Case study · FNX | First Nations Experience
FNX Case Study: From 34 States to All 50 States and U.S. Territories
What if your content could reach 3X the audience?
You've invested in creating content people want to watch. But if your distribution is limited by geography, third-party platforms, broadcast schedules, or fragmented channels, your potential audience may be much larger than the audience you're reaching today.
FNX | First Nations Experience used Lightcast to create a direct-to-audience OTT streaming experience that extends its programming beyond its traditional broadcast footprint.
See how FNX created the potential to 3X its addressable audience→34 states → 50 states + U.S. territories
The FNX story
From affiliates in 34 states to all 50 states and U.S. territories.
FNX used Lightcast to expand beyond its traditional PBS footprint, moving from affiliates in 34 states to potential on-demand availability across all 50 states and U.S. territories. FNX believes that gives it the potential to double or triple its addressable market.
The challenge
Your audience shouldn't be limited by your distribution.
Organizations invest significant time and money creating content, but too often their ability to reach audiences is constrained by things they don't control. FNX faced exactly that challenge.
What holds great content back:
- Third-party distribution
- Geography
- Broadcast schedules
- Platforms you don't control
- Content that becomes hard to discover after its initial release
PBS distribution remained an important part of FNX's strategy, but not every PBS station carried its feed, and not every cable provider carried PBS digital subchannels.
The solution
You have the content. You have the audience. Do you own the connection between them?
FNX wanted to complement broadcast with a direct digital experience that could reach audiences wherever connectivity was available. With Lightcast, it created its own branded streaming experience, the same approach Lightcast offers broadcasters and public media.
Beyond the broadcast footprint.
FNX made its programming available to more people, in more places: from affiliates in 34 states to potential on-demand availability across all 50 states and U.S. territories.
The potential to double or triple its addressable audience.
A direct relationship with viewers.
An owned, branded streaming destination gives FNX a direct digital relationship with its audience, alongside the PBS distribution that remains an important part of its strategy.
Beyond geography, broadcast schedules, and third-party platforms.
Know where viewers are and what they watch.
Lightcast gives FNX direct insight into where viewers are and what they're watching: first-party audience understanding that third-party distribution can't provide.
Your current audience isn't necessarily your potential audience.
More from the content you've already created.
The programs, interviews, events, and educational content you've already produced can do more than serve a single moment or channel. An always-on streaming destination extends their life, expands their reach, and creates new ways for audiences to engage.
One all-star football event alone drew nearly 12,000 views.
Could we do this?
Your audience may be bigger than you think
Before you invest in creating more content, consider what you could do with the content you already have. The FNX approach fits organizations that:
- Already produce meaningful quantities of video
- Depend heavily on third parties for distribution
- Have geographically dispersed audiences
- Want to extend the life and reach of existing content
- Need better first-party audience insights
- Want sponsorship, underwriting, or advertising revenue
- Have a mission or community that would benefit from a dedicated digital destination
Your next growth opportunity may already be sitting in your content library.
Side by side
Limited by distribution vs. direct to audience
Could your content reach a larger audience? Live longer? Be easier to discover? Create new opportunities for engagement, sponsorship, or revenue?
| Third-party distribution alone | With your own Lightcast destination |
|---|---|
| Reach stops where carriage stops | Available wherever viewers have connectivity |
| Viewers tune in on a broadcast schedule | Always on, on demand |
| Content is hard to find after its first airing | A library that keeps working and stays discoverable |
| Someone else sits between you and your viewers | A direct relationship with your audience |
| Little visibility into who is watching | Insight into where viewers are and what they watch |
| Limited ways to earn from existing content | Room for sponsorship, underwriting, and advertising |
FNX is using Lightcast to do just that: extending the reach and value of its programming while building a direct connection with its audience.
You've built the content. Now build the audience.
How far could your content reach?
You've already invested in creating content worth watching. Let's look at the audience opportunity for your content and see how much further it could go.
Book a DemoSee how other organizations grew with Lightcast in our case studies.
