The Pay-TV Innovation Forum is a global research programme for senior pay-TV and content executives, developed by NAGRA and MTM, and designed to catalyse growth and innovation across the global TV industry, at a time of tremendous change and disruption.
As part of the programme, we are publishing a series of interviews with leading TV industry executives from around the world to explore their views, perspectives and experiences of innovation. In this interview, Russell Stopford, Chief Digital Officer for Paris Saint Germain FC, shares his views about how football clubs are evolving their video and digital strategies.
How do you think the nature of providing sports content is evolving?
Pay-TV broadcasters have traditionally taken a singular approach to live match rights. However, what we're discovering is that there are other formats around that live match window that are gaining traction with fans. Sports broadcasting is increasingly about how we can package up the whole pre-match, in-match, halftime and post-match experiences - as well as how we engage fans during the four, five, or even six days a week when football is not being played.
How do you distribute video content and what is your distribution strategy for your premium service, PSG
Premium?
We are still experimenting and optimising what works best for different fans on different channels around the world. The key objective for any video channel is to work out what type of content can drive growth and fan engagement. In terms of engagement, time spent is the key metric for us, be that on our own site, YouTube or Facebook.
In terms of distributing PSG Premium, we prioritise investment in platforms where we expect to see the highest returns. It also makes sense to deliver mobile experiences, and we are exploring how we can develop augmented reality and 360 experiences on mobile apps. In addition to that, we are looking at streaming devices like Chromecast, Roku and Apple TV, but we have to determine when the timing is right for us as we have many new innovations in our product roadmap. We use market research data to understand which platforms we should be on and will prioritise them by conducting high-level ROI analyses. Ultimately, its data on potential customer demand that will inform our distribution strategy.
PSG offers both free and paid video services - what is your rationale behind this strategy?
The club's overall ambition is to reach as wide a global audience as possible, and some decisions are dictated by our rights agreements - for example, for some competitions, we have to offer video content behind a paywall. We are not only focused on direct monetisation of our video rights so I'd say we have a blended model - with a free and paid video offering - marrying syndication and broad distribution with the fan and sponsor experience. Video content is the primary asset that sponsors are looking for from clubs in the digital space. Brands are looking for more entertaining content and are trying to find branded content and brand storytelling opportunities. We have fantastic assets that enable them to bring their brands closer to PSG brand and create brilliant stories that resonate with fans.
How are you leveraging the data that comes from so many touchpoints with fans?
We are investing in data platforms to generate deep insights about our fans and to ultimately serve them better. For example, we collect data about how our content is consumed and how transactions are made on our platforms, which, in turn, helps us to get better insights into our customer behaviour and to improve the overall customer experience. By creating more value for our fans, by extension, we can also drive more value for our commercial partners. The challenge is knowing which data to collect and then having the right tools to derive insights and act on them.
Would you say developing the data platform is your current digital transformation priority?
Absolutely, but content creativity, product excellence, data protection, privacy and security are key as well. There are many important elements to providing the best possible customer experience, but the customer data element is crucial for PSG. It's certainly not as visible as creating brilliant content that resonates around the world, like our Jordan X PSG launch with Nike, but, our customer data strategy is equally important from a commercial perspective.
What are the developments or innovations that you are most excited about?
I think Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to be the single biggest transformative technology that is going to impact the media industry over the next decade. I think the next big thing will be the use of AI to power mass fan data aggregation and using it to drive new content experiences in football. On top of that, I think voice control is going to change how we interact with devices content and services. We were probably one of the first big clubs to launch a Google Assistant app ahead of the 2018 World Cup and we are looking to further develop that initiative with Google.
Europe Stories
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
18/09/2025
Forget just hearing a new album; last night, London lived one. Together with Spo...
18/09/2025
Spotify and Sony Music Group today announced an extension and expansion of their long-standing, successful global partnership. As part of their ongoing collabor...
18/09/2025
18 Sep 2025
VEON Inaugurates JazzCash Experience Lounge in Islamabad Dubai and Islamabad, September 18, 2025 - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital opera...
18/09/2025
Created by Tom Scharpling, Matt Berry and Natasha Lyonne, the new six-part serie...
18/09/2025
The eight-part sun-drenched thriller from Luther creator Neil Cross launches on ...
18/09/2025
Rohde & Schwarz announces new frequency models up to 54 GHz for R&S ZNB3000 vect...
18/09/2025
Individual phones could be tracked back to specific residential addresses
Sm...
18/09/2025
September 18 2025, 04:20 (PDT) Dolby Atmos arrives in Maruti Suzuki Victoris, e...
17/09/2025
It was the ultimate convergence of pop culture and literary prestige: Last night, Dua Lipa brought her Service95 Book Club podcast to the stage for a special li...
17/09/2025
Transatlantic collaboration combines experience and agility to drive innovation in network design and delivery
Luxembourg, September 16, 2025 - SES, a leading ...
17/09/2025
Wednesday 17 September 2025
UK artists capture icons of stage and screen, inclu...
