Yomiuri Giants are putting a charge into efforts to distribute video via their official YouTube channel.
Unique videos, such as players in front of the bench spurring on teammates and full coverage of a day in the life of a player, are uploaded daily with one of the videos drawing more than 1 million clicks.
As of Thursday, the channel had 167,000 subscribers, more than double the figure in February, when the club bumped up its video postings.
On the Giants channel, there are eye-catching titles and images such as "[Daisuke] Motoki head coach is furious!?
"Something happened when players the formed a circle to get pumped up" and "Documentary -- a close look at [developmental player Israel] Mota! A behind-the-scenes look at him earning a regular contract with the team."
Much of the footage is taken on the field or behind the dugout, accessible only to players and staff, giving fans a raw view of the players.
Team employees from the Brand Communication Department, a section created at the end of last year to facilitate external communications, record and edit hours of raw footage to produce short upload-ready videos.
Said Shun Yanagidate, a member of the new branding department: "We want to present footage that you can't get anywhere else in the the world."
Yanagidate works for a TV production company that has sent him out to work alongside the Giants in his current role. His beat had been sports before and he now follows Yomiuri wherever it goes, turning a camera toward the goings-on with the team.
The team's official channel started in March 2016, but since the branding department started up, the frequency of posts has picked up and the goal since the opening of spring camp has been to put up footage every day.
Remarks including, "We can see the hidden side of the baseball team via YouTube," and "I watch even though I'm not a Giants fan" are among the outpouring of positive feedback seen in the comments section.
Branding department members review each comment and sometimes reference upcoming videos.
"I want to make people feel closer to the team by showing not only the skills of the players, but them in everyday situations. I want to produce videos that even people who don't know much about baseball can enjoy," Yanagidate said.
With fewer opportunities to see players up close, YouTube has become an important vehicle for fans to observe what the players are doing.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
