Proposal

My proposal is to create a YouTube channel which will create satirical basketball-based

shows. The shows will aim to entertain audiences by parodying traditional basketball
coverage.

The channel will have two programs:

A weekly run down of the week’s news interjected with jokes based on the big
talking points combined with rants based on the online perception of these events. Once
the show gains popularity the aim will be to monetize the videos to sustain the production
and cast members.

A debate program where at least two people debate a topic that is in the spotlight
at the time. This program will be scripted to have the two cast members to play characters
at extreme opposite ends of the debate. The eventually aim of the show is to gain enough
credibility to attract sponsorship which pay for the cast and crew.

UK Research

The UK currently struggles with places to view the NBA Sky Sports only has a handful of
games per week but as a whole the popularity of the sport is rising. The number of NBA
league pass subscriptions bought in the UK increased by thirty percent, making it the fifth in
the rankings for total subscriptions. Whilst in the past the occasional NBA game was played
in London in the 2019-2020 season the only game being played in Europe will be held in
Paris. So, there is plenty of room to grow the sport in the UK.

International Research

The international market for the NBA is a double-sided coin, as whilst in 2018 the average
viewership for regular season games was 1.3 million most of these viewers are in the USA.
With many younger viewers looking to YouTube for clips of the topic they are interested in
rather than watching a whole 2-hour program. Therefore, the channel being focused on
videos roughly 10 minutes long this should capture that audience. The use of Facebook and
Twitter is planned to upload short clips of the programs to grab new viewers' attention and
tempt them to visit the channel. This technique has proven to be successful as ESPN use it
to show all the sports they broadcast, and their debate show “First Take”.

Risk analysis

Financial risks

There is limited financial risk as there is no start-up investment and as I won’t be taking a
wage there will be no expenses for the channel. If the channel attracts a large enough
audience, I will start to monetize the videos and eventually gain a sponsorship with a sports
clothing company.
Legal risks

The legal risk for this channel is copyright of the basketball highlights, I will contact the
copyright holders to gain permission to use the highlights. As the channel gains popularity
this should become less of an issue as copyright holders will be willing to work with
respected channels.

Operational risks

As I will doing this in my spare time in the beginning if I am unwell or am busy, I will be
unable to create content. The use of equipment will also be limited to when I can book time
to use cameras until I can get my own cameras and microphones.

Strategic risks

YouTube will be the initial home for the channel and its content but recently some popular
channels have been given tv shows or moved to Facebook as competition becomes fierce. If
YouTube begins to lose popularity, then the channel could move to a live format on Twitch
or Mixer. Another option if the channel gains a large enough audience to justify it then a
website could be made to host the content.

Audience research

I will use the following research methods:

1. Polls on social media

2. Focus groups
3. Questionnaires (they will aim to discover public knowledge of Basketball
compared to other sports)