Open the app and no more than two swipes will be needed for your social network to display a video post. This is because there is increasingly more content in this format, and because the rate of views and interactions with short videos is increasing proportionally. Engagement is an effect that Foco Radical, the largest platform for sports photos and videos, feels directly. Through it, photographers' revenue solely from selling videos of athletes participating in events or even during training increased thirteenfold from one year to the next.
The demand for video images has impacted the platform's routine since 2023, when this type of image began to be offered by photographers to the more than 1 million athletes registered on Foco Radical. Previously, some tests were conducted at events and, mainly, the facial recognition system was improved, which is essential for the commercialization of videos and also has positive effects on the sale of photos, the platform's main product – at least for now.
This is because from the first year of the offer to 2024, the amount billed by image professionals was 13 times higher solely with videos. In the comparison between the first quarter of last year, with clients of the platform familiar with the product, and 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 promoted Reels on Instagram and triggered a domino effect. Content creators and digital influencers have started to explore video posts more, and consequently, the average user as well. The change in social media behavior impacts those who work with image capturing. In this way, Radical Focus increased the number of registered professionals on the platform by 25% in one year, the same period as the increase in revenue from videos.
"The revenue that photographers have been earning from selling videos has been steadily increasing. The demand for photos will continue among athletes, I have no doubt, but videos will reach a similar proportion at some point in the future. After all, social media users are becoming increasingly familiar with them, not only as consumers but also as producers, given the ease of editing today, driven in part 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 covering a sporting event by Foco Radical, for example. However, it is a percentage that has been gradually increasing. Furthermore, a single video can serve more than one athlete. A change that also transforms professionals' routines. Photographers are also producing videos. And, additionally, they gained the company of new colleagues: the videomakers.
No matter if 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 trend that brings about positive changes in the image market overall. It encourages photographers to go beyond photography, for example, and also opens space for professionals dedicated to video to gain more prominence in the market, explains Mendes.
