Sports Content Strategy with MrRichardClarke: Exploring sports content, journalism, digital and social media

1.45 His role at Matchroom Sport now and how it has changed

2.20 What makes a good sports event

4.30 The re-invention of darts. How did that happen?

6.20 His battle with the BDO darts ‘blazers’

8.16 Building the personality of players. What if he had social media back in the day?

11.20 His history of investing in content

Telling Mark McCormack that "You rent your company but I own mine"

“Content has always been key but ownership is the biggest thing”

“I like the Ryder Cup but I could not buy it”

1515 Why fun > money

17.56 Leyton Orient: "My heart and my wallet merged and then, all of a sudden, I owned the club"

18.30 IFLTV and the YouTube channels disrupting the boxing media

20.07 Why you can not have too much publicity.

Feeding the baby monster with social media

22.05 The criteria for choosing the next sport. The "how is it going for you dear?" test

25.21 The sports Matchroom are monitoring at the moment

27.18 Why they have not moved into esports when they have been talking about it for two years

29.30 Why he has not created an OTT app to out out their own content, like DAZN and ElevenSports

31.23 The advantage of motivation. The natural excitement of making changes and mentally 'beating up' people.

34.55 The DAZN deal meeting and the demands of the millennial customer

38.02 What would he do if he was in charge of sports TV companies now

40.13 The lack of loyalty in the millennial market

41.13 Where he looks for trends

45.02 Summing up the attraction of darts

45.32 Is he an outsider?

48.23 "Legacy is overrated". Why he won't sell Matchroom Sport in his lifetime... but his son Eddie has a different approach

Links

Barry Hearn on Twitter

Matchroom Sport: website, Twitter

WANT TO HEAR, SEE, READ MORE...

📝 Check out my blog, here

🎙 Listen to my other podcast: Football Indonesia here

📰 Sign up to my digital sport newsletter, here

📱 @MrRichardClarke on social:Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube

TOPICS

2.45 The job at Hashtag United

5.10 The role as Operations Director and what it involves

6.18 The launch video promised "the Premier in 10 years" but there is a more realistic target of creating a "sustainable football club"

8.10 The importance of the matchday experience

8.45 Going from a YouTube team to a competitive team with FA rules that must be adhere to

9.45 How the content strategy is going to change as they play competitive football.

11.10 Telling the story in real time and dealing with embargoes

12.45 Getting the matchday experience right

14.50 Building a sustainable football club and what that means

16.10 The reactions of the teams they will be playing. Ruffling feathers in non-League

18.45 The reaction of fans online

21.20 Adapting to a different standard of football

23.01 Balancing the familiar faces with the need to get in competitive players

23.50 The legacy of Soccer AM. "Some of us struggled for a few years afterwards because they could not find a job that held a candle to it"

26.39 The sketches being a forerunner of modern YouTube

27.34 The importance of the execs leaving the creators alone - Soccer AM, Copa90, FullTimeDevils

29.42 How Neil's career moved with the industry - TV through blue-riband short form to brand building

31.25 The big screen prejudice again small screen in the early days of digital

33.03 Getting the skills that have served Neil ever since. Wearing so many hats

33.42 Does the prejudice still exist? Roles are hybrid now.

35.17 The experiment of Channel Bee, a project with Tim Lovejoy and Simon Fuller

37.23 Launching Copa90

38.12 Launching FullTimeDevils the Manchester United fans' channel on YouTube. The staffing and content strategy.

41.20 Breaking out from the geographical ties of football fandom

43.01 Why Hashtag United's audience is still predominantly from the UK

44.14 Why ArsenalFanTV is more successful than all the other YouTube fan channels

48.20 How should fan channels evolve?

51.34 The fanzine, fan blog and fan TV link. It is the medium not the message that has changed.

53.20 Changing the paradigm between club channels and fan channels

55.02 What is good content?

57.12 How can young people get into TV/content creation

58.21 How Neil got in via answering phones

1.01.12 His favorite content creators at the moment?

WANT TO HEAR, SEE, READ MORE...

