Key insights

• A media audience can become a direct customer base, not just an advertising asset. Rather than monetising reach alone through advertising and sponsorship, GFN used its million-plus monthly AFTV and DR Sports fans as the foundation for a product it could sell and own directly.
• The highest-value moment to convert a fan is while they’re already paying attention. Rather than running Rocket Mobile as a campaign alongside the broadcast, it was built into the broadcast itself – full-show takeovers and FanCams appearances put the offer in front of fans at the exact moment their attention was highest, not scheduled around it.
• Retention has to be built before launch, not bolted on after. Because a subscriber is worth more the longer they stay, the perks programme – private WhatsApp group, live Q&As with talent – was designed as part of the product from day one, not added once churn became a problem.

Overview

With over a million dedicated football fans engaging with its AFTV and DR Sports brands every month, Global Fan Network (GFN) wanted to create more revenue generating opportunities beyond advertising and sponsorship.

In 2026, Dizplai partnered with GFN to build Rocket Mobile from the ground up: the brand, the offer, the marketing, and the sales conversion journey needed to turn a media audience into paying subscribers.

The Opportunity

“Our commercial model had always relied on selling access to our audience, advertising and sponsorship revenue tied to the reach of AFTV and DR Sports. The mobile network opportunity offered something structurally different: a chance to sell directly to that audience, rather than simply around it.” – Brett Lotriet Best, CEO at GFN.

With over a million dedicated football fans engaging with GFN’s channels every month, the potential was significant:

A step-change in the value of the audience. Where advertising monetises attention, a direct-to-consumer product monetises loyalty. This gave GFN the opportunity to unlock a materially higher value per fan than sponsorship alone could deliver, while diversifying its revenue base beyond media sales.

A revenue stream owned outright. Rather than income dependent on advertiser demand or sponsorship cycles, a mobile network gave GFN a product it could own end-to-end, with revenue generated directly from its own community.

A new use for existing audience trust. GFN’s audience already had a strong, established relationship with AFTV and DR Sports content and talent. That trust represented untapped commercial potential, the chance to extend the relationship from viewer to customer.

What Dizplai delivered

Dizplai led the end-to-end build of Rocket Mobile, working closely with the GFN team from brand concept through to launch and ongoing customer engagement.

Brand naming and identity: Ran targeted focus groups to test naming directions before landing on Rocket Mobile – a name built around the “sweet spot,” the perfect strike every fan recognises, rather than any literal reference to rockets.

Proposition design: Shaped a highly competitive pricing and package structure, combining unlimited data, calls and texts with generous EU roaming, to give the brand a genuine point of difference in the market.

Brand and marketing assets: Designed the full brand identity and produced all outward-facing marketing materials, including the consumer website and social channels.

Content and talent activation: Created video advertising and social content with GFN’s on-screen talent, using football-specific messaging and calls-to-action tailored to the AFTV and DR Sports audience.

Live broadcast integration: Used Dizplai’s own graphics technology to deliver full-show takeovers, turning interactive graphics into branded moments that triggered alongside live match action. Rocket Mobile also featured in AFTV’s FanCams content, connecting the physical matchday crowd with the digital audience.

Retention through community: Built a perks programme giving Rocket Mobile customers access to a private community, including monthly live Q&A sessions with AFTV and DR Sports talent – designed to keep customers engaged well beyond the point of sale, given the long-term nature of mobile contracts.

The Impact

“Rocket Mobile gave us a direct-to-consumer revenue stream outside of our traditional advertising and sponsorship income. It means a product with full ownership and control, sold direct to our community – that’s a very exciting prospect. Following launch, we saw a steady flow of new customers joining during every live event, a meaningful early signal for a brand-new offering in a competitive market.” – Brett Lotriet Best, CEO at GFN.

A reusable model for future ventures

The brand, the broadcast integration approach, and the community-led retention model now exist as assets both organisations can draw on again, giving GFN and Dizplai a strong foundation for future direct-to-consumer activations.

Offering value beyond the contract

Working alongside GFN, we created a perks programme that embedded their community directly into the offering. Subscribers had the chance to join an exclusive WhatsApp group, with priority access to content, access to live events and an exclusive invitation to join one of the UK’s largest football fan communities. This reinforced a value exchange for customers, supporting long term relationships.

FAQs