Portuguese Youth Esports · Research HubData room

The Production Gap - Workstream Checklist

The production-gap workstream step by step: whether Hero's AI production stack could fill a gap in small European esports, and whether Portugal is the right testbed.

Without a clip-cadence count, the production gap stays an assertion.

Six steps over roughly two weeks, run alongside the survey, ending in a five-slide note. The decisive step is Step 2: clip cadence is the metric that makes the gap measurable rather than asserted.

Target: finish in ~2 weeks alongside the survey. Deliverable at the end: a 5-slide note titled "The production gap."

Step 1 - Broadcast audit (desk, ~3 hours)

Pick the VODs:

  • Find the most recent Master League Portugal broadcast VOD (Twitch: search the league channel, or E2Tech's channel)
  • Find the most recent LPLOL broadcast VOD (Inygon / LPLOL channel)
  • Pick one tier-1 benchmark VOD (BLAST Open Spring 2025 or any recent VCT match)

Score each broadcast on the same checklist (1-5 per item, note details):

  • Casters: how many, energy, analysis depth
  • Observing: does the camera catch the action or miss it
  • Replays: instant replays and slow-mo after big moments, yes/no and quality
  • Overlays: live stats, player cams, HUD polish
  • Sponsor integration: how are sponsors shown (static logo vs produced segments)
  • Transitions and downtime: what fills pauses between maps/games
  • Overall polish: does it look professional or improvised
  • VOD availability: is the full broadcast even available afterwards

Output:

  • One table: PT domestic vs tier-1, element by element, with scores

Step 2 - Clip cadence measurement (desk, ~2 hours, the killer metric)

For the last completed Master League event AND the last LPLOL split:

  • Find the league's TikTok, Instagram and X/Twitter accounts
  • Count highlight clips posted during and after the event
  • For each clip: note the timestamp vs when the moment happened (hours or days later?)
  • Note views per clip
  • Do the same quick count for one Hero property (ACL CS2 social accounts) as the contrast

Output:

  • One line per league like: "3-day event, X clips posted, first clip Y hours after the moment, avg Z views"
  • The contrast slide: their cadence vs Hero's "footage to clips in seconds"

Step 3 - Operator interviews (outreach now, calls when they land)

Outreach:

  • Email/DM E2Tech (Master League operator)
  • Email/DM Inygon (LPLOL + VCL operator)
  • Backup targets if silent after 4-5 days: RTP Arena production team, FPDE

Questions (same set for both, 20 min max):

  • Who produces your broadcast - in-house or contracted out?
  • Roughly what does a season of production cost? (ranges are fine)
  • If you had 2x the production budget, what would you improve first?
  • Who cuts your social clips, and how long does it take?
  • Would an automated production/clipping service interest you?
  • If yes, what price shape works: monthly tool, per-event service, or revenue share?

Output:

  • 2-3 quotable lines on production cost and pain points

Step 4 - Size the buyer pool (desk, one afternoon)

  • List national league operators in: Spain (LVP), Italy, Poland, Nordics, Netherlands, plus Portugal's two
  • For each: name, country, main leagues, rough scale (peak viewers from Esports Charts)
  • Aim for 10-15 named operators

Output:

  • One table: the European small-operator market, with Portugal flagged as cheapest entry

Step 5 - Competitive check (desk, ~1 hour)

  • Search: automated esports production tools, AI highlight clipping esports, esports broadcast automation
  • List what exists and what it costs
  • Note Hero's angles vs each: trained on 7,000 matches/yr, proven at tier-1, bundled with commercial sales

Output:

  • Short "what already exists" paragraph so the note survives the obvious question

Step 6 - Assemble the deliverable

5 slides:

  • 1. The gap: audit scorecard (PT vs tier-1)
  • 2. The cadence: clips and timing, PT leagues vs Hero
  • 3. The cost: interview quotes on production budgets and pain
  • 4. The market: operator list, Portugal as testbed
  • 5. The concept: Hero white-labels its AI production layer to small European operators, one paragraph, with open questions stated honestly

Final checks:

  • Every number has a source or is labelled an estimate
  • Caveats on the slide, not hidden
  • Speaker notes carry the detail

Sequencing with the rest of the internship

  • This week: Steps 1, 2, 5 (pure desk work) + send Step 3 outreach
  • Next week: Step 4, interviews as they land, assemble Step 6
  • Survey work continues in parallel; interviews can cover both topics in one call