RefCam and The Explosion of Content in Football

In a world where content is king, how much is too much?

It’s been brewing in the background of the sport for years. The need for content in football has grown exponentially, exploding into what we see today. Society’s need for an “always-on” approach to social media and content has forced football as we know it to evolve. Or devolve, depending on your attitude towards the modern game.

The football world has become inundated with both short and long form content: countless podcasts, TikToks, Instagram reels, and shows that are a hybrid of of professional insight and fan-led analysis. Everyone has something to say, and we, as a society, need a constant churn of content to keep our minds stimulated.

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As if that’s not enough, the English Premier League expanded its “RefCam” from a one-off match last year to a series of select matches throughout the 2025-26 season. It was featured in last week’s marquee matchup between Liverpool and Arsenal , which gave us an up-close look at Dominik Szoboszlai’s game-winning free kick.

But as tantalizing as the unique camera angle was, RefCam, along with halftime interviews and the mountain of content being thrust upon consumers, introduces the question: when is it too much?

As modern football grows, and clubs and leagues seek to expand their fan base globally, an entirely new viewing experience comes with it. The Premier League is the blueprint for this, given it’s currently the most commercially successful league on the planet. From extra camera angles, more studio snippets, and fan cams, there are myriad ways to take in the EPL .

We also see the likes of Sky Sports and TNT Sports offering increased coverage off the pitch, such as The Overlap’s “Fan Debate” series. The Bundesliga has partnered with Mark Goldbridge for a first-of-its-kind deal where a content creator can stream live matches to their audience. Unparalleled coverage in a game that needs to find alternative ways to stay relevant.

Clubs themselves need to offer fans more and more. Over the last 10 years, the increase in a club’s content output has skyrocketed. Fans want, and some will say they need, more. All-access has become the norm. Training, relaxation time, signings, physio rooms, and team talks are now all broadcast on social media.

There’s a reason why we’ve witnessed so many documentaries that go behind the scenes of clubs. The commerciality of it is outrageously good. It’s how to grow your market. Clubs have to always be on social media. More insights into the daily. More of the players and the personalities.

RefCam is another addition to this. It enhances fan immersion, bringing them into the middle of the game from their sofa. It’s offering an insight into the game we haven’t seen before at this level. Right in the heart of the action, without having to leave their living room. It’s a very unique content opportunity for broadcasters. And it is what they’re telling us an international market is after.

The hunch is that the Premier League is experimenting to not only compete with other leagues (in which it is winning), but other sports. How can they keep soccer as the most global sport? And keep the Premier League at the forefront of it? Adding in this type of coverage is in direct competition with the likes of the NBA and NFL , going toe-to-toe with two of the biggest sports not only in revenue, but content as well.

The American market is incredibly valuable to the Premier League . If they can draw more eyeballs in the United States from basketball to soccer, then the growth is very lucrative. By adding this coverage, it is an attempt to make the typical basketball fan more “at home” with a new sport. Add in the ability to give more broadcasters, content creators and the like the chance to create conversations from this, allowing the Premier League to push that narrative, then you’ve got organic growth right there.

Storytelling angles from RefCam will be rife, with the intensity of the player and ref interactions and the process of decision making right there, raw and ready for fans to analyze.

The opportunity for the league and broadcasters is huge. Enhanced fan engagement, new revenue streams, as well as training and educational uses. But for me, when is enough, enough? We’re in a space oversaturated with content, regardless of what the league does. Fans churn out content all day, every day. There are too many podcasts out there that you need to listen to in order to not miss a beat. So many podcasts in fact, that to get all the analysis, stories, and talking points from football you’d be up 24 hours a day listening.

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Alongside this, there’s a question of the integrity of decisions — does it give refs too much of a spotlight? We all know the joke of Mike Dean being a celebrity referee, making games about himself as much as he could. With RefCam and the ability to control the narrative, what happens with a ref’s performance?

There are tons of conversations about how to change the game for the better. How can we change the game to meet the needs of the new generation? How can we make it better for the global fan? This content strategy and experimentation are one way. We’re moments away from fans being able to watch the game on VR headsets with many different camera angles, analysis, stats, and more wired directly into their retinas. We’re steps away from players wearing cameras at the top level.

We already have a trend of goalkeepers putting cameras in their nets, including Ben Foster when he was still playing professionally. We see players wearing mics and cameras on pitch at five-a-side and Sunday league games. When does this break into the Premier League? When do we see Erling Haaland wearing a GoPro playing up front for Manchester City ? In all honesty, I don’t think we are far away.

There have also been conversations about reducing game times as well. Attention spans aren’t what they were, thanks to social media. The Doom Scrolling pandemic has rewired brains, meaning a lack of focus on a 90-minute game is becoming an issue. “Audience retention” is a phrase I absolutely detest. But that’s the focus. Having multiple content streams as well as adjusting the game to meet the modern fan is how you bring new fans to the game, both locally and globally, it seems.

Refcam Clips From Our Game With Newcastle byu/Broka1979 inLiverpoolFC

Eventually, the Premier League will launch a streaming service, too. Like a Netflix, but only for the league. La Liga has done it, but it doesn’t have the commercial pull like the English top flight does. RefCam and halftime interviews are a pivot towards immersive, always-on storytelling. And if they can bring the rest of the coverage in-house, and make the viewing experience even more seamless and easier through a streaming app rather than various broadcasters, then it might just be game over for other leagues.

For me, I hate it. Modern football becomes bereft of a soul the more time goes on. Ref Cam is another sign that the higher-ups are prioritizing TV audiences abroad. The match-going fan is no longer the focus, no matter how much they focus on culture and a club’s local connections when they put out their adverts and documentaries. Football is changing, and not for the better. Clubs are no longer competing for trophies; they’re competing for attention. Attention makes money. And that’s the purpose. Commercial success is king.