media strategyvideo productionbusiness

Building a Hockey Media Studio: What Vice Media’s C-Suite Shakeup Teaches Clubs

UUnknown

2026-02-18

10 min read

Translate Vice’s studio pivot into a hockey club blueprint: build a lean media studio, monetize with subscriptions, sponsorships, and licensing.

Hook: Your club needs a media studio — not just highlights

Every club and league we talk to in 2026 has the same two problems: 1) they can’t reliably produce original, high-quality hockey video at scale; 2) they can’t turn that video into sustainable revenue beyond ticket sales. The recent moves at Vice Media — hiring a CFO and strategy exec as it pivots from production-for-hire to a studio model — and Goalhanger’s subscription success (250,000 paying subs, ~£15m/yr) show a repeatable path. Translate those lessons into a practical blueprint and you have a playbook to build a hockey media studio that produces, engages, and monetizes.

Top-line lesson (inverted pyramid)

Turn content into a business. A studio isn’t just a camera and editor; it’s a revenue engine. Hire commercial and financial leadership early, build commissioning and distribution systems, and design subscription and licensing products that serve fans and partners. Do this and your club controls valuable audience data, reduces dependency on traditional broadcast deals, and creates recurring revenue streams. For notes on mapping media buys and brand architecture as you scale commercial teams, see work on principal media and brand architecture.

Why 2026 is the moment

Audience willingness to pay: Goalhanger proved podcast listeners will pay for premium access; sports fans are even more committed when content adds value (training, exclusive access, tactical breakdowns).
Tech accelerants: AI-driven editing, automated highlight clipping, cloud editing suites, and low-latency streaming make studio production cheaper and faster than in 2023–24.
Direct-to-fan distribution: Clubs can host paywalls, apps, and membership platforms; third-party platforms still matter, but owning the relationship is gold. Our notes on cross-platform content workflows are useful when planning staggered releases and platform windows.
Hybrid monetization: Sponsorship dollars are rebounding post-2025, and subscribers plus targeted ads combine for higher ARPU.

Blueprint: Organizational structure & hiring priorities

Vice added a CFO and strategy exec as it doubled down on being a studio. Hockey organizations should adopt a similar early-investment approach in commercial and creative roles.

Core hires (first 12 months)

Head of Studio / Executive Producer — owns editorial vision, commissioning, and production pipelines.
Chief Commercial Officer or CFO — builds budgets, pricing, partner deals, and subscription economics.
Head of Audience & Product — owns distribution, analytics, membership products, and retention.
Lead Editor / Post Producer — establishes codecs, templates, and fast-turn workflows using AI-assisted tools.
Distribution Manager — manages platforms (OTT, app stores, YouTube, social), metadata, and SEO for video. Cross-platform playbooks like the BBC/YouTube analysis help shape platform strategies: read more.

Extended team

Freelance director-of-photography and camera operators (matchday and feature shoots)
Rights & legal counsel (player consents, licensing)
Sponsorship sales lead
Data analyst / BI engineer
Community manager (Discord/Slack, memberships)

Business model: How to turn hockey video into revenue

Your monetization mix should be diversified from day one. Don’t rely solely on ads or broadcast. The most resilient studios layer revenue streams.

Core revenue streams

Subscriptions / Memberships
Offer multi-tier plans: free highlights, paid ad-free longform, premium tactical analysis, and an ‘insiders’ level with live Q&As and early ticket access. Look at Goalhanger’s model: an average subscriber paying ~£60/year yields strong ARPU — hockey clubs can mirror value by offering exclusive training content and behind-the-scenes access.
Sponsorships & Branded Content
Packages for kit sponsors, segment sponsors (e.g., “Power Play presented by…”), and episodic series sponsors. Use viewership and engagement metrics to price deals. Early-stage studios should sell integrated packages (video + social + email + event presence).
Licensing & Clips
Sell match highlights, tactical breakdowns, and player mic’d-up clips to broadcasters, other clubs, and fan platforms. Build a rights-managed clip library and price by use-case (social, broadcast, archive).
Merch, Live Events & Ticketing
Members get early access to live tapings, coaching clinics, and limited-edition merch drops. Combine media-driven demand with in-person monetization; for ideas on micro-events and local drops, see micro-event strategies.
Ad Revenue & Programmatic
Use targeted pre-roll for free viewers and serve higher CPMs to relevant audiences. Segment inventory into sponsor-safe premium spots and programmatic remnant.
Commissioned Work & Agency Services
As Vice did, you can offer in-house production services to partners — but only after stabilizing your core content and audience. Avoid becoming an outsourcer early; prioritize owned IP.

