Even as sports network Stadium looks to build its broadcast distribution, it is creating new programming on interactive platforms and adding major sponsors.
On Oct 25, Stadium launches Fresh Look on Films, which replays an ACC college football classic hosted by Michael Felder with a studio guest who participated in the game being shown.
Sponsored by Wendy’s which is touting the fresh beef in its burgers, the series will be streamed on Twitch, the network best known for its video game programming.
On Twitch, viewers will be able to interact with Felder and his guests and play a trivia game that offers fans a chance to win “Fresh Beef for a Year” from Wendy’s.
The show appears on Twitch Thursday’s at 4 p.m. ET and guests this season include, former Clemson running back and first-round NFL draft choice CJ Spiller, former Florida receiver and Super Bowl Champion Anquan Boldin, former Miami return specialist and first team All-American Devin Hester, former Boston College All-American LB Mark Herzlich and retired Virginia Tech Head Coach and College Football Hall of Fame member Frank Beamer.
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Stadium CEO Jason Coyle said having the new show on Twitch was exciting because the network continues to advance on the television front with distribution to 25 million homes, up from 20 million just a few month ago.
“We’re also simultaneously pushing into these interactive platforms,” he said.
Twitch in particular does not have a lot of sports programming. “We’re able to reach new audiences and create new experiences by leaning into the social nature of the platform and the interactivity," Coyle said. "We’re bringing together the best of that lean-back experience with the best of that digital forward social experience.”
Fresh Look is a good way to capitalize on the rights Stadium had to re-run classic ACC games and its relationships with players and coaches. “It lined up really well to build a live event around a classic game,” Coyle said.
Fans can interact with players who participated in those classic games in real time. “It does look at feel different on Twitch and it creates this immediacy and intimacy with the talent. You have a live look at this person and you understand that he’s sitting there reading your questions and typing back at you,” he said. “It creates a collaborative live experience out of something that’s full of nostalgia and memories.”
It also creates a good environment for an advertiser. Wendy’s was already a Stadium sponsor and the idea for the new show grew out of discussions at Stadium’s first upfront presentation in May.
“This is is a way for them to really explore with us the forward boundaries of where we’re able to take the network and really have a bridging experience in to the social area,” Coyle said.
