MotoGP delivers new fan-first content
June 28, 2018
By Colin Mann
Motor cycle racing’s premier category MotoGP is seeing its partnership with cloud-based video specialist Grabyo pay off as it uses social video and live streaming to grow the global community around the world championship, building its digital fan base to more than 22 million.
“MotoGP is the oldest motorsport world championship but its digital strategy is the most progressive,” suggested Gareth Capon, CEO at Grabyo. “The Dorna group, which owns the rights for MotoGP, was one of the first sports rights holders in Europe to explore commercial opportunities around Twitter Amplify and was an early adopter of Facebook Live. Indeed the success of MotoGP has caused the likes of Formula One and Formula E to rethink their approach to video content.”
MotoGP has an extensive broadcast network delivering live action to 207 countries and reaching 427 million homes around the world. There are now more than a hundred broadcasters and OTT services who bring the best of MotoGP to viewers around the world. MotoGP also offers a direct to consumer OTT service (VideoPass) for fans, again one of the first of its kind for a major sports rights holder in Europe.
This is matched by a progressive approach to social media – using Grabyo’s video technology to publish live streams and real-time race video to engage millions of fans across the globe. Grabyo is also used deliver Twitter Amplify campaigns, integrating with sponsors and partners to deliver in-stream advertising and sponsorship for key moments during the race weekend.
MotoGP makes use of Grabyo’s mobile editing features to produce Instagram stories, taking real-time footage and publishing it in the mobile-friendly vertical video format. The digital team also uses Grabyo’s Live Producer product to create social live shows which are broadcast shortly before each race to activate audiences and drive tune-in. The shows provide fans with exclusive, behind-the-scenes content and interviews with riders or teams.
MotoGP has generated over 1 billion video views and more than 380 million engagements during the 2017 Season.
“We’ve demonstrated the global appeal of the sport and the potential to use social platforms to engage a younger audience demographic and to drive this audience to linear broadcast TV,” noted Manel Arroyo, Managing Director at Dorna Sports, owner of MotoGP sports rights.
In 2017, the series took the strategic decision to provide social media friendly content to its riders, teams, broadcasters, sponsors and promoters, in order to expand further the global ecosystem around MotoGP. While the live broadcast of each race is still the priority, MotoGP’s extensive team of cameramen and editors have been briefed to consider content for social media. The Dorna team are looking for viral moments that drive key engagement, especially younger, more digitally engaged fans.
“We are very satisfied with Grabyo solution in terms of ease and speed of use, in terms of features and also in terms of the quality of the live streams,” concluded Arroyo.