Huh. Sounds cool, I’ll check that out.

Cut to 1am that night, I was still watching it, and here’s why.

1. The whole thing was streamed on YouTube

Awesome. This meant that I could easily set up a second screen near whatever it was that I was also doing at the same time. It meant that I could easily watch it from my big screen, which is hooked up to a PS3 with a YouTube app installed. I could watch it on my laptop while I was cooking via YouTube’s web interface. I could watch it with the sound muted while making some music.

Pictured: Model’s own Totoro

All of these different viewing experiences were enabled by YouTube’s web and device embedded apps. I could have watched it on my phone in the toilet, if I wanted to.

Key learning: content easy to access = more eyeballs can be attached to screen in more places.

2. It was free

If you asked me on Saturday evening, before I’d seen the stream, I probably wouldn’t have paid $10 to watch it without knowing what it was like, or trying it out for some period of time. The fact that it was free meant that I could easily get a taste for the type of content on offer, and quickly decide whether it was for me or not.

It definitely was, and today, I’d be more than happy to pay money to stream #FoS. I mean, I’d obviously prefer it if it was free — but I understand that it can’t be a cheap thing to put on, so I don’t mind contributing.

Key learning: low barrier to entry = more eyeballs get a chance to attach to screen.

3. The content was spot on

#FoS featured calm, knowledgeable and interesting commentary from pundits, broadcasters and guests, with the great Murray Walker paying a visit to the commentary box on Saturday for 20 minutes.

Aside from the hillclimb and circuit events, there were interviews and cutaway segments showing more interesting manufacturer stands, interviewing drivers, managers and fans, historic tributes, and so on. Sure, a bunch of it was driven by marketing, but it was clear that everyone present at the event was having a great time, and the hillclimb stages always took centre stage.

Key learning: content fit for purpose = eyeballs attached to screens for longer.

4. The advertising was tastefully done

The stream was dual purpose — it was broadcast out to the internet but the commentators were also coming through the event sound system and there were big screens set up around the grounds. This meant that any advertising had to work in both of these environments.

There was a small selection of video advertising, mostly for Goodwood membership services, Gran Turismo 6, Sky Sports F1, and things like that. No surprises there, but they were mixed quite low and didn’t rely on sound to communicate their messages. This is very different to the advertising on TV in Australia, which is brash, annoying, purposefully irritating and much louder compared to actual program content.

Key learning: pleasant and unobtrusive advertising = happier eyeballs continue to be attached to screen.

All in all, it was a great broadcast, and the #FoS team should be commended for crafting such a captivating content delivery experience, using very simple digital distribution tools.