Amidst the discussion of rising cord-cutting dropping linear TV numbers and growing prices of over-the-top streaming services, there’s been some more attention paid to a third approach: free advertising-supported streaming television (FAST) channels. A lot of notable content is showing up on those channels, including even with some live games like MLB’s package on the Roku Channel.
Those channels can also excel as curated content on a specific topic. We’ve seen that with everything from particular sports like surfing to particular leagues like the ACC. The latest significant move there is with a single athlete, with free hyperlocal streaming service Zeam (formerly Syncbak, which we covered back when they were launching ACCN Confidential) partnering with racecar driver Ryan Phinny for a “Fast Lane TV, By Ryan Phinny” channel.
Zeam is launching that channel this week. And they’re doing so around Phinny competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship‘s race weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Course.
This is Zeam’s first partnership with an individual athlete. It will include original on- and off-track content from Phinny, including content shot around some of his races by a mobile production unit. Here’s more on the channel from a release:
“Fast Lane TV, by Ryan Phinny” will launch on Zeam in early June and will feature on-and-off the racetrack content that brings Phinny’s fanbase closer to the driver than ever before. Zeam’s state-of-the-art mobile production unit, the Zeam 360 van, will also be on-site at various Phinny races, capturing and livestreaming the local flavor of the pre-and-post race festivities, fan interactions and more. This exclusive content will be featured on the streamer’s popular Zeam 360 channel, which will provide another way for Phinny to reach fans beyond his personal channel.
Ryan Phinny said “Zeam is filling a gap in the streaming and entertainment landscape in providing viewers with content connected to the places where they live as well as the places that they care about. As a race car driver on the circuit, I am buoyed by these local groups of fans and Zeam provides me with a whole new way to engage with them.”
Jack Perry, founder and CEO of Zeam Media, said “Ryan Phinny truly understands the importance of local programming and nothing could have been a more natural fit than auto racing for our first sports partnership. Race car drivers are always on the move, traveling from market to market and looking to connect with local fan bases. With this partnership, we are looking to help pioneer a whole new way in which we can help athletes build more intimate and interesting connections with local audiences through dedicated content channels on Zeam.”
It’s certainly interesting to see this, not just as a single-athlete partnership for a FAST channel but as one going beyond just Phinny curating content to Zeam bringing a full mobile production unit to capture content from around some of his races. This also fits with the hyperlocal approach Zeam is known for. They were emphasizing that back in the Syncbak days, and are continuing under this Zeam rebranding, which they launched in February with a Super Bowl ad featuring John Stamos:
We’ll see how this partnership works out for Phinny and Zeam, and if they or other streaming services strike more deals with individual athletes going forward.
