Google YouTube Creator Playbook Guide Sports - Manual (Page 20)

20
Channel Programming
How do I maintain viewership and engagement for my sports channel?
Lucky for you, sports fans tend to be engaged,
passionate, and enthusiastic. And yet, you still have to
work hard at developing an effective programming
strategy to keep your channel’s viewership up, and
your audience engaged.
Here are some things to consider:
• Be proactive. Think about your programming
calendar as early as possible.
• Consider not only how you will produce content
for events, but also how you can engage with
your audience and sustain your channel in
between events and during the off-season.
Seasonality
Many, but not all, sports channels operate within the
‘on-season’ and ‘off-season’ dichotomy. If your channel
falls into this category, use the ‘on-season’ to your
advantage!
• Treat it as a mega tent-pole event. After all,
viewership peaks during the ‘on-season,’ and
unsurprisingly, it’s also highly concentrated with
events.
• Plan for the off-season. Who and what do you
have access to during the ‘on-season’ that you
might not have during the ‘off-season’?
• Make the most of your production investment by
filming less obvious, supplemental content (i.e.
behind the scenes, interviews with players, or
locker room conversations) in addition to your
primary content.
• Consider saving some of this supplementary
content for the off-season.
Tent-pole Programming
Tent-pole programming is a way to capitalize on the
organic traffic patterns that surround sporting events.
Since the majority of sports video traffic tends to
revolve around specific sporting events, tent-pole
programming is critical. Remember, event-based
sports generally experience a short build up in traffic
before an event, a sudden peak after an event, and a
sharp decline thereafter.
Consider the wide array of tent-pole events, and the
sports content you can offer around each one:
• Games
• Large events (i.e. Olympics, Wimbledon)
• Press conferences
• Highlights
• Interviews
• Commentary / opinion
• How-to
See Playbook Sections:
Tent-pole Programming, Playlists