17/09/2025
For the Moon Safari anniversary tour, AIR opened the doors to their backstage. Just a few hours before the Paris concert, DPA met with two key figures of the te...
17/09/2025
Auditions will be held in Dublin, Cork and Galway
The County Parade returns f...
16/09/2025
Hace una d cada, la m sica latina representaba apenas el 8% de las reproducciones globales en Spotify. Hoy, constituye m s de una cuarta parte (27%) de toda la ...
16/09/2025
A decade ago, Latin music made up just 8% of global Spotify streams. Today, it a...
16/09/2025
Spotify is expanding our video lineup with a new partnership with Zoo 55, part of ITV Studios. For the first time, acclaimed content from ITV Studios is landing...
16/09/2025
Calrec has strengthened its collaboration with audio metering expert RTW by integrating RTW's new TMxCore metering platform across its full range of Argo IP...
16/09/2025
Leading space solutions company will use optical ground stations to deliver faster, more secure data from space
Luxembourg, September 15, 2025 - SES, a leading...
16/09/2025
Comscore Unveils The Scoreboard: An Interactive Destination Surfacing Consumer B...
15/09/2025
Global K-Pop sensation aespa is redefining what it means to be rich with the r...
15/09/2025
Every day, millions of people around the world turn to Spotify to enjoy the audi...
15/09/2025
After months of intensive planning and implementation, Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic...
15/09/2025
Unique sports content orchestration platform builds momentum among SES's cus...
15/09/2025
-- Opens door to growth in renewable energy New Delhi, India - 15th September -- Global business and industry leaders from around the world are joining technol...
13/09/2025
Harmonic's Software-Based XOS Advanced Media Processor Provides Unparalleled Efficiency and Unlocks New Business Models SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 13, 2025 -...
12/09/2025
For fans, we know how important it is to stay plugged into music culture and dis...
12/09/2025
Link ping, Sweden and Shipley, United Kingdom, September 12, 2025 - Agama, the expert in video observability and analytics for service quality and customer expe...
12/09/2025
Feature-length retrospective from Studio Crook to air in 2026
Sir David Jason returns to the nation's favourite comedy channel, U&GOLD, for Open All Hours:...
12/09/2025
Friday 12 September 2025
The Boomtown Rats, Nyah Grace, Soweto Kinch, Royal Ballet and Madness also announced to perform at the ceremony on Tuesday
Sky today ...
12/09/2025
Wuppertal September 12, 2025
Riedel Unveils Ultra-Light Bolero Mini Wireless Intercom BeltpackAt IBC2025 in Amsterdam, Riedel Communications unveiled Bolero M...
12/09/2025
Wuppertal September 12, 2025
Riedel Communications Acquires hi human interfaceRiedel Communications today announced the acquisition of hi human interface fro...
12/09/2025
CORE+ virtually removes distortion, setting a new standard for church sound and giving worship teams the clarity and confidence they need.
Read the full artic...
12/09/2025
The Late Late Show is back with a bang after the summer break, and Patrick Kielt...
12/09/2025
The World Athletics Championships, Ireland v France in the Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-final, the Irish Champions Festival, and two Sports Direct Men...
12/09/2025
The Records Show starts Sunday at 6.30pm on RT One and RT Player.
Katie Hanno...
11/09/2025
RADAR, Spotify's program for emerging talent, recently hit a major milestone...
11/09/2025
Link ping, Sweden, September 11, 2025 - Agama, the expert in video observability & analytics for service quality and customer experience, announced today the la...
11/09/2025
Under the USD 89.6 Million award, SES Space & Defense will provide global commer...
11/09/2025
Leading Balkan DTH provider adds capacity to consolidate its m:Sat TV platform at 23.5 degrees East and serve more customers across the region
Luxembourg, 11 S...
11/09/2025
UKTV's free streaming service U launches on Sky Q
Free streaming service U has launched on Sky Q in the UK, UKTV and Sky confirm today, expanding the footp...
11/09/2025
From the discreet 2061 lavaliers to 4099 and 4011 mics, the setup delivered clean, natural sound in one of the most challenging broadcast environments.
Read th...
11/09/2025
From rugged build quality to natural, detailed sound, the verdict is clear: big performance can come in a very small package.
Read the full review here!...
11/09/2025
Tonight on Prime Time
RT One and RT Player at 9:35pm
Tonight RT Prime Time...
11/09/2025
RT Statement: 2026 Eurovision Song Contest
At the General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in July, a number of EBU members raised concerns ...
10/09/2025
Lossless on Spotify Premium is here.
Lossless audio has been one of the most a...
10/09/2025
The Television Will Be Revolutionised Sep 10, 2025
Written by Sunit Kotecha, Director of Delivery and Operations, YouView
2025 marks a century since the f...
10/09/2025
First of Spains F110 frigates get future-ready with Rohde & Schwarz communicatio...
The Pay-TV Innovation Forum is a global research programme for senior pay-TV and content executives, developed by NAGRA and MTM, and designed to catalyse growth and innovation across the global TV industry, at a time of tremendous change and disruption.
