Reviewing the European Cup event marketing, how can long videos create a new era of sports content?

iQiyi and Migu use innovative content and cutting-edge technology to make live sports events more interesting and immersive, which not only enriches the audience experience but also enhances the platform's competitiveness. In the future, live sports events will be more personalized and smarter.

When long videos collide with the passion of sports events, the sparks they create light up the entire summer.

On the stage of the 2024 European Cup, iQiyi and Migu used flexible content production and unique program gameplay to not only enrich the fans' viewing life, but also set off a carnival of football culture in the pan-entertainment field.

The practices of these two platforms, on the one hand, continue the continuous innovation of the way long videos present sports content, and on the other hand, prove that large-scale sports events and derivative content still occupy an indispensable position in the long video content ecosystem.

First of all, cross-border integration of content has become normalized, and supporting derivative programs have become the best companion for watching football games.

iQiyi, which announced the broadcast of the European Cup early, used its cross-border integration strategy in the talk show "Guide to Watching Football Without Discrimination" to blur the boundaries between football, entertainment, culture and other fields, making football events no longer exclusive to sports fans, but a social currency shared by all people. The interesting interaction between football commentators and celebrities from all walks of life not only allows professional fans to enjoy in-depth tactical analysis, but also allows general fans to feel the charm of football in a relaxed and humorous atmosphere.

Secondly, the combination of technology and sports is further attempted, thus providing audiences with a new way to watch games.

Migu has continued its long-standing strategy of broadcasting major competitions, creating an immersive viewing experience for users through AI technology and a diverse lineup of commentators. Innovative features such as AI intelligent commentary and star lighting not only enhance the professionalism and fun of watching the games, but also allow every viewer to experience the convenience and novelty brought by technology.

The introduction of sports event content, for long videos, can not only further attract a wider audience group and enhance the user stickiness of the platform, but also enhance the platform's brand image and market competitiveness through high-quality content production.

1. What else do we need to fight for besides the event copyright?

The operation of sports event copyrights through long videos cannot be separated from the support of content and technology, two key elements of long videos.

On the one hand, in the creation of sports events and derivative content, content quality and diversity are the key to attracting and retaining audiences.

Both iQiyi Sports and Migu Video have demonstrated outstanding content innovation capabilities. Through diversified program settings and guest lineups, they have successfully attracted a wide audience from professional fans to general sports enthusiasts.

Long before the European Cup began, iQiyi Sports' self-made variety show "Summer in Europe" had already set off, focusing on the gimmick of self-driving travel and watching the game. CCTV celebrities, farming teenagers, hard-core celebrity fans and other new and old combinations led the audience into the European scene in advance with a slow perspective; and during the game, "The Guide to Watching Football Without Discrimination" debuted. The program cleverly combines professional commentary and entertainment elements, and provides the audience with a full range of football cultural experience through novel sections such as "Today's Star Talk Show" and "Magic Encyclopedia Guide". In addition, compared with the past CCTV event derivative content, which is more dominated by professional guests, this time, in addition to inviting famous football guests such as Liu Jianhong and Huang Jianxiang, there are also cross-border stars such as Tengger and Cai Guoqing. The cross-border combination not only meets the needs of professional fans for tactical analysis, but also attracts more pan-sports audiences through the star effect...

At the same time, Migu Video's "Call My Partner" series has taken a different approach, ingeniously combining cultural tourism with sports, creating a new offline viewing scene. Through game interactions, welfare draws, event predictions and other links, Migu has successfully improved user participation and stickiness.

Although the content strategies of the two platforms are different, they both embody a balance of "professionalism + entertainment".

iQiyi meets the professional needs of fans through the tactical analysis section of professional commentators such as Zhang Lu, while attracting the public with a relaxed conversation format; Migu uses the model of "head commentator + professional guests + special commentator", such as the "crosstalk combination" of Li Xin and Dong Lu, which not only ensures professionalism but also adds fun.

The diversified content strategy not only broadened the audience, but also deepened users' understanding and participation in sports culture. Through innovative content formats and rich topic discussions, the two platforms successfully transformed sports events from simple competitions to a full-scale cultural experience, greatly improving users' viewing experience and platform stickiness.

On the other hand, in the digital age, technological innovation has become a key weapon for long video platforms to improve user experience.

Both iQiyi Sports and Migu Video have demonstrated forward-looking thinking in the application of AI and AR technologies, reshaping the traditional viewing experience through advanced technologies.

iQIYI Sports used AR technology to create an immersive European street camping scene in the "Undifferentiated Football Guide" to create an immersive atmosphere for the audience. This innovation not only enhances the visual appeal of the program, but also enhances the audience's sense of participation and immersion. Through the virtual scene, the audience seems to be really on the streets of Europe, chatting about football with the host and guests, which greatly enhances the social attributes of the program and the audience's participation.

Migu Video has taken the application of AI technology a step further. During the European Cup, Migu launched a series of innovative features such as AI intelligent commentary, AI star lighting, AI interactive smart broadcasting, and AI intelligent recognition. These AI-driven features not only provide a personalized viewing experience, but also greatly enhance user participation. For example, AI intelligent commentary can provide different styles of commentary based on user preferences, while the AI ​​star lighting function allows users to track the dynamics of their favorite stars with one click, greatly enhancing the fun and interactivity of watching the game.

Looking ahead to the upcoming Olympics, Migu has stepped up its technological innovation efforts and plans to launch more cutting-edge technological viewing experiences such as AI China Moments, AIGC content production, AI video enhancement, and XR space viewing.

