Following the growth of on-demand content and ever-increasing consumer choices, broadcasters are now becoming unable to dictate what will be shown to their audiences and at what times.
In today’s world, through viewing habits and data from user accounts, it is actually the opposite.
It is now up to those broadcasters to analyse this data and provide an attractive package at the right price to bring in the consumer.
Founded in 2008, Onefootball is one of Europe’s leaders in regards to investing in and recognising this trend.
This includes strategic decisions the company has made securing deals with Sky Deutschland and Eleven Sports. This allows them to show matches from multiple leagues around the world, through a pay-per-view, live streaming partnership.
Live matches can be streamed through their official app, including games from the 2. Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. Onefootball gives their growing young audience an attractive yet simple proposition: the opportunity to choose the games they want to watch.
Their model also allows consumers to sign up to a shorter and more convenient payment plan, instead of a costly long-term subscription.
“It’s our response to the ever-changing media landscape characterised by rights fragmentation and expensive subscription models,” said Onefootball CEO, Lucas von Cranach after the announcement of his company’s partnership with Sky Deutschland and Eleven Sports.
Von Cranach added: “Modern football fans want to consume live content in a more flexible, easily accessible way. They want to consume it when they want, where they want and how they want – and all of this at a reasonable price.”
Onefootball may have taken inspiration from NBA’s juggernaut streaming service League Pass, which also allows fans to pick and choose content that suits them. This promotes growth in engagement for the sport as a whole, whilst strengthening direct-to-fan relationships.
Despite this, different sports and services will not thrive if they are all identical. To have a successful OTT streaming service, differing needs have to be addressed.
These needs will likely change over time as Von Cranach explains.
“The industry needs to adapt to the evolving consumer behaviour. It’s about understanding and anticipating the highly sophisticated needs of younger generations – that’s the key” (as posted in FC Business).
Onefootball is driven by Sportradar OTT. Sportradar is a company founded in Norway, that collects and analyses sports data. Therefore, Onefootball can access these insights from the data collected and ensure an improved experience for users through gamifications aspects and overlays.
For example, statistical overlays can be implemented to highlight information that will complement footage of a match. Gamifications such as polls and quizzes will look to keep viewers engaged to the platform for a longer duration.
The rights holder is also informed about how to showcase their digital ecosystem in the best financially rewarding way.
When you combine all these factors and other insights which are taken from user data, you have the ingredients for a successful OTT service.
With regards to these OTT services, the ability to tweak your output and monetisation methods, based on viewer habits, is already a proven game changer.
Whilst linear broadcasts do still have a place in media consumption in the modern world, it lacks the insights and clarity you get through OTT.
Whether focusing on how content has fared or finding the best way to monetise it, OTT services provide rights holders with much needed guidance in their video strategy.
This is a win for the content producers who see what consumers want and how they should make it profitable. The user also benefits, as their viewing is influencing the content they are seeing.
Onefootball look like they are set to reap the rewards of listening to the market as they continue to head in the direction of effectively using audience data.
Their fan-focused strategy highlights why they are viewed as one of the most advanced players in the industry, with their affiliation with Sportradar OTT providing the foundations for this continued growth.