Content slate: What to produce first (practical & tactical)

Start with content that uses your unique club assets and scales: match highlights and tactical analysis. Here’s a prioritized 12-month slate.

Quarter 1: Foundation

Daily/Match Highlights — crisp 60–90 second edits metadata-tagged for search and social.
“Coach’s Cut” Tactical Series — 6–8 episodes breaking down set plays, power plays, and defensive systems (high-value for paid subscribers).
Player Micro-Docs — 3–5 minute personality pieces for social and membership tiers.

Quarter 2: Deepen engagement

Training Clinic Series — exclusive drills, walkthroughs, and youth coaching sessions with club coaches (monetize via premium tier).
Behind-the-Scenes Live Streams — locker room access, mic’d practices (members-only or pay-per-view). For hybrid live-set best practices—lighting, spatial audio and street-to-studio transitions—see the Studio-to-Street playbook.

Quarter 3–4: Scale & license

Longform Documentary — season-long human interest doc to sell to platforms and festivals. Consider festival and platform placement strategies discussed in this eclectic slate analysis.
Archive & Clips Library — package history and create searchable assets for licensing.

Commissioning & production workflow (actionable steps)

A commissioning system reduces cost overruns and ensures consistent quality. Use this four-step loop.

Pitch & Commission
- Monthly commissioning meetings: editorial, commercial, legal review all pitches.
- Score each pitch on audience potential, production cost, and monetization path (assign numeric scores).
Budgeting & Approvals
- Set fixed budgets for format types (e.g., highlights £200–£500 per match; short doc £5k–£20k).
- Require a break-even forecast and projected KPIs before greenlight.
Production & Post
- Use standard templates: intro/outro, lower-thirds, color grade LUTs to speed editing. For hybrid edge-backed production workflows and lightweight studios, consult the Hybrid Micro-Studio Playbook.
- Leverage AI tools for transcription, captioning, and automatic highlight clipping to cut editing time by 40–60%. For governance around prompts and versioning in AI-assisted workflows, see versioning prompts and models.
Distribution & Measurement
- Publish to owned channels first (app/site), then YouTube and social with staggered releases to drive subscriptions. A cross-platform release strategy is outlined in our cross-platform workflows note.
- Track views, watch time, subscriber conversion, and sponsor-delivered KPIs. Upskilling the commercial and product teams on prompt-driven workflows and analytics can be accelerated with guided AI training—see Gemini-guided learning resources.

Technology stack: Tools that matter in 2026

Choose cloud-first, AI-assisted tools for speed and scale. Budget for the following minimum stack.

Production: Mirrorless cameras, multi-cam switcher for live, RF microphones for mic’d players.
Ingest & Storage: MAM (media asset manager) with cloud proxies and S3-class archival storage.
Editing: Cloud-based NLE with collaborative timelines and AI-assisted edit assistants for rough cuts.
Highlighting: Automated clipper (scene-detection + event detection via game data) to produce social-ready reels in minutes.
CMS & OTT: Subscription-capable CMS with DRM, paywall support, and app deployment to iOS/Android/TVOS. Cross-platform distribution notes: see guide.
Analytics: BI dashboards tracking engagement, CAC, churn, ARPU, LTV, and sponsor KPI fulfillment.

Rights, legal, and player permissions

Rights management is often the hardest part for clubs. Do not assume you can monetize everything you film.

Match Rights: Check your league contract — some leagues block direct-to-fan streaming or require revenue shares.
Player Image & IP: Secure player content releases for non-broadcast uses, and include social/derivative use in contracts for juniors and academy players.
Music & Clearances: Use licensed libraries or custom scoring to avoid takedowns on platforms like YouTube.
Sponsor Conflicts: Legal should vet sponsor exclusivity clauses before committing to brand partnerships.

KPIs: What to measure weekly & monthly

Data should drive commissioning and commercial decisions. Focus on a small set of high-impact KPIs.

Weekly: Views, watch time, new subscribers, churn, top-performing assets.
Monthly: ARPU, CAC (by channel), LTV, sponsor fulfillment rates, clip licensing revenue.
Quarterly: Break-even analysis per content vertical, churn cohorts, content ROI.

