Florida instated a statewide shutdown on the exact day an event was planned, according to a statement by the organizer. Mitchell encountered difficulties in assembling the appropriate workers and equipment necessary for the pay-per-view (PPV) event. The pandemic made flights unavailable, necessitating Mitchell to produce the event from California utilizing a cell phone group chat and a “last-minute local crew.” The electronic news gathering (ENG) camera operator was significantly shorter than Mitchell, requiring innovative solutions to maintain him in the frame.
Mitchell reported that Freedom Factory’s first PPV event attracted 75,000 concurrent viewers, causing both his website and those of the event sponsors to crash. The initial bandwidth provider underestimated their viewership projections, resulting in a humorous apology followed by a request for a significantly larger payment.
Among the early challenges was incorporating the livestream platform into Mitchell’s e-commerce site, particularly managing dual logins for merchandise shopping and livestream PPV on the same site. Moving forward, the focus is on smoothly transitioning the YouTube audience to FRDM+ for premium live events.
Live events remain central to FRDM+, with 21 livestreamed events scheduled throughout 2025 and more anticipated. Bandwidth issues are no longer a problem for FRDM+, and the user experience has become comparable to platforms like Netflix. The service features various channels grouped by related content or ongoing series, with new releases and upcoming content highlighted. Simplified navigation and horizontal scroll options, alongside content summaries and trailers, enhance user engagement. A support section provides cancellation instructions for subscriptions.
Subscribers have the option to watch FRDM+ through web browsers or smart TV apps. The service currently offers apps for Apple TV, Fire OS, and Roku OS. The FRDM+ team continually develops more connected TV apps, aiming to add features, increase interactivity, and attract more customers. FRDM+ relies on a combination of diverse technologies, as explained by Mill. AWS bandwidth servers handle significant tasks, while Accedo supports the connected TV apps, linking the technology stack to the audience. Brightcove is the primary video player partner, with additional backup systems ensuring service reliability.
Redundancy is a crucial component for a service focused on live events. At the Freedom Factory, air fiber is transmitted from a house five miles away to secure a dependable secondary Internet connection. A concealed page on the Cleetus McFarland website can launch a backup stream if the primary feed fails.
The primary challenge for FRDM+ currently lies not in technical aspects but in managing various business elements with a small team. The company has 35 full-time employees across Shop, Race Track, Events, and Merch divisions, and is entirely self-funded. While they depend on contractors for production, the core livestream team comprises six full-time employees.