In the midst of his stellar “Love Letter to Baseball” Saturday night on YES Network, Jack Curry touched on something that is another example of a potential lesson learned in fan interest and engagement that will continue to play out into the future as teams, leagues, and brands reimagine what, how and when fans can consume content.
Curry mentioned that the YES Network has aired over 40 hours of infield and bunting drills and batting practice in addition to simulated games, all of which showed the love for all things baseball, and how deep a core fandom will go with engagement. Sixty hours on a main cable channel that can now be shifted to a second screen or shifted to a streaming platform, as sports (hopefully) return in the coming months and beyond. The production for the workouts YES and other teams did was pretty simple; one or two cameras, some commentary, but it gave fans a great inside look into more than the game, something which maybe not all, but many fans crave. We have seen how golf has brought us second screen in depth insiders looks during rebroadcasts, and how NASCAR has continued to take us inside the race car, and there has been little pushback and larger engagement and interest. Some may say that it is because there was nothing else on; in reality it is because core fans love those little look-in’s as to what prep is happening. Several years ago a colleague at Bleacher report mentioned to me that their goal for engagement was to own everything from when an athlete walked into the building until the kickoff or the tipoff…the last few weeks has proven that concept again for baseball, and has given teams and leagues another item to sell in a time when dollars have started to dry up and brands are looking for both make good’s and more ROI.
Now how deep will the NFL go with training camp cameras and look ins…how much continued pregame access will we see in Orlando from the NBA, how much will we get from Canada with the NHL…and how deep can even colleges go with access that does not intrude but compliments? If I can pull up BP on my phone at the beach for a few minutes, there is value. It may even get me to watch more…or maybe even…gasp…bet a little more…and all those dollars help replenish a til that has run dry with the hiatus. Now there will be a fine balance coming…what won’t people actually watch…what is the cost of production…how much value is there in terms of sellable dollars and most importantly who owns that live and taped footage?
Regardless of the answers there is value…value in the buildup beyond just talking heads, and now there are places to drop that content and give it to fans. That’s why its always worthwhile listening to big thinkers like my Fordham classmate Curry…inside a key thought comes opportunity, if you are looking.
