Since the closure of KeepUp, I’ve been keeping an eye on the A-League media scene and noticed that it has in fact changed. With all this movement I thought it would be a good chance to review how the A-League is managing its media in a post KeepUp world.
A-League content didn’t disappear with KeepUp, it just moved
FTBL appears to be lifting its content both as a result of having more writers available (after the mass redundancies at KeepUp) as well as because it has less competition for an audience which was previously engaging with KeepUp content. This is just one case that show the volume of A-League content has not reduced as much as people expected post KeepUp, it has simply moved. We’ve even seen an increase in reporting from FoxSports and other outlets like News.com. This may not entirely be explained by the demand shift though. Football media rights for the A-League, Socceroos and Matildas will soon be up for negotiation, so I think a few of these outlets are starting to ‘play nice’ to win favour in the negotiations.
There is an increase in media engagement after summer
Journalists are back from holiday so there are more people looking to produce content. This includes Vince Rugari who actually took a twitter break during the A-League season this summer. Consumers are also back from their holidays and increase their media consumption this time each year. For example, TV ratings between March and November are about twice as large as they are in the Summer. Even though the AFL and NRL are back, an increasingly fragmented media market means the Summer is not as clear of a time as it once was. It may be the case that the increase in media volume driven by return to work routine, may outweigh the benefits of playing the competition in summer. We actually will have an indication of soccer’s ability to compete with the major codes when the National Second Division kicks off next year. I’m sure many APL and Media executives will be watching this space closely.
Reversion to A-Leagues brand has improved fan engagement
Overtime, algorithms have greatly changed the social media landscape. Follower counts are not as important as they once were as algorithms prioritise feeding consumers the content they will engage with, rather than content from accounts they follow. This means if the League wants to best engage and monetise fans it needs to get them on its apps and website. The clean-up in branding is an easier sell for fans and so far has increased fan engagement, as chairman Nick Garcia has stated there has been an increase in time spent on A-League platforms. It should also be noted that the closure of KeepUp hasn’t really impacted the A-League’s social media footprint. The League’s current platforms still show it has access to a large audience.
| NRL | AFL | Super Rugby | A-League | NBL | |
| 2.2m | 1.4m | 0.8m | 0.6m | 0.3m | |
| 1.3m | 1.1m | 0.7m | 0.3m | 0.4m | |
| 0.6m | 0.8m | 0.3m | 0.2m | 0.1m | |
| TikTok | 1.3m | 0.4m | 0.1m | 0.2m | 0.3m |
| YouTube | 0.3m | 0.3m | 0.3m | 0.1m | 0.1m |
| Total | 5.7m | 4.0m | 2.2m | 1.4m | 1.2m |
A-Leagues content is now simpler to follow
There may be fewer intricate graphic, feature articles, and video retrospectives but their removal from aleagues platforms allows for the naturally occurring narratives of the competitions to shine. Rather than an article about a ‘$3300 pet surgery which saved this A-League star’s mental health’ I instead know who is on top of the table, who my team is playing this week and realised the Golden Boot race is getting interesting. This is because analysis of the League’s content demonstrates a clearer football centred routine now.
| Articles | Videos | Competitions | |
| Other Times | News | News | Player of the Month Coach of the Month Assist of the Month |
| Thursday | Round Preview | Round Preview, A-League All Access | |
| Friday | Ins & Outs | ||
| During Games | Key Moment Shorts | ||
| Post Games | Match Reports | Press Conferences, Highlights, Extended Highlights | |
| Sunday | Dub Zone | ||
| Monday | Talking Points | Highlights Show, Every Goal | |
| Tuesday | Goal of the Week |
This routine has to be the focus of all future content. Its pattern needs to be brunt into the memories and routines of fans and media outlets to maximise an efficient engagement with the league. The opportunities for more esoteric content KeepUp platformed, and yes, Ange Postecolgou content, are clear here – in the middle of the week. The A-League is still reporting on non-A-League content through its Almuni category, but thankfully this is not getting in the way of A-League content, and feels like genuine to important football stories (i.e. Matildas qualifying for the Olympics), rather than feeling forced!