Pricing & packaging: Lessons from Goalhanger

Goalhanger’s approach shows that premium audio brands can scale subscriptions with clear benefits. Hockey studios should copy the benefits-first model.

Offer a free tier with lightweight highlights to funnel users.
Mid-tier (~$5–$8/mo) — ad-free longform content, member chatrooms, and early ticket access.
Premium tier (~$120/yr or $12/mo equivalent) — exclusive shows, live Q&As, training vault, and discounts on merch/events.

Include non-monetary benefits that increase retention: community channels (Discord), members-only live streams, and early access to player content. Use limited-time drops and live events to drive upgrades.

Budget example & 12–24 month roadmap (actionable)

Below is a simplified budget and timeline for a mid-sized professional club launching a studio. Adjust for scale.

Initial investment (Year 0–1)

Staff (Head of Studio, Editor, Distrib Manager): $350k–$500k/year
Equipment & Tech (cameras, mics, MAM, CMS, OTT setup): $150k–$300k one-time
Operating (hosting, tools, freelance): $100k/year
Marketing (launch, subscriber acquisition): $75k–$150k
Total Year 1: ~$675k–$1.0M

Revenue targets (Year 1–2)

Subscriptions: 5,000–20,000 subs = $300k–$1.2M (at $60/yr avg)
Sponsorships & Ads: $100k–$500k
Licensing & Merch/Events: $50k–$200k
Break-even range: 12–24 months with disciplined CAC and sponsor deals

12–24 Month milestones

Months 1–3: Hire core team, finalize tech stack, produce launch slate (match highlights + coach’s cut).
Months 4–8: Launch membership product, secure first sponsors, iterate content with analytics.
Months 9–12: Scale productions, pilot longform doc, begin clip licensing program.
Year 2: Expand distribution (OTT app), host live events, target profitability on owned channels.

Risk management & common mistakes

Most clubs fail because they either under-invest in commercial leadership or they outsource their identity. Avoid these traps.

Mistake: Commissioning everything — Don’t greenlight a project without revenue paths.
Risk: Rights violations — Legal clearance is not optional; it kills deals if missed.
Trap: Selling your best inventory early — Keep flagship content for membership acquisition, not for short-term ad revenue.
Operational risk — Build redundancy into on-site capture and storage; live feeds fail on matchday if not tested.

Real-world signals: What Vice and Goalhanger mean for you

Vice’s C-suite hires (a CFO and a strategy lead in early 2026) signal the importance of financial discipline and commissioning strategy when transitioning to a studio model. They’re not just staffing production — they’re building a commercial engine. Goalhanger’s 250k paying subscribers show the ceiling for fan-paid models — if you deliver exclusive, recurring value, fans will pay.

“Studio models work when editorial and commercial teams operate as one unit.”

Apply that to hockey: editorial creates sticky, fandom-building IP; commercial packages that IP into predictable revenue.

Actionable checklist: First 90 days

Hire or designate a Head of Studio and a commercial lead/CFO advisor.
Audit content rights and player consent language with legal.
Choose a minimal viable tech stack: MAM + automated clipper + subscription platform.
Produce 3 repeatable formats: match highlights, coach’s cut, player micro-docs.
Launch a free funnel asset and a mid-tier subscription package with 3 clear benefits.
Set KPIs and a weekly reporting cadence (views, subs, ARPU, CAC).

Final verdict: Start like a publisher, scale like a studio

Vice Media’s pivot and Goalhanger’s subscription scale present a clear playbook: invest in financial and strategic leadership, build repeatable formats, own your audience, and diversify monetization. For hockey clubs and leagues, the upside is huge — deeper fan relationships, new revenue, and control over your IP.

Execution matters more than ambition. Start small, measure relentlessly, and be prepared to iterate. Use AI to accelerate production, but put humans where relationships and creative judgment matter: coaching access, player stories, and tactical breakdowns.

Takeaway & Call to Action

Ready to build your club’s studio? Begin with a one-page business plan: audience, core formats, first-year budget, and three KPIs. If you want a ready-made template and a 90-day launch checklist tailored to hockey, subscribe to our Video Highlights & Tactical Analysis newsletter or contact our studio advisory desk to get a customized roadmap for your club.

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Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.