New Sumo YT Channel

[John Gunning 3,659]

There is a new English language sumo YT channel in the planning stages.

Much has yet to be decided - including my own level of my involvement -  but I'm interested in hearing what kind of content / approach / upload schedule / video length etc. that people are interested in seeing.

Appreciate any suggestions / comments / ideas.

 

 

[Kintamayama 45,530]

7 hours ago, John Gunning said:

There is a new English language sumo YT channel in the planning stages.

Much has yet to be decided - including my own level of my involvement -  but I'm interested in hearing what kind of content / approach / upload schedule / video length etc. that people are interested in seeing.

Appreciate any suggestions / comments / ideas.

 

 

Excellent. Will it be a highlight reel of the bouts (which I'm guessing is what the majority of sumo fans want to see) or just general sumo stuff, historical etc? Most important (if it's a highlight reel )- not later than an hour after the action. A live feed with English commentary  ( available only outside of Japan, for a change, so as not to undermine NHK and its services..) would probably be too much to ask for-that would REALLY be cool.

[Ryoshishokunin 323]

A legal and easy way to watch the day's bouts in 20 minutes or less.  Either with the original english commentary or post, but Kintamayama's right--it's gotta be fast enough that I can watch it day of.  

(The MLB's 'game in 15 minutes', for instance—available a few hours after the last pitch—is a fine example from another sport.)

I am utterly uninterested in slice-of-life stuff, and in fact actively would avoid it.  Analysis and deep understanding of the techniques and skills would be welcome. Analytics, in the sense of 'advanced statistics', etc., would be welcome but I suspect don't exist.  However, all this is a long, long way back from "just show us the sumo".

[Jakusotsu 6,049]

And why is that Off-topic? 

[John Gunning 3,659]

Not a Kyokai channel so live feeds won't be an option and it remains to be seen how much access to tournaments / stables there will be

[Kintamayama 45,530]

3 hours ago, John Gunning said:

Not a Kyokai channel so live feeds won't be an option and it remains to be seen how much access to tournaments / stables there will be

So will it be a private channel legally sanctioned by the powers that be? 

[Yarimotsu 594]

I think in-depth lite-documentary content about sumo's intricacies and unique systems, as well as about historical topics, from people actually in-the-know and on the ground is probably the type of content that is missing. I can think of many channels that do this on youtube in the last few years over almost all of my interest groups, but the people who are attempting to cover sumo in such a light are each lacking some skillset or access. For example, there are people covering the history and current stories of lower-league football, especially in the UK, who have access to games and even if they cannot show any game footage they can talk to people who have always been around the club or the area and get a real local and familiar feel to their content, while leaning on the available online info for the initial storyline and stats.

Sumo is just another sport which should have such access but the barriers in place have blocked many of the youtube generation from actually covering its storylines in much depth. For example, the level of language and cultural proficiency required to have the necessary access to stables is lacking for all (stew, spiffy, don don etc) but Sumo Prime Time. Most of the current sumo-related channels do not even visit Japan due to travel costs / logistics. Sumo Prime Time struggles (in my opinion) to adapt in the opposite direction - I'm sure some here will disagree, but in my opinion the Japanese TV-style editing and 'bits' done on that channel (as well as the non-native English)severely limit its appeal. I also think they oversimplify the topics discussed, and the continuing lack of understanding shown in comment sections is a result of what kinds of attention the videos are retaining rather than being indicative of a general audience being unable to understand complex sumo content.

If what is being proposed will be an effort to create content on youtube that follows the current meta trends and is paced and directed according to relatively modern styles, I think it will do well. It could be the first product of any kind to bring sumo into this arena with actual access to fans, rikishi, stablemasters and physical locations while also having the necessary knowledge to find insights from this and ask reasonable questions and direct with purpose. If you can bring physical presence, knowledge and modern youtube 'documentary' presenting together.

 

I could be asking way too much, but this would be my vision. Podcasts are abundant already. 

[Tsurukame 5]

I just wrote a long reply, but every time I try to post it, I get the message that my IP has been temporarily blacklisted from the server No idea what is going on there - let's see whether I can post at all, and I'll try to add or edit in my original post later...

Edit: Alright, maybe quoting another post was the issue, or maybe the machine spirits just don't like me today.

(Original post, slightly edited)
That [i.e. Yarimotsu's first sentence] is the first thing that came to my mind, too. It's still quite challenging to find this kind of information outside of Japan or with limited language skills. I often want to dive deeper but end up running into a language barrier (I'm working on it) or not even knowing where to look. I also regularly host watch parties for more casual fans and "sumo newcomers", and they always have a lot of questions about the hows and whys - as well as an appreciation for fun facts and trivia. So this could appeal to both new fans and those who already know the basics but want to deepen their knowledge.

20 to 30 minutes might be a good video length for a specific topic. Short enough so casual watchers don't lose interest, long enough to go beyond superficial information. Personally, I'm happy as long as there is a consistent schedule and I know when to expect the next release, even if I have to wait for a bit.

Generally, I'd say a lot of factors depend on the intended target group. It might just be my background in tourism speaking, and maybe I'm completely off the mark - in that case, sorry! But these would be some questions I'd ask myself before working out the specifics, and maybe there's still something useful in there:

• Is the channel aimed at new fans, long-time watchers looking for niche information, or both of those groups / no specific target group?
• Will episodes be entirely independent from one another, or will there be theme blocks / thematic playlists?
• Will episodes presuppose some knowledge, or will the channel itself offer some kind of knowledge base (such as introductory episodes, a wiki, etc.)?
• Should content be presented by a host or moderator, or rather in a more impersonal documentary style?

Regardless, I'm happy to hear about this potential new project, and I hope it'll get off to a great start!

Edited April 16 by Tsurukame

[Vancouver BC Sumo Fan 4]

I'd like to see more English content about lower divisions. I watched a lot of juryo last basho for the first time and seeing Kusano wreck shit ...why would anyone want to miss that? There's some great sumo in juryo and below.

I want to hear more from the wrestlers, and I want subtitles. Do NOT dub them. Ever.

Always a pleasure to see you around here, John.

[John Gunning 3,659]

13 hours ago, Kintamayama said:

So will it be a private channel legally sanctioned by the powers that be? 

Independent and therefore the level of access that will be achievable has yet to be determined.

It's a small operation so there won't be daily basho uploads or anything like that. That kind of channel is really only doable by the Kyokai and its broadcast partners.

 

[Reonito 1,522]

Maybe videos reviewing close decisions and monoii, and using these to explain the nuances of the rules?

[Godango 1,015]

Thinking back to when I first got into sumo, I really enjoyed learning more about individual rikishi—their competitive histories, the ups and downs. I think there’s still a lot of room for that kind of content, especially with the fast risers we’ve seen lately like Onosato, Takerufuji, and Hakuoho. Most of us here already have a pretty solid understanding of who they are and where they’ve come from, but we’re also a group with a serious fixation. For more casual or new international fans, I think that kind of content could be really engaging.

On a similar note, it could be cool to cover up-and-comers—those in the amateur ranks or lower divisions who are starting to make waves. It’s a great way to follow their journey from early on and build a connection.

Aside from that, I think all the suggestions in this thread have merit.