📝 Check out my blog, here

🎙 Listen to my other podcast: Football Indonesia here

📰 Sign up to my digital sport newsletter, here

📱 @MrRichardClarke on social:Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

2.00 The excitement of covering England in a World Cup

3.15 The change of press/team relations in the England camp. The all-time low in 2014. The significance of the darts tournaments

4.45 The media confidence of Gareth Southgate

6.15 Following the NFL's example over access

7.40 The two early tests: the Danny Rose depression story and the team-sheet vs Panama

9.50 How the media access works at the World Cup

11.30 The wider issue of media ‘supporting the team’ or writing a negative story

12.52 Spanish, Argentinean and Belgian media over the same issue

13.38 How social media is a 'media in its own right' at this World Cup. The visibility of social media v the abuse meted out

15.15 How his approach to replying on social media changed over the years

17.15 The Raheem Sterling issue and were certain papers ‘targeting' him

17.55 How digital newspapers have increased a journalist’s workload 3x or 4x

19.20 The change to tweeting teasers rather than giving the story away

19.51 The skillsets of a journalist in the modern era

21.23 Why he embraced Twitter early

22.45 Why charm is the most important skill in a journalist’s toolbox

25.11 The fundamental importance of the right to reply

26.34 "My name is John Cross and I am a scuffler"

28.24 The definitions of Scuffler and Duke… and Grand Duke

29.35 Can a sports new reporter become a columnist?

31.20 The current state of story-getting

32.04 The concept of a reporter just monitoring the social media feeds

33.31 The process of writing a sports book and fulfilling a life-long ambition

37.02 Why newspapers are NOT dying

38.50 Paid-for newspapers v Free newspapers

39.57 The problems retaining the special treatment for newspapers. How the Spanish media and the English media had different approaches to the Champions League final

42.35 Why newspapers still set the agenda

44.10 Is journalism a trade or a skill?

WANT TO HEAR, SEE, READ MORE...

📝 Check out my blog, here

🎙 Listen to my other podcast: Football Indonesia here

📰 Sign up to my digital sport newsletter, here

📱 @MrRichardClarke on social:Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube

TOPICS

3.30 The importance of England having a good tournament. The audience figures prove the depth of feeling for international football.

5.10 The effect of social media on his coverage. Does it affect the output?

7.01 How has TV coped with the introduction of VAR

8.22 His preparation for games

9.25 The presenter’s job is to present "what is important and to leave out what is not"

10.19 Managing the analysis at half-time. Editorial relevance v getting everyone involved v time constraints

12.04 Creating depth in analysis on TV vs radio

13.45 “It’s simply air miles” - the difference between presenting on TV and radio

15.45 Mark’s career path. “I aimed to go into radio and then see what happens”

16.54 How he worked his way up through local radio

18.30 His advice for wannabe young broadcasters… and who should NOT try it.

20.10 The new, ‘unofficial’ route to broadcasting v the traditional route

23.10 The need for official training and scrutiny

25.00 His thoughts on fans’ YouTube channel and especially the future of ArsenalFanTV

28.40 Why he did not become a commentator. Presenting the iconic Sports Report on BBC radio for 16 years

31.25 His commentating and presenting heroes growing up

32.15 Who young presenters should follow now. The female presenters at the World Cup. Why Jacqui Oatley “took the bullet” for women in football presenting

33.45 The loss of security of tenure in television. Why presenting gives you more opportunity as a freelancer

36.04 The changes ahead in television sport – the ‘FANG’ group, the changes in the distribution rights in EPL

38.12 The importance of keeping your enthusiasm for sport

39.55 Will this World Cup be the highlight of his career?

41.01 The effect on people back home when you have been in the living room for a month

42.35 His ‘wants’ from the World Cup

LINKS

Mark Pougatch on Twitter

WANT TO HEAR, SEE, READ MORE...

📝 Check out my blog, here

🎙 Listen to my other podcast: Football Indonesia here

📰 Sign up to my digital sport newsletter, here

📱 @MrRichardClarke on social:Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube

It's sod's law. You produce an in-depth podcast on TV rights and then someone drops a digital bombshell a week later

When I spoke to former head of BBC Sports Rights David Murray about the current market for the Sport: Digital and Social podcast, little did I know that the Premier League were just about to announce that Amazon had made their much-anticipated move into football.

Then there was more on BT, Sky and the departure of the Premier League's executive chairman Richard Scudamore.

It was worth a revisit so here's an updated podcast specifically on Premier League rights deal 2019-2022.

