Social Media Matchday Feed: an additional source of content for digital channels
- Seamless distribution for use by media partners, clubs and DFL
09 March 2021 – In response to changes in media consumer behaviour, especially among younger target groups, the Bundesliga’s International Product Portfolio (IPP) has been expanded: in a global first, near-live reporting for digital channels has now been added. Following a roughly two-year development phase, DFL and all Bundesliga clubs have jointly launched the ‘Social Media Matchday Feed’. It provides exciting, custom-tailored content, allowing Bundesliga media partners, viewers and fans to follow matchday events even more closely.
At eye level with game changers and local stars
The new, match-specific Matchday Feeds have been produced since the beginning of the 2020-21 season. Every club provides a dedicated social media reporter for this purpose on each matchday. The reporters accompany their respective teams from the arrival of their buses to the warmups, the locker rooms, through the match and up to the interviews afterwards, creating exclusive, authentic content in the process.
The on-site reporters’ flexibility makes all the difference
DFL and the clubs have jointly developed a production procedure for these feeds that is well-structured, yet leaves reporters enough flexibility to be creative in their recording activities. This ensures that the media partners have a sound basis for planning their communications while giving the on-site staff some freedom for spontaneous takes or club-specific special features.
System architecture and media sharing platform by Greenfly
The technical framework for centralised quality assurance and distribution consists of a content management system (CMS) custom-developed for DFL by the Californian software developer Greenfly. The CMS is available to more than 60 international media partners.
“In this case we can provide our followers with high class quality content on our social media channels. Behind the scenes, almost live and unique content that gives our fans a sip of the fantastic football atmosphere which nearly makes them feel like being on the stadium themselves. It is a great way promoting the Bundesliga matches in a way that engage and also catches the eye. The workflow is incredibly easy. With only a few clicks we can publish video and graphics on social channels and that makes it easy to get going and using during busy match days,” said Janni Storm, Digital Coordinator at Nordic Entertainment Group.
And this is how it works: The social media reporters upload their short video clips to the CMS remotely. A DFL Content Curator checks them for compliance with the relevant DFL quality standards, then releases them to all international media partners. All this is done within a few minutes right after recording the life footage. The media partners can review the content on the CMS, edit the content that is relevant to them, and then share it on social media.
High acceptance among media partners, improved collaboration
“The Social Media Matchday Feed is a really great joint product. It allows us as clubs to provide the licensees with additional content from every match. At the same time we benefit from being able to use these new options for our own club channels where we can report on matches using fresh content,” says Jonathan Müller, Team Lead, Club Media 1. FC Köln, describing the added value for all stakeholders.
VfB Stuttgart social media editor Jochen Ritter comments: “The Social Media Matchday Feeds allow football fans around the world to experience each matchday from a variety of angles while feeling closely connected to the teams. We are excited to be able to help transport the emotional experience and enthusiasm of Bundesliga matches from the stadiums to the fans at their homes through the matchday productions of the VfB Stuttgart social media reporters.”
There is another benefit to the new content source, one that relates directly to human interaction: The clubs, the media partners and DFL now collaborate even more closely by discussing how to develop the Social Media Matchday Feeds further and design content specifically to cater to local interests.
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