Targeting younger audiences with Baller League

“There’s a narrative that young people will only watch for 10 seconds. That’s rubbish.” 

Baller League marketing director Harry Hesp is bullish when it comes to getting younger viewers to watch sport for an extended period of time. “They watch IShowSpeed for hours. We do six back-to-back matches and people stay to watch.”

Hesp is talking from experience, Baller League, which is now in the midst of its second season, is averaging two million live viewers a week, with 75% in TV’s coveted age bracket under 34. This includes audiences from across its innovative right strategy, which includes games being shown on Sky Sports as well as the competition’s YouTube, Twitch and other social channels, and even on channels owned by competing owners and managers. 

Those team owners and managers include new additions Idris Elba, Chloe Kelly and Niko Omilana, and the likes of John Terry, Jens Lehmann, Robert Pires, Alan Shearer and Ian Wright, plus Miniminter, Tobi Brown, Sharky, AngryGinge and Maya Jama. 

“Sky is completely on board [with co-broadcasts] and even hosted their own watchalong,” Hesp said, withthe ties between younger viewers and their favourite influencers proving an important driver of viewers and commercial success. “They will consume via Angry Ginge’s stream, and he’s got a super engaged audience. His Yanited shirt is the most popular.”

This is in addition to the obvious benefits of YouTube, where, “Fans are used to watching so it make sense to be there.” 

However, this hasn’t been a case of finding any old influencers with large followings and putting content on their channels. Getting buy-in is key, as well as having sporting integrity when it comes to what’s happening on the pitch. 

“We wanted people who were keen to stamp their identity on the team,” Hesp said. “The authenticity is the biggest part. You have to play to their strengths.”

Then when it comes to the sport itself, “What goes on on the pitch is sacred to us. The celebs will bring people to Baller League but we keep them here with the football.”

This means that players are selected on quality, rather than taking into account their own followings - which saw some former Love Island contestants take part in trials but fail to make it through. Hesp and Baller League are keen for the quality to be high, with few people keen to regularly watch a low-quality affair. It also likely it helps that the team owners and managers can take care of social media buzz themselves. 

Hesp noted, “You can see this with charity matches. The quality is low so it doesn’t work when they’re more regular.” 

Baller League began in Germany before coming to the UK, and the next step looks likely to be the US. A, “Champions League of Baller League,” is in the plans for after that, as well as a Women’s Baller League, which Hesp believes, “would hit a different audience.” Lioness Kelly’s addition is perhaps a nod to that future possibility. 

While these plans for global expansion continue apace, for now Hesp wants Baller League to become part of the sporting calendar. “We want people to watch Liverpool on a Saturday and a Baller League team on a Monday,” and thinks similar initiatives with influencers could have benefits for others, within reason. “Influencers aren’t going to come in and save sport, but they can come in and help if integrated well.”