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CASE STUDY

NBC and Ryder Cup deliver compelling content at speeds “once believed to be nearly impossible” with Wildmoka

Customer - NBC Sports (1)

High quality content for increased engagement

Sports broadcaster NBC Sports and international golf tournament the Ryder Cup have collaborated to broadcast the premium three-day competition for many years. For the 2021 tournament, NBC Sports wanted to implement a digital strategy that would make the event even bigger, deliver high-quality content on the platforms their audiences use, and increase engagement. 

Industry

Sports

Goal

Make a global golf event even more engaging for fans 

Product

1,400 videos produced, generating 68M views

The Situation

‘Just’ offering a broadcast feed is no longer enough

Today’s golf fans want video content on the platforms they use, so they can consume it where and when they want. For rights holders like NBC Sports, ‘just’ delivering broadcast content via linear TV or OTT platforms was no longer enough – and would mean they miss enormous opportunities to engage fans. Mike Lowe, Vice President of Digital Strategy & Partnerships at NBC Sports explains: “Sports fans demand real-time and near-real-time content.” 

They also wanted to maximize the value of their rights to broadcast the event. Lowe says they were looking to “extend the interest and excitement far beyond the three days of the competition.” NBC Sports selected Wildmoka to support this strategy. 

The Solution

A suite of tools to enable NBC Sports’ digital strategy

NBC Sports deployed Wildmoka’s technologies to innovate with new ways of distributing video from the Ryder Cup:

  • Variety of content: NBC Sports used Wildmoka to create a wide variety of content types, including ‘best of’ players, hole summaries, near-live highlights, feature group alt streams, shoulder programming, and beyond.
  • Aspect ratios: Wildmoka’s technology automatically reformatted content to the appropriate aspect ratios for social media, YouTube, and NBC Sports’ OTT. The Auto ReZone feature also meant video was automatically adjusted to the user’s smartphone screen position.
  • Content everywhere: Video was distributed to multiple platforms with ease. NBC Sports also published different types of content to specific platforms where it worked best. 
  • AI and machine learning: Wildmoka automatically produced clips that editors could finalize into stories before publication. 

The Result

Productivity boost

Wildmoka’s AI and machine learning tools can clip and edit content by recognizing when important events have happened in the live stream. It automatically creates clips that editors can then review, fine tune, and distribute to social media or the OTT. This allowed NBC Sports to produce near-real-time highlights of the tournament, dramatically boosting each editor’s productivity. What is more, the use of cloud technology meant that editors anywhere in the world could access Ryder Cup streams and work remotely.

Massive engagement

Wildmoka helped NBC Sports broadcast content to 22 digital destinations, five OTT platforms, and 17 social media channels. They produced over 1,400 videos in just four days and reached an exceptional 68 million views on social. Wildmoka also provides engagement tools such as polls and interactive features that were used to further boost engagement. 

Consumer level data

The ability to produce more content and distribute it via more channels allowed remote fans to truly engage with the tournament – almost as if they were there in person. From streams of players ‘warming up’ to ad hoc interviews around the course, the Wildmoka platform allowed NBC Sports to show their viewers more of the event, reuse and repurpose content, and maximize their investment in their broadcasting rights. 

Analysis and insights

Wildmoka’s technology helped the broadcaster analyze and understand what content was popular on social media using engagement data. 

Monetization opportunities

Wildmoka provides an extensive array of monetization opportunities, including pre- and post-roll ads, overlays, banners, and other sponsorship options. Linking and teasers were also used to drive traffic to NBC Sports’ subscription sign-up page. 

“The finished product was a huge success across our NBC Sports, Golf Channel, and Ryder Cup branded platforms, on and off domain” says Mike Lowe. 

Watch the video to learn more about how NBC Sports used Wildmoka to maximize their Ryder Cup content

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