By: Joshua Finley

Sports and entertainment media are undergoing a fundamental shift. While live sports rights continue commanding massive deals, a different kind of media empire is emerging—one built on YouTube channels and social media presence. Mo Darwiche, who helped shape this transformation through his work at Liquid Light, shares insights on how athletes and teams build their own media channels.

Transitioning from the Old Model to Digital Media

Traditionally, athletes and teams relied heavily on TV networks and studios for promotion. “Teams and athletes have relied on traditional networks to market and promote them. For pro teams, it was their local sports rights deals or national deals, and they wouldn’t focus on producing anything but the players’ performance on the field,” Mo Darwiche explains. This old model meant giving up control of audience relationships to networks and studios.

The emergence of social video platforms, particularly YouTube, changed everything. While regular social media posts get mere seconds of attention, YouTube offers something different. “Average view duration on successful channels is seven minutes plus. Now you’re starting to get into television territory,” notes Mo Darwiche. This shift has enabled athletes and entertainers to build their own media channels with deeply engaged audiences.

Building the Modern Media Playbook

Mo Darwiche pioneered this approach with Dwayne Johnson in 2015. “Before any celebrity had a YouTube channel, Dwayne had one for two years because he understood the power of it, but couldn’t unlock the audience,” he shares. Johnson had a modest following on YouTube despite a large Instagram audience. With Mo Darwiche’s assistance, the channel experienced growth shortly after its re-launch. It saw a substantial increase in subscribers and achieved millions of organic views.

The success led to an innovative business model. “We had to figure out how to turn it into a business. We started getting the studios and brands to pay us to market Dwayne’s projects because we had built an audience,” Mo Darwiche explains. This meant creating original marketing campaigns for movies and brand partners like Ford. The real breakthrough came later –  when Johnson began launching his brands like Teremana tequila and Project Rock clothing, he would directly market to his audiences from his own channels.

Prioritizing Audience Value

Central to this approach is providing value before selling. “My main thing was you have to give audiences something of value before you market to them,” Mo Darwiche emphasizes. For Johnson, this meant creating original content like wellness tips or motivational videos alongside marketing. Others have found different approaches. “Ryan Reynolds has taken a completely different approach. Instead of focusing on traditional value-driven content, he’s opted to market directly to you—but in a funny and clever way. The value-add comes from making you laugh,” he says.

Addressing Team Challenges in Digital Growth

Professional sports teams have been slower in embracing this model. European football clubs lead the way. “Real Madrid will do a billion views on YouTube alone this year on their owned and operated YouTube channel,” notes Mo Darwiche. Meanwhile, NFL franchises worth billions see far less engagement. “The Tennessee Titans might do 14 million views on YouTube in that same time span,” he points out, highlighting the growth potential.

Mo Darwiche now focuses on helping teams build these capabilities. “Many of these pro teams are in the business of finding and coaching athletes. The one thing teams don’t do, which they need to, is also coach their in-house content team,” he explains. His work involves either rebuilding content teams from scratch or training existing staff on channel growth and content strategy.

Shaping the Future of Sports Media

Looking ahead, Mo Darwiche sees a more distributed media landscape. “Rather than a handful of brands owning most of the audience, smaller brands will become cable channels,” he predicts. While major platforms like Netflix and Amazon will maintain significant audience share, teams, and athletes can build valuable audience relationships through their own channels.

The key is moving quickly. “The ones who do it the fastest are going to be the ones who are most set up for success in the future,” Mo Darwiche concludes. For teams and athletes willing to invest in building their digital presence, the opportunity to own their narrative and audience relationship has never been greater.

To learn more about building digital sports media channels, visit Mo Darwiche’s LinkedIn profile.

Published by Charlie N.