Elevator Pitch: MPORA.tv carves out its extreme sports niche

MPORA.tv is an almost brand-spanking new extreme sports channel, fuelled by the very substantial Factory Media. Funded by Acuity, Factory has 70 staff in the UK, France and Germany with tentacles extending into extreme sports brands up to 17 years old.

Managing director Darryl Newton, who has a background in magazine publishing, explains that MPORA as launched as a standalone action sports web channel in July this year and has its sights set on the UK's 3.5 million extreme sports fans.

newton4nov2008.jpgDarryl Newton, managing director of Factory Media and MPORA.TV

Explain your business to my Mum
"We gather together words, pictures and video and share them with extreme sports fans throughout the world on the web or in print. Content is brought to you by people who live and breathe their sports. So, for example, we recently broadcast live online all the action from the Ripcurl Boardmasters event in Newquay, Cornwall - including daily highlights and interviews with the biggest names in surf and skate plus interviews with bands at the Watergate festival - and reported the highlights in our magazines."

How does that work?
"Factory produce digital and traditional media content to a high quality, as well as taking contributions from action sports enthusiasts who want to share their news, views and images. We provide accessible print or online platforms to showcase this information, with MPORA.TV at the heart of that."

What's your background?
"I started my media career marketing magazine brands like FHM and Heat. I got into the extreme sports market in 1999 and grew a small business based in the French Alps into a successful pan-european publishing house, before raising finance to fund a buy and build strategy and form Factory Media.

"Commercially, the media world is pretty small, so relationships are key. Giving a good service to clients is essential as reputation is paramount. In the action sports world a great party goes a long way!"

How do you make money?
"We sell advertising in print and online, as well as generating revenue from the newsstand or loyal subscribers. MPORA.TV will be part funded by partners buying pre and post roll ads around the content. We also sell our expertise to help companies who want affiliation with our hard to reach audiences."

"We're now tipping 800,000 and would like to double this when we add more content assets to MPORA.TV and take it into Europe. There's a 3.5 million market potential in the UK alone. We know that people were watching the Newquay Boardmasters event for an average of 29 minutes which is very encouraging."

Name your closest competitors
"Go211.com in the US, and Bikeradar.com in the UK."

What's your biggest challenge?
"Focusing our growth plans. It's a constant challenge to manage enthusiasm alongside commercialism. When you've a company of passionate and creative teams, it's a challenge to make sure that you don't spread yourselves too thinly when you're presented with hundreds of great ideas."

Are we in the middle of a new dot com bubble?
"Who really knows? There's too much time spent looking either your over your shoulder, or at what your equity's worth. You need to concentrate on the job in hand and the rest'll follow."

Who's your mentor?
"I've got a couple of good non-execs on the board - Al Ramsay, ex chief executive of Dennis and Antony Fraser of Acuity who previously was the managing director of Ingenious. They both add a mix of experience that you don't get in isolation."

"Internet explorer."

Any weird business experiences so far?
"Having a meeting with Jason Lee to discuss his Skateboard brand Stereo, only for him to adopt a Dick Van Dyke English accent as a piss take."

How's you work/life balance?
"Good. I've got a young daughter and a second due any day, so I cut myself off from work as much as I can when I leave the office. Besides, my wife's a good northern girl and will soon put me back on track if the balance is out."

Which tech businesses or web thinkers are the ones to watch?
"I am an iPlayer addict and love the fact you can now watch TV online. And of course Apple and the iPod - it has to be the invention of the century."

Where do you want the company to be in five years?
"I'd like to have more vertical depth in the market. I'd also predict that off the back of the Olympics a number of our traditionally niche sports will strike a cord with an even wider market. On our current growth and that of market, Factory will become significantly larger."



So what's your verdict?

How do you think this kind of service will bear up during the recession?

Is this is likely target for an established extreme sports brand to buy up?

Is Factory Media right to pursue niche interest like this, or will these be the first to be cut back?