KeepUp closure has allowed for more diversity of voices in the media ecosystem
The media arms of other sports leagues generally tell simple neutral stories which allows the naturally emerge of interesting league narratives, and for diverse independent voices to generate commentary and controversy. The overinvestment in KeepUp on the other hand sought to grow the market with volume. This volume was only met with forced bland stories. The biggest example of which was KeepUp’s failure to address the Grand Final hosting decision which cemented its reputation as an impotent league mouth piece for puff pieces. Since its closure however A-League feeds have shown more diverse commentary in place of KeepUp content. This is including more unique voices including A-Leagues Off-Air. The recent policing controversies at A-League games attracted a lot of independent chatter which actually led to official statements from the League. I have to wonder, if KeepUp was still around, would A-League news feeds have addressed the stadium issues in the same way, and consequently would the A-League have heard the voices of its other stakeholders?
Areas of improvement
So overall there are positive signs in the A-League media landscape post the closure of KeepUp, however in assessing the current content offerings of the A-League platforms I still think there are items for improvement.
- The revival of an official A-Leagues podcast is needed. Just as the AFL and NRL have daily news bulletins, a daily A-Leagues podcast even just neutrally running through the news items of the League will offer a training ground of media people and improve engagement particularly as It can be incorporated into daily playlists and people’s routines.
- Fantasy integration needs to be improved. The current functionality feels separate and clunky from the other A-League platforms. Fantasy is an important engagement tool and would benefit the league in the form of more investment. Better integration with platforms, bigger prizes and potentially a podcast would be Wishlist items for next year.
- The App needs to be marketed in a big way for next year. The legacy of KeepUp decimated the app’s update and functionality, however the tiny update compared to other leagues is limiting the League’s ability to directly get content to its fans and monetise its content, which it cannot do as effectively on third party platforms
- YouTube playlists need to be cleaned up. The ability to subscribe and embed distinct content also benefits the league internationally and helps commoditise media products, allowing for consumers to binge highlights shows and All Access easily.
- Broadcaster engagement must improve next season. Rather than centralise media into a bland platform, the A-League needs to incentivise diverse media players to produce content but providing better education, access for the competitions. The primary broadcaster plays a big role here. As we have seen with Paramount there has been limited effort to produce complimentary shows or content. Compare this with the Channel 7 AFL suite of programs which offer entertainment and analysis outside of the games.
- Competitions are not run effectively at the moment. Player and Coach of the month are announced a further month after conclusion, and lack the award and photo opportunity that other Leagues use to spotlight stories.
- Regular content is being produced on mass for easy talking points, but limited commentary video content is being produced. If podcasts are to feature in the future, then they also need to be video podcasts with the emphasis of showing faces and growing familiarity with personalities as the Dub Zone is doing.
| Followers | Post Frequency | Content Focus | |
| 600k | Hourly | Short Videos and Image Graphics. Produced Hourly | |
| 300k | Hourly | Short Videos and Image Graphics. Produced Hourly | |
| 200k | Hourly | Short Videos and Image Graphics. Produced Hourly | |
| TikTok | 200k | Daily | Short videos |
| YouTube | 60k | Daily | A-League All Access, Press Conferences, Highlights, Highlights Show, Dub Zone, More content |
| Website | n.a. | Hourly | All A-League content lives here |
| Fantasy & Tipping Website | n.a. | Weekly | Ins & Outs, Fantasy Specific Content |
| App | 10k | Hourly | All A-League content lives here |
| Club Social Media | n.a. | n.a. | Club focused content |
| Paramount | n.a. | n.a. | Match broadcasts |
A post KeepUp World
As well as learning about production and media the hard way the APL has also come learn the importance of putting a football product at the heart of its focus. There have been many changes since the closure of KeepUp and many opportunities for the league. Hopefully through the strongest message stakeholders can get from the entire episode is the League’s resilience in spite of its own tendency to make mistakes.
The Beautiful Game 