When I tuned in Sunday morning on both streaming services, ESPN+ and Disney+, I was not sure what to expect from the Toy Story Funday Football broadcast. Would it be a re-jig of what CBS does for Nickelodeon? That seemed to make sense as we see buzzworthy moments and content…” Drive To Survive,” “Manningcasts” and the like, getting repurposed with different faces and themes ad infinitum in sports, media and entertainment.
What we got was something different. Something which gave us another glimpse into what is possible as technology, branding, fan engagement, streaming, alternate POV broadcasts and all sorts of…fun.
Now how ESPN and Disney built the tech that went into the streaming show isn’t for me to explain, SBJ’s Joe Lemaire does a great job of breaking it down here.
For a fan, a young fan, a casual fan, a family looking for something to watch on a Sunday morning, there was lots to absorb. For example:
Detailed and very simple explanations of all things football. The interstitial content in place of most commercials was fun and easy for fans. It explained some of the nuances of the game in a way that a novice would get, and that a solid fan watching out of curiosity would not find annoying.
You had announcers who were prepared for everything. Kudos to Drew Carter, Booger McFarland and Pepper Persley. They did their homework, they understood the nuances and the roles, they made it interesting for everyone, they dealt with the glitches easily and kept everyone involved and entertained without losing the context that this was an actual NFL game.
The players became very engaged. Toy Story is a movie that 20 and 30 somethings know really well. It did not have to be explained to them, so to see Trevor Lawrence eagerly talking about the characters made the content that much more genuine.
The characters were not forced. The production team found a way to work select characters from the film into the live storylines of the game. Need the claw to drop the ball? Build the goal posts out of building blocks? Find a unique first down chain? It all fit really well.
The tech was excellent. While there were a few stoppages that the announce team covered over, the implementation of AI and point of view cameras, plus keeping the speed of the animated field pretty much in pace with the actual game, was outstanding. The attention to detail on uniforms, on ball positioning, on player expressions, gave us a great glimpse into the advances on what is more and more possible using technology in live sport today.
They never lost sight of their audience. This was not designed for everyone. It was for a core audience looking for some fun…families with kids, pop culture enthusiasts, even casual sports fans looking for a break from the traditional on a Sunday morning. You also had to look to find it. It was not a side by side broadcast with NFL Network, it was on two streaming platforms, one geared towards sports (ESPN+), the other to a younger demo (Disney+). So those who found it wanted to watch this perspective.
Now were there slight issues? Sure. I know some dads who were looking to do some betting and left their kids to watch while they went to NFL Network to watch the traditional broadcast. It got a bit repetitive, and for even a casual fan, it was best watched in short bursts.
What it really was, was a great test for what can be done. It brought buzz to an early Sunday game from London which may not have had a lot of buzz outside of Atlanta and Jacksonville, it provided a nice litmus test for tech, it showcased a storied brand (no pun intended) in a way few could have ever thought about before. It DID NOT follow the script of CBS and Nickelodeon, and it set in motion a whole feast of the imagination for what can be done with similar properties.
Hot Wheels and NASCAR?
Rock em Sock Em Robots and the UFC or boxing?
Who knows.
What we do know is that ESPN, Disney and the NFL launched a successful trial balloon this week and created something with endless possibilities out of the same old. That’s what was amazing, encouraging an shows while we think we know and understand what is possible, the sublime engagements are just starting.
