Ep. 70: Marc Fernandez - The Evolution of Direct-to-Consumer Sports Marketing in the Global OTT Era
How a 15-year industry veteran transformed sports content monetization from traditional sponsorships to sophisticated streaming platforms
In episode 70 of Retention Zone, I sit down with Marc Fernandez, a seasoned direct-to-consumer marketing veteran with over 15 years in the sports industry. From Arsenal Football Club to DAZN, Fernandez has witnessed and shaped the transformation of sports content monetization from traditional brand partnerships to sophisticated streaming platforms.
The Journey Through Sports Media Evolution
Fernandez's career trajectory reads like a roadmap of the sports media industry's digital transformation. Starting in market research and customer loyalty at Home Retail Group, he quickly transitioned into sports with Arsenal Football Club, handling retail marketing and CRM systems. His path then led him to the European Tour, where he pioneered OTT (Over-The-Top) streaming alongside Carlo De Marchis.
"We were kind of pioneers of the OTT space with the European Tour TV product way back then," Fernandez recalls. This early venture was fully ad-funded through brand partnerships with Rolex, representing a stark contrast to today's direct-to-consumer models.
The evolution has been dramatic. "The landscape changed a considerable amount since way back when we started the European Tour TV fully ad funded, fully brand partnership funded by Rolex," Fernandez explains. "So it's changed quite significantly from something that's been an investment point of view from a brand through to direct to consumer property."
The Three Pillars of Modern Sports Streaming Success
One of Fernandez's key insights centers on the integration of three critical elements for successful streaming platforms. "I think there's actually a third ingredient in the mix now just with the way that people consume media and that's the content. I think content, products, marketing all need to work like glue together," he emphasizes.
This holistic approach reflects the complexity of modern sports streaming, where technical product development, content acquisition, and marketing strategy must operate in perfect harmony. "Working closely with our content teams, with our rights acquisition team, with our product team to really land on the real value that we're bringing to the fan is super important," Fernandez notes.
Subscription Models: Here to Stay
When discussing monetization strategies, Fernandez is bullish on subscription models. "I think the subscription model is here to stay. If you look at it, if you look at how it is in just general society, you've got subscriptions for your food now you've got subscriptions for not just OTT products, but SaaS products."
He sees this as a fundamental shift in consumer psychology: "I think it's just part of the psyche and part of the mentality." The emergence of AI platforms utilizing subscription and micropayment models further validates this trend, suggesting that consumers have fully embraced recurring payment structures across all digital services.
Retention Over Acquisition: The Smart Economics
Fernandez challenges the traditional marketing focus on customer acquisition, advocating for a retention-first approach. "I don't think it's just about acquisition anymore. I think retention is such a crucial and important part of how you market to a user base," he argues.
The economics are compelling: "It's a lot easier to retain a consumer base than acquire a consumer base." This philosophy drives his strategic approach at DAZN, where creating "sticky" platforms that encourage repeat engagement takes precedence over expensive acquisition campaigns.
"Making sure that your platforms, your product offering, your content offering is as sticky as possible to keep people coming back" represents the core of modern streaming strategy, according to Fernandez.
The Global Challenge: Think Local, Act Global
Managing global streaming platforms presents unique challenges that extend far beyond content localization. Fernandez references the old HSBC motto: "be global, think local" as a guiding principle for international operations.
The complexity goes deeper than cultural preferences. "It's also not cultural in terms of just the content or what people like, but even cultural in terms the way they pay, the way they accept pricing, the way they accept the subscription model," Fernandez explains. This requires sophisticated technology stacks capable of handling regional pricing variations and payment preferences across different markets.
Data-Driven Decision Making with Human Touch
While acknowledging the critical importance of data in modern marketing decisions, Fernandez maintains that human interpretation remains essential. "Data is a complementary to everything, but it's an essential now for every single decision that we make, whether it be a product based decision, a content based decision, a marketing based decision."
However, he cautions against full automation: "I think the fully automated world is still a little bit further down the line." The emotional nature of sports content and the need for nuanced regional understanding require human oversight, even as AI technologies enhance data processing capabilities.
Win-Back Strategies and the Freemium Opportunity
Fernandez offers a pragmatic approach to customer win-back campaigns, emphasizing the importance of giving brands a second chance. "You have to give yourself an opportunity for that win back. There was a reason that they had engaged with you before."
He envisions a tiered engagement strategy that includes social media and freemium experiences as ways to maintain connection with lapsed subscribers. "You want to engage with an audience at wherever it is that they are, whether it be on social, whether it be on your platform and try and build that funnel," he explains.
Looking Forward
As the sports streaming industry continues to mature, Fernandez's insights reveal an ecosystem increasingly focused on sophisticated retention strategies, data-driven personalization, and global-local balance. His experience across multiple platforms and markets provides valuable perspective on navigating the complex challenges of modern direct-to-consumer sports marketing.
The conversation underscores that success in today's competitive streaming landscape requires more than just great content—it demands seamless integration of product, marketing, and content strategies, all underpinned by deep understanding of diverse global audiences and their evolving consumption habits.
By the way in case you are at IBC - International Broadcasting Convention Amsterdam in September and interested in Streaming monetization, subscription and retention - I am hosting the second edition of Retention Zone LIVE.
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