Open the app and it will take no more than two swipes for your social network to display a video post. This is because there is an increasing amount of content in this format, and because the viewing and interaction rates of short videos increase in equal proportion. Engagement is an effect that Foco Radical, the largest platform for sports photos and videos, directly feels. Through it, the revenue of photographers solely from selling videos of athletes participating in events or even training has increased 13 times from one year to another.
The demand for video images has been impacting the platform’s routine since 2023, when this type of image began to be offered by photographers to the current more than 1 million athletes registered with Foco Radical. Before, some tests were conducted at events and, primarily, the facial recognition system was improved, essential for the marketing of videos and also with positive effects on the sale of photos, the platform’s main product – at least for now.
This is because from the first year of offering until 2024, the revenue earned by imaging professionals was 13 times higher just with videos. In the comparison between the first quarter of last year, with the platform’s clients familiar with the product, compared to the first three months of this year, the increase reached 1,462%.
Video posts have become popular for at least five years. With the TikTok boom, Meta spurred reels on Instagram and created a domino effect. Content creators and digital influencers began to explore video posts more, and consequently, so did the average user. The transformation in social media behavior impacts those working with image capture. Thus, Foco Radical increased the number of professionals registered on the platform by 25% in one year, the same period as the revenue increase from videos.
“The revenue photographers have been obtaining from video sales has been steadily growing. The demand for photos will continue among athletes, I have no doubt, but videos will be in a similar proportion at some point in the future. This is because social media users are becoming increasingly familiar with them, not only as consumers but also as producers, given the ease of editing available today, driven even by the platforms themselves,” explains Christian Mendes, CEO of Foco Radical.
In terms of volume, for comparison, videos currently account for less than 5% of the total images in Foco Radical’s sports event coverage, for example. However, this percentage has been gradually increasing. Furthermore, a single video can serve more than one athlete. A change that also alters the routine of professionals. Photographers are also producing videos. And, they have gained new colleagues: videomakers.
“As much as they are amateurs or just sports enthusiasts, athletes want not only good photos but also videos to post on their social media. This is an irreversible movement that brings about positive changes in the image market in general. It pushes the photographer beyond photography, for example, and also creates opportunities for video professionals to gain more space in the market,” contextualizes Mendes.
