Tactics Exposed

What started as a woodwork project in The Sun head of sport Dean Scoggins’ kitchen has become the flagship pillar of the Sun Originals video network. Tactics Exposed began as a self-built football table, designed to offer a deep-dive analysis into football tactics, before being green-lit as part of the The Sun’s new video commissioning stream.

Hosted by Scoggins and journalist Will Pugh, Tactics Exposed uses custom-built telestration tools to provide viewers with a unique perspective on key tactical decisions. It gives audiences a way to engage with expert sports journalists through new channels, via a weekly 30-minute ‘appointment view’ show and shorter clips, optimised via AI and generating huge social engagement across platforms including Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

Tactics Exposed is Sun Originals’ most successful show, generating tens of millions of views, a high average on-platform watch time, and tens of thousands of new YouTube subscribers. Audience comments are as powerful, with some viewers saying it has boosted their enjoyment of football by giving them a clearer understanding of tactics. 

The show’s popularity with its audience has driven commercial success, with two series sponsorships from Betfair. And lessons learned from Tactics Exposed are now being applied to other Sun shows.

Judges’ comments: “Wonderful initiative that's spread like wildfire across platforms…

Great fun, an innovative mix of the old and the new to engage a key Sun audience.”