Azaraimy HasibA closed-door event without ticket sales; how did the recent Boxing Tournament at Pusat Belia reach tens of thousands of viewers? The answer is livestreaming.
It was Brunei’s first-ever live boxing event hosted by JAB Gym in collaboration with the Brunei Boxing Association and a number of sponsors. The event was streamed live via YouTube with connectivity supported by local broadband provider – imagine.
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imagine’s Head of Corporate Affairs Unit, Siti Hajar Mahathir, said over three days of streaming, the event was viewed on a daily average of about 23,000 to 27,000 viewers – bringing the total to almost 90,000 viewers. This number will surely grow once the broadcast is over, as the content will remain on the platform.
They believed they probably would not be able to reach the number of spectators if it was held on-site. For perspective, the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium could only hold a maximum capacity of 30,000 spectators at one time when it was built in 1983.
One YouTube viewing might not represent one person, as Marilyn Yap, the Fitness Manager at JAB Gym explained, as it could be a group of friends or family watching the live event together, whether it be on a projector, or on a TV at home.
“We had people viewing not just from Brunei, but also the region, and elsewhere, such as Australia and Europe,” Siti Hajar remarked. “From the analytics that we can see, it shows that we can deliver content through internet connectivity. It is just a matter of finding the content people want to watch.”
Despite COVID-19 restrictions having a strong influence over the decision to showcase the fights online, the success of the boxing tournament has proven Brunei’s readiness for more live-streaming events.
Marilyn said the idea to host the boxing event was actually minted even before the COVID-19 sporting restrictions were lifted in the country. Coupled with the growing popularity of boxing in Brunei, the necessary restrictive measures had some strong bearing on the decision to go ahead with public livestreaming.
“With the restriction in place, it is not realistic for us to have a big event. With livestreaming, a lot more people can view the fights,” Marilyn said.
Surely, people can just easily live stream events through their mobile phones, but a well-organised livestreaming will provide not just better visuals but graphic-added information that enriches the viewer’s online experience.
Live-streaming brought different kinds of challenges and levels of intensity because everything was live and had to be done on the spot. On another positive note, the works were done by all Bruneian talents and they certainly rose to the challenge.
(Photo: JAB Gym)
Filmotographer Haarun Jaleel said, for the live-stream the event utilised multiple camera setups to provide different angles and perspectives.
“Live-streaming can be hectic but certainly fun if you know what you’re doing”, Haarun explained, adding that one of the challenges of live-streaming is you have to get all your shots and sequences right all the time.
“There is no second take, no turning back time. This includes all the artworks to keep the audiences entertained and well-informed. This involved working closely with the sponsors and art designers,” he said.
Sara Khadra, Graphics Content & Digital Transformation Coordinator described, “It’s like working on an extremely tight schedule. If they need some artwork done on the spot and I’d say okay I gotcha … here you go send it through.”
“The event is a phenomenal example of the skills and capabilities of local Bruneians around tech and design,” said Marilyn.
“Honestly, the success of this event could not have been done without them and the strong level of teamwork and communication,” she added.
Siti Hajar said imagine is always ready to collaborate more with local content producers to deliver materials that Bruneians are hungry for.
The host of the boxing tournament, JAB Gym has a motto, “Make An Impact”—which was fitting—seeing as the tournament has surely made an impact in the nation’s boxing scene, with people talking about it long after the conclusion of the tournament. Now anyone can watch and review it freely at any time.
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The success of the live-streamed match stands as a monument to the mass traction from the Internet. This online platform, and its online population, has become a highly marketable means for brands and businesses to advertise themselves in the most effective manner. This opens up windows of opportunities where traditional marketing could not.
Undoubtedly, marketers are now more than ever willing to put ads and sponsorships over live-streaming events to push their brands. In fact globally, livestreaming is now one of the biggest digital experience trends shaping modern-day advertising.
Examples of online platforms, such as Twitch, already provide distinguishing features such as the ability to pinpoint viewer demographics. In utilising live-streaming technology, marketers will be able to accurately identify the number of people watching, comments, and shares – an instantaneous feedback loop!
What did you think of the recent Brunei boxing tournament that was live streamed? Leave a comment down below or reach out to What’s Neue on social media.
Oh! And if you’re interested in picking up boxing, click here to learn more.
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