3.00 The winners and losers

• Sky - more game, less money, reaffirming their grip
• BT - different packages, cost-per-game, pick
• Amazon - the strategic importance of their two packages, importance for advertisers
• Premier League - a correction not a trend

7.00 The cliffhanger at the end of this round of EPL rounds

7.30 Richard Scudamore's departure and its effects

8.15 Gavin Patterson's departure at BT Sport

9.00 What could open the door for the FANG groups

9.45 The change in the distribution of international rights. "It's inevitable the big clubs are going to get bigger"

12.15 Has this has been a scare story given the relatively small-scale change in distribution (at the moment)

14.20 Why David would not have given up these rights

15.10 Sky's focus on an increasingly "small basket of sports"

18.15 Moving to a 'big moment' strategy

19.40 Amazon Prime - how the Premier League fits into their overall strategy?

22.15 How that strategy might influence their presentation 

24.15 Why Amazon's entry should worry other OTT players like DAZN and Eleven. 

26.00 Is this a pivotal set of the Premier League rights and will change the competition's foreseeable future?  

David Murray on LinkedIN

Fozmuz.com

📝 Check out my blog, here

🎙 Listen to my other podcast: Football Indonesia here

📰 Sign up to my digital sport newsletter, here 

📱 @MrRichardClarke on social:Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube

opics discussed:

3.01 Should this event have happened sooner? And why it did not.

5.12 The beachhead that the NFL and NBA have built up in Europe

5.56 The popularity of the live, late-night MLB games he presented on Channel 5 in the UK until 2008

7.25 The huge blow of baseball not being accepted into the Olympics after Team GB would have finally qualified as hosts in 2012

8.46 The history of baseball in the UK and Europe

13.37 How MLB has internationalised in the past. And where there are other European hotbeds

15.04 The challenges to MLB in the US - slow play and the age of the fanbase

18.10 The continuing cultural importance of baseball in the US

20.01 Why MLB is still a financial success but the potential for problems ahead

20.30 The dangers of marketing the game the wrong way. “Come for a drink and the game is going on”. Why Europe is an important landing spot

22.30 MLBAM’s early adoption of digital and social media against the background of an ageing fanbase

24.36 The value of the "stumble-upon" audience

25.45 How baseball in the UK just missed the social media boom

26.45 The issue of speeding up the game and whether it is needed. What is being tried at the moment

28.23 The chance of a short-form of baseball

31.01 Why comparisons between baseball and cricket are problematic

32.05 What is the definition of success for these two games in England

33.27 Facebook’s deal for Thursday afternoon Major League Baseball and the controversy surrounding it

35.08 The difficult second year of MLB in England. The success of the Hyde Park event and why “they have a shot at it”

36.01 Can baseball become a truly international sport?

37.21 The advantages of watching baseball live over NFL. The problems of being a complicated sport

39.20 The real dangers to baseball as opposed to the fallacies. The importance of personalities.

41.21 Pitching baseball to UK fans

JOSH CHETWYND LINKS

Josh Chetwynd on Wikipedia, Twitter, LinkedIn

Josh Chetwynd's book on Amazon

WANT TO HEAR, SEE, READ MORE...

📝 Check out my blog, here

🎙 Listen to my other podcast: Football Indonesia here

📰 Sign up to my digital sport newsletter, here

📱 @MrRichardClarke on social:Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube

TOPICS

0-3:45 Intros

3.45 The broad changes seen during his role as BBC’s Head of Rights 1999-2014. The changing competition for Sky: ITV Digital, Setanta, BT, Eurosport

6.10 Why convergence is only just happening now

7.10 Issues over legal definitions that initially hampered the rights process

8.10 The history of the Premier League rights. Has it always been up, up and up?

11.16 The factor that links all the major price rises

13.12 When Sky overpaid by a lot

16.07 The reasons why David thinks it is too early for the FANG companies (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google)

19.27 Facebook and the economics of the TV model

20.32 The chances of a Premier League OTT platform

21.14 The new OTT players (DAZN and ElevenSports) are how they developing

22.23 Is the money paid for the sports rights > great than the interest

24.30 The importance of the younger male audience

26.10 Measuring different ages within the young groups and the potential for viewing figures “falling off a cliff”

28.50 Why the bubble is not going to burst (Hint: It is because there is no bubble)

30.51 Lessons from the ECB’s TV deals in the last decade or so. The 10-year-old daughter test

39.15 Lessons from the Big Bash

41.14 The new Cricket Australia deal and what we learnt from it

43.25 Why did Amazon went for tennis

45.08 Comparing TV figures with online figures

47.31 The growing appeal of eSports

49.42 The NFL's approach to broadcast rights

52.01 The blueprint for approaching a new sports rights deal
What the Premier League might have done differently

LINKS

David Murray on LinkedIN

WANT TO HEAR, SEE, READ MORE...

