The Big Interview: Epictv
EpicTV’s head of sales Jean-Mael Gineste speaks to sportindustry.biz about how adventure sports videos moved from a niche market into the mainstream.
What is the history of EpicTV?
EpicTV was only founded in May 2013. In less than two years we’ve established ourselves as one of the fastest growing adventure platforms in the world, reaching well over 2.5 million monthly unique users. This audience comes through our own website, our mobile app and also via 70+ publishing partners network worldwide from Delta Air Lines, to Fox Sports TV, Yahoo!, The Guardian, Teton Gravity and many more.
The content that is available is wide ranging. The core sports that you see popping up again and again include Climbing, Mountain Biking, Skiing and Snowboarding. We also regularly cover Wingsuit Flying, BASE Jumping, Surfing and urban sports like BMX and Skateboarding.
As a young brand, we’re still writing our history, which is a great opportunity for us to analyse market trends and create new ways of doing business. For example, we launched our own online shop and warehouse in Chamonix – the home of action and adventure sports – last year.
Adventure sports videos have turned from a niche, cult following to a global phenomenon in a relatively short amount of time, what was the turning point?
I think it’s been bubbling in the background for a while but thanks to a number of reasons it has shot up in the public eye over the past few years.
Technology is the number one reason. Over the past years, accessible video recording equipment has become increasingly more affordable. From POV cameras such as GoPros, to drones such as DJI & 3D Robotics, 4K and high-speed cameras that allow filmmakers and athletes to record better, faster and make video content more readily accessible.
The way content is consumed has also recently evolved. Whereas video content used to be purely consumed on TV in the 80s and early 90s, digital media, through technology like broadband, plays a major role in the way people access content today. This has allowed brands like us to provide a platform in a way that we couldn’t before.
Social media is another important factor explaining the growth of these sports. It makes content widely available to a more mainstream audience worldwide, and all within a few clicks. EpicTV has been very active in that field, using its 1 million+ fans base on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to make content more accessible to more people.
Last but not least is the growing investment from brands backing the sports. Action and adventure sports provide a great opportunity to connect with a younger audience in an untapped and attractive environment. Look at brands such as Samsung, who are the title sponsor of the World Surf League, Nissan and Suzuki being involved with major international events and athletes, Adidas and Under Armour are both also investing massively in developing an outdoor range of products. These are all perfect examples of how adventure and action sports are being democratised.
All of the above have helped propel the type of sports that you see on EpicTV.com from a more “lad” culture to a wider audience. This in turn has really opened the door for brands to get involved with the types of sports we showcase on EpicTV.
Adventure sports is also something that has caught the attention of big brands – such as Adidas, someone you work with yourselves – has this been a game changer in terms of the budgets for bigger and better films, which in turn gather bigger and better results?
Adidas has long been involved in outdoor sports and has, in recent years, grown its offering across more sports so it makes perfect sense for EpicTV to work with them and develop our relationship.
We offer brands like Adidas a fully integrated approach by creating branded video content, on message and featuring products within the video. These items specifically feature either on the EpicTV shop or on the brand’s website.
90% of our audience takes part in these sports themselves. So for them, it’s aspirational. They want to have the latest kit and technology that will help them go out on the slopes, trails or wherever it might be, and become better athletes in the sports they do.
This multifaceted approach really is a new way of controlling the entire consumer chain with a brand partner and that’s how we envisage the market moving forwards in the future. It allows the brands to be more engaging with the end consumer and therefore make the most of their marketing investments.
Will there be a limit to adventure videos? How much harder/faster/higher/further can people go?
I think the only limit that really exists is safety. We work with some of the best athletes in the world who are very ambitious. They want to go as far as the conditions will allow them to. We have seen their performances enhanced over the years by the advanced technology put into their kit, allowing them go harder, faster, higher and further with increased safety and protection.
Safety at EpicTV is very important. We understand the dangers involved in action and adventure sports. We’re here because we want to be a part of developing and ensuring their longevity, not simply profiting from them.
Cutting Edge technology is breaking new ground every day, what’s the latest piece of tech you’ve seen that you are most excited about this year?
Drones are a huge area. They are such exciting products at the moment. The industry is expected to be worth in excess of $60bn in the next decade.
Manufacturers are constantly bettering themselves to create the best items out there. Recently, I’ve been in meetings with DJI and 3D Robotics who have given us an opportunity to see some of the latest developments in ‘follow me’ drones. It means that a drone can follow the user through a GPS tracked smartphone and record their actions without the needs of operating the drone.
We already stock some of these on the EpicTV Shop and I’m looking forward to getting more of them into the hands of our athletes to see what content is produced.
