across their social media channels, growing followers, views, and the former even substantially growing subscribers to its direct-to-consumer streaming platform, Watch.Hockey.
Speaking at the Broadcast Sport Content Summit, held at dock10, Salford on 23 March, Paddy Sloane, director at Curveball Digital, and Katie Matthews, partnerships director at Little Dot Studios, explain to Broadcast Sport editor Jake Bickerton how they approached their campaigns with the FIH and LTA respectively.