The application of these technologies will not only provide viewers with a more personalized and immersive viewing experience, but will also redefine the form and content of live sports broadcasts.

Technological innovation not only improves the viewing experience, but also brings significant commercial value to the platform.

Through AI and AR technology, the platform can collect and analyze user behavior data, so as to more accurately deliver advertisements and recommend content, improve user retention and advertising conversion rates. At the same time, these innovative technologies have also become the platform's differentiated competitive advantage, attracting more users and advertisers.

However, technological innovation also faces challenges.

How to protect user privacy while providing a personalized experience, how to ensure the quality and accuracy of AI-generated content, and how to balance technological innovation with the traditional viewing experience are all issues that the platform needs to continue to pay attention to and solve.

2. What can the Paris Olympics learn from the European Cup?

Based on content innovation and technological empowerment, iQiyi Sports and Migu Video have adopted a full range of marketing strategies and built a three-dimensional communication matrix to maximize their influence and commercial value.

Social media marketing is a common focus of both platforms.

iQIYI Sports' "No Discrimination Guide to Watching Football" received huge attention on social media during its broadcast, with related topics reading more than 400 million times and being searched on 64 social platforms. This high frequency of social media exposure not only increased the popularity of the program, but also enhanced user participation and discussion enthusiasm.

Migu relies more on cooperation channels with official media such as CCTV, for example, it joined hands with People's Daily New Media to launch the #All People's Fancy Styles and Chinese Team on the field together# solicitation campaign on Weibo, which not only enhanced the authority of the platform, but also stimulated the enthusiasm of all people to participate in the Olympics.

Weibo screenshot

Brand collaboration is another important marketing strategy.

iQIYI's cooperation with brands such as Meituan Waimai, Vanward, and BYD Dynasty Yuan Family has not only enhanced the commercial value of the program through clever content placement and scene marketing, but also brought higher exposure and user recognition to the brand. For example, Meituan Waimai deeply combines the scene of watching football at home with the takeaway business through high-frequency brand exposure, while BYD showcases the technical advantages of its models through customized video clips. These brand placements have also made the platform's event revenue no longer limited to subscriptions.

Interactive marketing is a key strategy to increase user stickiness.

Migu launched the Olympic Support Team Calling Campaign, which successfully transformed online enthusiasm into offline actions through the participation of all people, and strengthened the emotional connection of users to the platform. iQiyi, through the dissemination of short videos, re-created and disseminated the highlights of the program, expanding the influence of the content, with a cumulative playback volume of more than 180 million.

The diversified marketing strategy not only enhanced the platform's influence in the field of sports content, but also brought considerable commercial returns to the platform. Through multi-channel and multi-format marketing activities, the two platforms successfully extended the influence of sports events beyond the stadium, creating a wider range of social topics and commercial value.

However, while pursuing omni-channel marketing, how to maintain the originality and quality of content and how to find a balance between commercialization and user experience are still issues that platforms need to continue to think about. In the future, how to better use big data and AI technology to accurately locate user needs and achieve more personalized and accurate marketing will be an important direction for the development of the industry.

As the 2024 Paris Olympics approaches, the practices of these long video platforms during the European Cup will undoubtedly provide valuable inspiration for Olympic content marketing.

On the one hand, the cross-border integration strategy during the European Cup demonstrated the universality and social value of sports content.

iQIYI's "Undiscriminatory Football Watching Guide" successfully combines football culture with the pan-entertainment field, providing new ideas for Olympic content production.

On the other hand, the application of AI technology demonstrated by Migu during the European Cup has pointed out the direction for technological innovation in the Olympics.

Considering the diversity and complexity of Olympic events, we can foresee that AI technology will play a greater role in event commentary, data analysis, personalized content recommendations, etc.

For example, AI may provide customized commentary services for viewers with different professional levels, or use big data analysis to predict game results for viewers and enhance the viewing experience.

However, considering the global and multicultural nature of the Olympics, especially when the copyrights of Olympic events are becoming more scarce, whether it is long video platforms such as iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video, or Kuaishou and Douyin, they all need to come up with more flexible ideas and find ways to "get" the Olympic traffic.

Although the high price of event copyrights often results in an unreasonable input-output ratio for the platform, both the European Cup and the upcoming Olympics have once again proved the importance of large-scale sports event content to long video platforms. These events can not only bring huge traffic and attention, but also enhance the platform's brand image and user stickiness through high-quality and innovative content production. In the current fierce market competition, sports event content has become an indispensable and important supplement for long video platforms.

After all, even the international streaming giant Netflix has to bow to popular events. Not long ago, it announced copyright cooperation with UFC and NFL. There are also rumors that after MLB and MSL, Apple intends to include the broadcasting rights of F1 in Apple TV+. Even without Olympic copyright, Netflix has recently launched a large number of documentaries about big-name athletes, trying to keep up with the trend and seize the initiative.

NFL games coming to Netflix

Of course, long video platforms also need to be aware that as the price of event copyrights becomes more rational, obtaining live broadcast copyrights does not seem to be a big problem, and relying solely on large-scale sports events is far from enough. Although these events can bring short-term traffic peaks, how to convert these temporary users into long-term users and how to maintain user activity after the event is what the platform needs to think deeply about.

More importantly, long videos need to find a balance between sports event content and daily film and television content. How to more effectively use the popularity of the event to further develop derivative content, and create a full-dimensional and diversified content ecosystem through continuous content innovation and user experience optimization, can truly embed sports content into its content ecosystem, rather than leaving nothing behind after the excitement.

Author: Great Entertainment

WeChat public account: Yiyuguancha (ID: lanhaiyingxiao)