In February the Arizona Cardinals launched Cardinals Flight Plan, a first-of-its-kind documentary series available on Facebook Watch that takes fans behind the scenes for an inside look at the team's offseason.
Released every other Wednesday since February 14th, the first five episodes have combined to amass more than 1.5 million views.
And the momentum for Flight Plan has been building as the series has unfolded. Episode 4 released on March 28th is the most viewed one to date with 420,000 video views while Episode 5 released on April 11th has produced the greatest reach and most shares. The five remaining episodes will be rolled out between now and the end of June.
Not surprisingly, nearly 30 percent of the show's audience is made up of viewers in the state of Arizona. However, the international appeal of Flight Plan is reflected in the fact that nearly 9% of its audience resides in England, whose viewers can access the program through the Cardinals' main Facebook page.
"We are always looking for new and innovative ways to connect with fans and provide them with unique content where they are consuming it," Cardinals president Michael Bidwill said. "The job that (VP, Broadcasting/Digital Content) Tim DeLaney and his staff have done on Flight Plan has been phenomenal and the overwhelming response reflects the incredibly high quality of their work."
ABOUT "FLIGHT PLAN": From the final moments of the 2017 season and leading up to training camp in 2018, Flight Plan has allowed fans to follow the team's search for a new head coach and quarterback along with the evaluation process in preparation for free agency. Viewers will continue to see how it unfolds through the NFL Draft and on the practice field in preparation for the 2018 regular season.
The series debuted on February 14 with Flight Plan: Reshuffling the Deck as team President Michael Bidwill and General Manager Steve Keim underwent the search that led to the hiring of new Head Coach Steve Wilks. In subsequent episodes, fans were introduced to Wilks while also tagging along as the front office and scouting staff evaluated talent at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine. Episode 4: Veteran Moves covered the reshaping of the roster in free agency through the acquisitions of quarterback Sam Bradford and a number of new faces along the offensive line. Episode 5: Groundwork, featured players coming together for offseason workouts.
ABOUT FACEBOOK WATCH: Launched in 2017, Facebook Watch is a video on demand service that provides original content on the world's largest social media platform with over one billion users worldwide. Facebook Watch is available in the U.S. on mobile, desktop and through Facebook TV apps.
HOW TO WATCH: Regardless of whether they have a Facebook account, fans within the U.S. can watch the series by going to facebook.com/cardinalsflightplan. Viewers outside the U.S. are able to access the show via the Cardinals' main Facebook page.
