On February 11th, the New York Red Bulls became the first North American Sports team to launch a live-stream broadcast on social streaming platform YouNow.
YouNow is a live-stream broadcasting network that allows users to visually interact and chat with people around the world. The broadcast featured midfielder Sean Davis, and attracted a gross of more than 10,000 viewers online.
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“This partnership with YouNow is a reflection of our views on how real and genuine their platform is, in addition to the foreseeable potential we have to grow together.” said Joe Stetson, vice president of marketing and communications at the Red Bulls. YouNow is incredibly popular among the young and millennial audience, which is an important fan-base we are constantly trying to reach”.
Needless to say, the support and popularity of the broadcast was incredible – over 500 viewers were present at any given moment during the broadcast, with a total reaching around 11,000 viewers which included fans from all across the world.
Chat with @seanakiradavis tomorrow LIVE at 2:30 PM on @YouNow at https://t.co/fWhhC0q3GA#OurHomeisRED#RBNY pic.twitter.com/2iK9KciXkt
— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) February 10, 2016
Bombarded with questions ranging from “what is your favorite movie” to “will you marry me?” Red Bulls Midfielder Sean Davis described the experience as “overwhelmingly positive”.
“When you have fans who look up to you it is hard to reach them without breaking the personal barrier” described Davis. “With YouNow, connecting with them on a such a personal level is not only easy but a great way to show the fans that you care and that truly means the world to them”.
20 years ago, real time videotelephony (i.e. video chatting) was a mere trial of the Internet revolution that was yet to come. Today in 2016, almost everyone with access to the Internet can make a video call to someone across the world at zero cost. With face-to-face video interaction being integrated onto so many digital platforms, there is no doubt that real-time video chatting and broadcasting now serves as the pinnacle of social communication.
As a result, the number of platforms for video chatting has increased from 10 to over 60; why then, did the New York Red Bulls decide to choose YouNow over brands such as Twitch TV or even Facebook?
What Makes YouNow Unique?
“YouNow is all about audience participation and audience engagement”, explained Adi Sideman, CEO at YouNow. If you look at the heart and soul of YouNow, it is really getting the audience on the screen. Through not just voting or chatting but through guest broadcasts as well. We want users to express themselves through live video in ways they see fit—you aren’t required to have a reason or talent because sometimes it works by just being yourself”.
In a large sense, the popularity of video chatting and convenient communication stems from the changing behaviors of consumption; in other words, the way people consume content, whether that be on TV or mobile has dramatically changed digital media and entertainment.
With people’s ever decreasing attention spans and the desire for instantaneous accessibility, the only way content can survive in today’s time– whether that be on the large screen or mobile – is by keeping up with this insane demand. People want content faster than ever and not only does it have to be fast, but it also has to be new, and accessibility based on suiting their time and their needs.
Add in a live component and it becomes almost impossible to satisfy this growing hunger for the omnipresent. Written mail has transformed into instant-text, cable television switched to video on demand, and social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat have totally transformed the way people interact with one another.
Broadcast platform YouNow understands these features, and in its broadcasts the company implements the spontaneous and real-time interaction between users.
Let’s take a look at some of YouNow’s special features:
1. Popularity Momentum
YouNow thrives on audience participation. The company most recently introduced another product called selfies where users can visualize the chat with specific images—Gifs, videos, etc. YouNow also serves in some cases an opportunity for users to make money from home. “We see close to 1500 users who are earning on YouNow” quoted Sideman. “Imagine a few months ago a young lady was a waitress, and now she is singing from her home everyday doing what she loves to do. These are the kinds of opportunities we want to provide for people.”
2. Platform Business
Following the now popular freemium model, YouNow allows all users to sign up and use the interface for free; however, there is a membership option allowing for personal profiles, reputation gains, and the use of special currency called “coins” and “bars.” These currencies can be earned by broadcasting, actively participating, promoting YouNow, and logging in daily. Fans who use real money to purchase visual gifts are able to send compliments such as 50 thumbs up or
3. Versatility
eSports based media platform Twitch TV specializes in live-stream gamers. Twitter specializes in avid sports fans who are wealthy enough to frequently attend live games. Facebook live-feed is made for celebrities. Where does YouNow find its niche?
YouNow thrives on the pure passion of its users. Whether that be in entertainment, chatting, and other forms of socializing, there is no expectation for streamers to fulfill a certain task or perform a special feature. Users can say or do according to what they are passionate about and the possibilities are endless.
“The most successful content is based on passion,” explained Sideman. “And one of the most passionate topics in the world is without a doubt sports. People get very crazy about it. For example, we have this guy called JR Sports brief on YouNow. He’s doing sports talk radio face to face with whoever wants to join in and consequently he’s reinventing sports talk as we speak.”
What this Red Bulls-YouNow Partnership means going into the future
This partnership will seek to provide benefits to both companies: YouNow from the publicity of the Red Bull’s as a football icon, and the Red Bulls through interactions with soccer fans and thus their number potential consumers.
In the end, both companies recognize the passion found in sports, and are striving to reach out to fans on a more personal level.
“One of the most passionate bonds is the one from sports fans and sports stars” remarked Sideman. “That’s what we saw yesterday: the ability for anyone to have a glimpse at the life of a professional athlete in it itself is a wonderful and exciting thing. The interaction, or even the promise of interaction is exciting as opposed to just watching television where everything isn’t as real. “