We all know how fast the digital/social business is evolving. Platforms go up and down, features change, buzz drives interest and on and on and on. We were lucky enough recently to spend time with Omar Raja, who is now working at ESPN driving their social and digital strategy and engagement is probably best known as the creator of House of Highlights, which he envisioned, created and then brought to Bleacher Report as a best-in-class example of how a visionary digital first engagement platform can grow in sports and media.
Some key points to listen for.
The young creator: Raja began building an original platform at 14, when he aspired to be a YouTube personality. That was the seed that eventually became HoH.
The evolution of Instagram: He was a first adopter on Instagram, which many people may not realize, was all about just still photos when it launched in 2013. The pivot to video and storytelling with multimedia has grown exponentially since then, as has Raja’s personal and professional footprint.
The move to BR: Raja realized early on that the value of video was what was driving HoH’s generic growth, but only the NBA was willing to let him post video from games. Other leagues…MLB, NFL…saw the posting of short form video as a violation of agreements with rights holders. The NBA saw short form video highlights as a marketing opportunity to reach fans globally. The move to Bleacher Report gave Raja the ability to work unencumbered with a league rightsholder, which lifted many restrictions and pushback he got, and helped reverse the tide to where leagues were now proactively seeking H o H to push video.
Overcoming loss: One of the critical lessons learned for H o H was just before the move to Bleacher report in October of 2015, when Raja’s accounts were hacked. He lost control of H o H and almost lost the entire business. The help of BR and other partners restored order after several weeks, but it was a case, he feared at the time, of losing his startup before it reached its great opportunity.
Good Enough To Post: Raja talked about the difference between being a fan and listening to his audience. Early on he would be able to post highlights and other pieces of content and hope there was interest, as the business matured, he quickly realized that the audience would dictate success and what content was popular. It may not have always been his personal choice, but the transition from fan site to media platform taught him that the consumer drives the bottom line, and sometimes clear listening and watching wins out over personal taste and opinion.
Speed of Growth: There were numerous times where the evolution of engagement was touched on. One of the best metrics? Raja pointed out that it took House of Highlights six years to get to six million followers on Instagram. On TikTok now at ESPN, they hit that 6 million number in six months.
“Relatable Gaming,” Platforms To Watch, Businesses that Get the Space: Now at ESPN, Raja pointed again to two sports businesses, the NBA and UFC (as well as boxing), where digital first natives are embraced, listened to and understood in how they want to receive and engage with content on social platforms. He also talked about the gaming space vs the esports space and how the look forward into the gaming space may not be a traditional esports audience, it will be more of a combination of gaming models which highly engaged celebrities or athletes have a comfortable presence. The example used was Fortnite’s live event which drew millions and a sellout crowd to watch athletes play the game. The audience was not forced, the common ground was a game, tied with music tied to high level athletes whose fan base helped drive awareness and engagement. That casual mixing of audiences of where, he believes, the future success will be for crossover into gaming and traditional sports.
It was an enjoyable 50-minute conversation, which you can listen to here.
