Summary of Key Points
Over the past four years, REDnote has gradually established its presence in the sports media industry by collaborating with celebrities and acquiring broadcasting rights. By adopting a community-based approach to cover the World Cups in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the platform has not only seen a surge in traffic (doubling in usage time and the number of posts) but also successfully expanded its audience to include male users and diversified its content ecosystem. The platform has developed a novel strategy that combines live broadcasts with user-generated content (UGC) and consumer engagement, overcoming the common issue of long-video platforms experiencing increasing losses due to high licensing costs. However, it also faces challenges in transitioning the attention generated by major events to regular league matches and maintaining the openness of its user community.
1. Four Years of Growth: From Riding on Trends to Acquiring World Cup Rights
REDnote didn't suddenly enter the sports media space; instead, it followed a proven approach:
- 2022 Qatar World Cup: Without live broadcast rights, the platform leveraged famous coaches like Mourinho and Zidane, as well as the Spanish national team, and used the "red jersey" as a marketing tool to attract attention. It discovered that content featuring celebrities was particularly effective.
- 2023 Kaká's China Tour: Female users were not interested in the matches but followed the celebrities and their personal stories, providing an opportunity for differentiation.
- 2024 Mbappé's Presence: Users created memes using French slang, integrating the celebrity into the community language, confirming the direction of using a community-based approach to cover football.
- 2025 Systematic Expansion: The platform first aligned with domestic football fans (gaining emotional support during a low period) and then acquired rights for German Bundesliga matches and the German Super Cup. Each step involved verifying market demand before making investments.
2. The Magic of the Community: Turning Professional Sports into Everyday Topics
While traditional platforms only offer one way to engage with World Cup coverage—watching the matches—REDnote has made it a part of daily life:
- Non-fans Can Participate: Fashion bloggers share vintage sports-themed posts, food bloggers post about World Cup-related meals, and artists create funny avatars using football themes. Even "Empresses in the Palace" was used to analyze team dynamics.
- Community Building: 3.1 million users formed fan groups for different teams, with 345 groups of more than 100 members each. Fans from Cape Verde recognized each other in comments, and Norwegian fans shared photos of Viking-themed stadiums—making the World Cup a form of social currency.
- Beyond Sports: Topics related to amateur football and World Cup cuisine have received over 70 million views each, transforming football from a competitive sport into a lifestyle.
3. Attracting Male Users: Filling the Gap in the Community
REDnote traditionally focused on female users, but the World Cup has helped attract male fans:
- A Surge of Hardcore Fans: Men accounted for 80% of viewers in the quarter-finals, with an average viewing time of 52 minutes per popular match (including late-night sessions by dedicated fans).
- Diversified Content: The platform now offers more in-depth content such as tactical analysis and match breakdowns, breaking the stereotype that it only features beauty and parenting-related content.
- Age Diversity: Users over 40 years old now make up 22.5% of the user base, making the platform less exclusive to younger demographics.
4. A New Approach to Licensing: Generating Revenue from the Ecosystem
Unlike long-video platforms that lose money on licensing (e.g., Tencent's NBA and PP Sports' Premier League deals), REDnote views licensing rights differently:
- Licensing as a Resource: Live broadcasts attract users, who then create content such as fashion posts, memes, and food-related posts using the World Cup theme. This transforms the initial license into a recurring asset within the community.
- Natural Consumer Engagement: Products related to football, such as jerseys and viewing equipment, are promoted through user-generated content, turning the World Cup into a business opportunity.
- Reasonable Pricing: REDnote acquired the 2026 World Cup rights at a reasonable price, using the investment to expand its community impact.
5. Future Challenges: Retaining Audience Interest and Maintaining Community Openness
Despite the success, there are challenges:
- Transitioning from Major Events to Regular Leagues: Many users are casual fans who become inactive after major events; how to encourage them to watch regular league matches (e.g., the German Bundesliga)?
- Community Segmentation: Fan groups can become insular, limiting cross-group interaction and potentially reducing the platform's social impact.
These are issues that can be addressed as REDnote continues to grow. For now, focusing on niche areas and expanding its user base is more important. By the time others are still figuring out how to make licensing profitable, REDnote has already transformed sports content into a vital part of its community ecosystem.
In simple terms, REDnote has successfully turned the World Cup into a platform that engages a wide range of users by integrating it into everyday life and creating a vibrant community.