NEW YORK — The New York Jets are doubling down on 360 video and ramping up offseason content as the team works to produce multi-year storylines across its digital properties that keep fans engaged in between games and seasons.
Chris Gargano, Vice President and Executive Producer of the Jets, has been running the rebranded Jets 360 Productions media arm since its official launch last August.
In recent interviews at the NAB Show in New York and on a Sports Video Group podcast, Gargano said Jets 360 Productions has been hiring experienced media professionals and updating its technology to create an “expectation of quality content” that resonates with fans.
The team, he said, is focused on “great storytelling” unique to the Jets that touches upon a wide range of characters, from its cheerleaders and players to the fans themselves.
Jets 360 then creates content about these characters – from their backstories to their in-season NFL storylines to non-football activities, such as their community service work — that come together in a range of media spanning video to infographics across its web of social sites.
“Coming into the season, we wanted to tell very well-thought-out stories,” Gargano said. “We want to tell great stories with great production value so the fan base can engage with these players.”
In-house NFL media houses, such as Jets 360, have been springing up in recent years to produce stories that appeal directly to their respective fan bases. It’s something they tend to excel at given their close proximity and access to players, which has led to an influx of on-the-fly behind-the-scenes content and longer feature stories that can take months to produce.
“That’s the key with these in-house production houses on the teams: you get content that’s proprietary,” he said. “You’re right there all the time with the guys and such. We try to give a unique outlook of the team.”
Teams are challenged with paying attention to the way fans are consuming content and keeping pace with the evolution to deliver content that keeps them active between games, Gargano said.
The Jets have experimented with social posts, photos, stylized infographics, podcasts and lengthy features, as part of a continual tweaking of its media strategy to better appeal to fans. One of its newer initiatives is shooting in a 360-degree format, which Gargano said the team is still feeling out but nevertheless remains committed to.
“We try to have a 360 component on every story. It’s not just supplemental, it’s actually now a part of the experience,” he said. “You have to pay attention to the industry, and the trends, and the way content is moving. How are sports fans consuming content and how could we best deliver it to them? It’s not necessarily what we want to do it’s what the fans want.”
One of its most popular 360-degree videos shows West Point skydivers jumping out of an airplane as part of a pregame stunt. It has racked up more than 89,000 views in the past seven months. Another 360 video from two years ago that films the team’s walk from the locker room through the tunnel and onto the field has accumulated more than 230,000 views.
