Yesterday was our last airing on outdoor TV. We've aired on TV for nine seasons, the first four as On Your Own Adventures and the last five seasons as Fresh Tracks. It has been an interesting learning experience and served some utility to accomplish part of the goals in our business plan.
With outdoor TV experiencing the same declines as all other TV platforms, the opportunity on other digital platforms is far more appealing in terms of reach, freedom, and finances. TV was 100% of our views just two years ago, prior to starting a YouTube channel in January 2016. When our Amazon channel launched in late August, it proved even more that traditional TV was a dying horse. In just two years, YouTube and Amazon are now 80% of our views, with TV shrinking to less than 20% of our views.
So, we have decided to leave outdoor TV. This video explains where you can find us.
The short version is this:
Amazon – This is where long-form content will premiere. It will be longer episodes than you saw in the past. It will be commercial-free. Both a big change from the format and style required of outdoor TV. It is free to Amazon Prime members.
YouTube – We will continue to use this for our day-by-day episodes, tips, ideas, advocacy, strategies, etc. And once the longer episodes have been on Amazon for a while, we will eventually post them here. For those without Amazon Prime, YouTube is a free platform where you will also get to watch the full episodes, just a bit later. If you subscribe (free), you will get notified when new episodes show up on YouTube.
By going exclusively to these two options, we accomplish many objectives that are critical to our "Why":
1. Make our content commercial-free.
2. Make our content free to anyone willing to watch it.
3. Get away from the model of outdoor TV where it is hard to tell a story the way you want, where even if your content is different you are required to package it according to the network guidelines, making it all look pretty much the same.
4. Higher engagement with viewers where we can get feedback on what they watch more/less, what length, style, etc that attracts more viewers.
5. Have the distribution platforms pay us, rather than pay the networks to distribute our content. In my nine years of outdoor TV, my annual airtime purchase cost has ranged from $52K to $185K. That’s a crazy amount of money, for the small amount of views TV gets you.
6. Get away from the “King Maker” model that is outdoor TV. The networks make investments in some shows, giving them the best time slots, sending sponsors to those shows, giving them “tune in” advertising, and a host of other efforts to make sure these “investments” are given priority. Many comment how they don’t like what they see on outdoor TV. A big part of that is because the networks, many employees of such being non-hunters, get to pick and choose who they want to see as the “Kings.” That is fine. Their model and they can do what they want. I’m no longer in a position that I have to accept that.
7. Be free of network contracts. Those contracts have serious consequences if you say/do things they find damaging to their business. It is all at their discretion. I’ve never been one to worry about hurt feelings, but hurt the feelings of the wrong person at the network and you will find you no longer have airtimes and you are then in breach of your sponsor contracts. Serious consequences come with breaching a sponsor contact. I’ve never been so excited to be headed where we are. It has been a ton of work, a lot of risk by me and our LLC members, required huge support from our sponsors who told us to take this risk, and support from all of you. We have a lot of new ideas that these platforms allow. You will see them in the coming year.
Want to thank all of you for the great support you have given us. Not a chance we would have been able to get here without your support.
Here are the links where you can watch us, anytime, commercial free.
I've never been a fan of all the dumb stuff networks make their contractors do....all to fit their agenda and quite often to be politically correct. I especially don't like folks with sensitive little feelings.
I've never been a fan of all the dumb stuff networks make their contractors do....all to fit their agenda and quite often to be politically correct. I especially don't like folks with sensitive little feelings.
It is 100% their loss, and 100% your gain.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THIS!
Congrats Randy!
"...the left considers you vermin, and they'll kill you given the chance..." Bristoe
Randy, you and a few others have set a new standard for presenting hunting as an activity for people that truly love the outdoors and genuinely respect wildlife.
Genuine people hunting public land is far superior to fat guys being guided around someone's ranch.
Thanks for your efforts in conservation and thanks for not having a crappy soundtrack. Including your crew in the podcasts etc. is very good TV.
mike r
Don't wish it were easier Wish you were better
Stab them in the taint, you can't put a tourniquet on that. Craig Douglas ECQC
Congratulations! Certainly appears to be a better business model for you, and for us. I certainly prefer it to being on channels that were no longer offered by my provider. Keep up the good work, I can only imagine the behind the scenes effort to make it all happen.
THANK YOU Randy. I've enjoyed all of your shows I've been privileged to see and have recommended you/them to friends, & hunters who didn't know about your or your program.
It is refreshing to see true DIY hunts or should I say, True Hunts. I saw so many TV 'hunting shows' that were staged >>aka FAKE, that I quit watching ANY shows except yours when I knew about them.
I really enjoy your show. Thank you for putting it up on YouTube. It is nice to have a show about hunting the west. And without all the rock music, trying to sound like Hemingway, or other nonsense on so many others. Please keep them coming.