📝 Check out my blog, here

🎙 Listen to my other podcast: Football Indonesia here

📰 Sign up to my digital sport newsletter, here

📱 @MrRichardClarke on social:Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube

FULL TOPIC LIST

1:45 The basics of the League – timespan, number of teams, launch details

2:50 Why start the Canadian Premier League now? GDP, participation rates, MLS clubs. Completing the pyramid for Canada

4.45 The comparisons with and lessons from MLS. Competing with the CFL.

6:15 How the Government’s recent immigration policy is working for the CPL

6:44 The lessons Paul from Toronto FC and why digital/social was crucial

8.35 The importance of supporters groups ‘poking’ local politicians. The Mississauger story

11.35 The needs: money, infrastructure. And the unique Canadian challenges

13:20 The criteria that successful bids will need

14.37 Promotion/relegation in North America soccer!

16:22 The level of media interest and content strategy

18:03 TV deals – the hybrid the CPL will need

19:28 Helping the new CPL with content creation.

20:17 How YouTube opened up the soccer globe. Why Toronto has had access to more live football and any city in Europe

22:01 The importance of the FIFA game - "a great Canadian export”

22:31 Their approach to eSports

23:09 The potential boost of the World Cup coming to North America in 2026. Why it is easier for Canada to qualify now

25.52 Having a quota of young Canadian players in each squad

26.41 Starting a women’s league

27:51 Compressing the season for the weather, travel issues and having mosquitos “as big as your head”

30:27 His biggest worry about the CPL

31:24 Paul’s personal legacy for starting Canadian sports franchises

LINKS

CPL website

CPL on Twitter

TOPICS DISCUSSED

1.55 How he got into sports journalism and his rise to the times

3.12 Whether those tactics would still work today 

4.02 How important are the skills of writing

6.04 Writing v video v contacts  

8.13 The effect social media has had on his job. Which platform works best for him

10.25 The effects on the style of writing 

12.15 His attitude to haters

14:43 His tactics for replying to haters or ‘disagreers’

15:34 The training has had on social media 

17:20 Why journalists are bylines not brands

19.34 Naming your Twitter feed and digital contact

21.31 Clubs becoming media outlets and avoiding the “us v them” in press conferences  

23.45 When player and teams need a favour from the journalists 

26.34 The YouTube fan channels – their sweet spot and their one problem

29. 23 Where club channels fit in

32.03 Is the explosion of content good for mainstream sports journalism?

34.36 Having a ‘Trump bump’ in sport?  Paying for quality

37.10 The tonal balance – Piers Morgan, the Gettysburg address and War and Peace 

38.39 Why are there no sports dailies in the UK. ‘If it is not a Golden Age, it is an unrivalled time’

40.39 The adaption of the newspaper’s business models. The EPL deal and the obsession with

42.33 Advice for young sports journalists

44.51 The pull of sports journalists through social media. Did the Times ‘sign’ Henry Winter because of his social media following  

LINKS

Henry Winter on Twitter

Henry Winter's writing at the Times

WANT TO HEAR, SEE, READ MORE...

📝 Check out my blog, here

🎙 Listen to my other podcast: Football Indonesia here

📰 Sign up to my digital sport newsletter, here 

📱 @MrRichardClarke on social:Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube

Topics discussed:

2:42 Starting on social media. The reason behind his YouTube channel
4:03 Moving on the narrative and starting 'serious' interviewing
5:32 "YouTube is the new TV"  
6:01 Filming methods and the issue of intimacy  
7.11 Interest in self-improvement and podcasts  
8.10 The life-plan after football
10.00 Leveraging sports mentality in business
11.01 His podcast playlist
15.10 His overall content strategy  
17:35 Why his energy drink business failed
18.41 The import/export company in Benin and the problems in Nigeria market
19.41 Other business in Africa
22.00 Developing his foundation in England
21:23 Dealing with the 'distraction' 
23:20 The content strategy for his foundation
24:07 Coping with negativity as footballer on social media
25.18 Why the sentiment is so bad
26:04 Improving the level of debate
27:41 How footballing success can affect his business
29 31 Showing the strength of his relationship  
32:01 Success v happiness

WANT TO HEAR, SEE, READ MORE...

📝 Check out my blog, here

🎙 Listen to my other podcast: Football Indonesia here

📰 Sign up to my digital sport newsletter, here 

📱 @MrRichardClarke on social:Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube