In 2018, Didier CANNIOUX, a member of the Boucaniers de la Rochelle and the Federation’s Executive Committee, decided to embark on the adventure of live-streaming Division 1 baseball games. With an initial grant, two cameras, a PC, and an internet connection, the journey began on March 31, 2019, with a match between the Cougars de Montigny and the Boucaniers de la Rochelle. Between successes (more cameras arrived) and setbacks (YouTube cutting live streams without warning), the 2019 season saw 20 games available for replay on the Baseball TV France YouTube channel.
The year 2020, marked by COVID, allowed Didier CANNIOUX to meet Vigile HOUAREAU, a no-code app developer in Réunion. One became a beta tester for the other on an app for the city of Rochefort to inform the population about good deals during the various lockdowns.
The app was equipped with a streaming system, and on June 12, 2021, the Baseball TV France app was launched. Fabrice TRIBES, as an illustrator (he created the baseball rule comics for the FFBS), designed the graphic charter for Baseball TV France.
That’s when the second season of live baseball broadcasts began. Vincent PICARD joined as a commentator for the first match directly streamed on the app on June 13, 2021. The broadcast was supervised by Valentine CANNIOUX. Assisted by Laurine PEYLET for TV graphics, the app streamed all home games in La Rochelle (14 matches). Meanwhile, daily articles were published on the app covering baseball, softball, and baseball5. Numerous articles and podcasts from other media were also shared (À coup sûr, The Strike Out, The Baseblog…).
The France Challenge took place the same year in La Rochelle, and the matches were streamed on the app, which had nearly 1,000 followers at the time.
By late August 2021, the Baseball TV France team traveled to Rouen to broadcast the first two games of the French Series, proving that their video equipment was portable.
Throughout the season, the app also streamed other matches: the Templiers de Sénart, the Barracudas de Montpellier, the Olympic Games, and D2 matches via Swishlive…
Then « winter is coming » in baseball, but the app didn’t sleep. It continued to publish daily articles, portraits, and events from around the world, written by Didier and Vincent.
At the beginning of 2022, the Baseball TV France team expanded thanks to students from the La Rochelle Business School: Excellia. A creative director joined: Aline HERY, and two journalists: Benjamin WITTE from The Baseblog and François Colombier for baseball, and Raina Hunter for softball.
Lucille LORE joined the team to voice the podcasts.
Then came the time for social media. The Baseball TV France app launched pages on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, driven by community manager Fréderic LEPELLEUX, Maxence ESTEBAN, and Valentine CANNIOUX.
The app reached 2,000 followers by late March and launched into a new adventure for the 2022 season.
First novelty: matches will be available live on the app and your phone, but also on the website www.baseballtv.fr, allowing you to watch games on your PC or TV in full screen.
Second novelty: the team traveled to Montpellier to broadcast the opening day on April 10, 2022, against La Rochelle.
11 people, each in their role and volunteering, work to make this app the central hub for baseball broadcasts in France. Let’s dream that one day, all Division 1 teams will stream their games on their own channels, and Baseball TV France will allow you to watch them all with a single click on your app.
November 2023: 5,500 members
Social media: 14,500 followers across all platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube)
Photo credits: Glenn Gervot, here, Hiep Images, Frederic Volpato
