The vision of Project RED is to offer amateur sports, sports leagues and fans a wide-reaching platform and an extensive range of highly entertaining content. RED uses new technologies, innovative production techniques and innovative features that offer a new sports streaming experience. The project offers everything from a single source: production, platform, programme, content, marketing and distribution. The collaboration with the Blick Group means that RED content will be directly available on one of the largest sports platforms in Switzerland and will substantially expand Blick Sport’s existing streaming programme.
The focus for its launch in August 2022 will be on football. RED has secured exclusive media rights to the 1. Liga for the next five years up to the 2026/27 season. The cooperation was set up by STARC Marketing & Sports GmbH. When the 1. Liga’s 2022/2023 season kicks off, over 1,000 third and fourth top-division Swiss championship matches will be produced and offered exclusively on the RED platform as a live stream or on demand. RED aims to actively involve players and the community, promoting interaction and engagement among fans.
According to the 1. Liga, most players in the current Swiss national team played in the 1. Liga at the start of their careers. Yann Sommer and Granit Xhaka, for example, played over 35 matches each. From a sporting point of view, the 1. Liga offers a very attractive environment. For example, the U21 teams from FC Basel 1893, BSC Young Boys and FC Zürich also take part. The local heroes, and the nationwide coverage in all language regions of Switzerland guarantee fantastic football entertainment and top-class matches.
RED uses a variety of broadcasting standards including automated camera systems and AI software, which enable coverage of all 1. Liga matches. That’s why Ringier Sports is investing in camera systems that will be permanently installed in all 66 stadiums of the 1. Liga participating clubs. In addition to live-streaming production, the camera systems can also be used for training and analysis, which will provide a significant boost for the digitalisation and professionalism of the 1. Liga.
The streaming platform’s business model will be financed via advertising revenue, sponsorship and subscription models. The 1. Liga will benefit directly from all income generated by RED using a revenue model. The aim is to promote the digitalisation of the 1. Liga and to support projects for up-and-coming footballers.
Ringier Sports CEO Alexander Grimm: «The aim of Project RED is to offer the 1. Liga a new place to call home and to expand the league’s presence in the media. Our multi-sport platform and production technology not only represent a massive boost to the league’s media reach: we’re also creating emotions and strong, new content formats such as originals, shorts, highlights and game recaps. We’re pushing forward media coverage in amateur football. Project RED is a long-term, strategic commitment for us, and our vision is to attract more leagues and sports.»
Steffi Buchli, Editor-in-Chief for Sport at Blick: «The players in the 1. Liga are well-known, approachable figures in their regions. We look forward to many moving sports stories, which, thanks to this project, we will be able to follow as closely as possible and share with the whole of Switzerland.»
This fits perfectly into the future strategy of Samuel Scheidegger, President of the 1. Liga: «The 1. Liga aims to position itself even more professionally, and to help clubs and players gain more attention and presence in all Swiss language regions. This project will further increase our leagues’ attractiveness and strengthen our public image.»
Further information at: www.projectred.ch
Ringier AG, Corporate Communications
About Ringier Sports
Ringier Sports AG is a subsidiary of the Ringier Group and focuses on the marketing, consulting, digitisation and activation of clubs, associations, leagues and organisations as well as national and international events in the Swiss market. The focus is on public sports such as football and ice hockey as well as sports that have a high number of licensed and/or active players. At the same time, Ringier Sports AG focuses on the exploitation of marketing and media rights to national leagues and the future development as well as marketing and digitisation of event and championship formats with a national character.