LONDON, 18 February 2021: The way people watch one of the world’s most action-packed sports is set to change forever thanks to a game-changing partnership between the World Parkour Championships (WPC) and ground-breaking sports video platform Recast.
The WPC is Parkour’s showpiece series, with events attracting millions of viewers around the world who to date could only catch up with action on YouTube and other video sharing sites.
The partnership with UK-based Recast - a video platform which allows rights’ holders to go direct-to-consumer and connects fans to their content via a subscription-free app – will give fans of the action-packed sport an innovative new platform where they can watch exclusive clips, highlights and interviews all in one place.
Significantly, the partnership will give Race Marketing & Management (RMM) – the progressive organisation which manages WPC content – more control over how its broadcast rights are monetised, with funds generated through the unique Recast micropayments earning model invested back into the sport, its athletes and other WPC events.
RMM will also work closely with Recast and Parkour athletes to maximise the exposure of the sport world-wide, particularly as Recast will begin its international expansion later this year. Some of the sport’s biggest names including Nick Provost (over 6 million social media followers), Pasha Petkuns (1.4m) and Dom Di Tomasso (1.3m) are also expected to set up their own channels through the Recast platform.
Selim Kemahli, Race Marketing & Management (RMM) Managing Director, said: “This partnership is a major step for the WPC and Parkour as we work to broaden its appeal and allow bigger audiences to enjoy this fantastic sport.
“It makes me and the team at RMM extremely proud to give WPC coverage a home and a platform to share its content through a genuinely innovative, user friendly and commercially advantageous platform that will benefit the sport, its athletes and its fans.
“We cannot wait to work closely with the team at Recast to grow Parkour and the WPC, and take it to an even bigger global audience.”
Andy Meikle, founder and CEO of Recast, said: “With millions of fans following Parkour and the WPC around the world, this is undoubtedly an exciting partnership.
“Giving sports such as Parkour the airtime they deserve and a solution which works for the fan, the athlete and the sport by monetising content effectively, is precisely why we created Recast.
“RMM is a forward-thinking rights holder with a vision for the future of the WPC and Parkour and we are delighted to be working in partnership to help them realise it.”
WPC content will be available on Recast immediately, including short clips and weekly videos, increasing to full live streams and shorts once the WPC tour resumes following the easing of lockdown restrictions. Long-form highlights packages also feature, as well as short, snackable clips of events.
Recast enters the market at a time where there is a recognised need for change to the current sports viewing model after years of fans increasingly turning to online feeds and illegal streams accelerated due to Covid-19. Fans are looking for affordable access to sport and rights holders are looking to explore new ways to maintain a sustainable commercial ecosystem.
Instead of buying rights itself, Recast connects rights holders directly to fans, allowing an exchange of value through in-app credits called ‘Casts’. There are no upfront costs to rights holders, athletes or fans to join Recast, allowing rights holders to maintain ownership of rights and flexibility over content use, unlike other traditional broadcasting deals.
The direct-to-customer platform operates as a three-sided marketplace that brings fans, brands and rights holders together in one place. Recast’s unique proposition does not purchase any sports rights, following the success of other exchange models such as Airbnb and Uber in not owning supply but generating value through connection.
Recast is already working with several high-profile rights holders and bodies using its ground-breaking technology to help maximise their earning potential from highlights, in-play clips and live events ahead of its full UK launch this year.
Recast’s beta platform is live and fans can now become a part of the community at www.recast.app.
