FLYT Aims to Unite Aviation Enthusiasts Globally Through Niche, AI-Powered Streaming Content
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Show Notes:
In this episode of Mission Matters, Adam Torres interviews George Greenberg, CEO & Co-Founder of FLYT, about building a streaming platform dedicated to aviation and aerospace. With a background in launching iconic TV networks, George explains why now is the perfect time to create a digital hub for a global and passionate community.
About George Greenberg
George Greenberg is a highly experienced entrepreneurial executive with a proven ability to develop, launch and operate national media properties that have become iconic, valuable assets. He is a leading expert in the creation of new programming services combining traditional media know-how with digital savvy. A creative thought leader, George is respected for his motivational leadership style, ability to build and cultivate highly effective teams and establish strong relationships across the advertising, media and entertainment industries.
About FLYT
FLYT is a new streaming video-on-demand service and app that provides a dedicated destination serving consumers’ rapidly expanding interest in all forms of flight.
Watch Full Interview:
Full Unedited Transcript
Hey, I’d like to welcome you to another episode of Mission Matters. My name is Adam Torres, and if you’d like to apply to be a guest in the show, just head on over to mission matters.com and click on be Our Guest to Apply. Alright, so today I’m in Los Angeles, California, and I’m at the original mixer. Let me tell you, we’re having quite a time.
It’s over at the Lux. In Los Angeles and Kathleen Epley invited us out. And my next guest is George. George, welcome to the show. Thank you. Thank you for having us. Alright, George, so what brings you to the mixer today? Well, we are a new client of Kathleen Epley in the Los Angeles Consulting Group. Yeah.
So I understand you work FLYT, a founder. Talk to me about it. So FLYT is a new multi-channel streaming service that we are launching focused on aviation in space. Wow. So do you come from the streaming or the entertainment? I, I have a 30 year background in, in the, in the media and television business.
I’ve been part of the launch of. Multiple cable channels. Wow. The golf channel, tech tv. Wow. I was part of the launch of USSB and DirecTV in this country. Amazing. And part of the relaunch of Reels channel. So I How, how’d you get the idea for FLYT? Like, where’d that come come from? I actually, I’ve been watching this category for years.
Really? Because you, we know what a linear channel is, right? Yeah. Mm-hmm. This is a very large, some estimates there are 500 million people around the globe that are interested in one aspect. Wow. Yeah. Of, of aviation space. Yeah. But they don’t all watch the same thing. You know what the thing about the golf channel is?
Everybody plays that game. Yeah. With the same ball in the same set of clubs, of course. Right. In, in aviation and space, you have people who love helicopters. You have people who have drones, you have people who are into new space. You have people that are 12 million people in this country alone who go to air shows every year.
Yeah, yeah. You have to have a dedicated personalized service. So when they tune in, they get what they’re looking for. Mm. And so we’ve been watching it for years and really with the SaaS based mm-hmm. OTT platforms that are available today commercially. Because I’m not a technology guy. You don’t have to be anymore.
Yeah, don’t have to be anymore. That’s the point I’m saying. So now we can actually execute and get to market. Wow. Yeah. What kind of, I’m just curious, thinking about obviously the model, so is it subscription, is it advertised? IT combination? Great question. So I think, look, I think that what’s important when you start this Yeah.
Just have the low friction point for sure. To get the MA the maximum number of users that can sample us. Yeah. So when we start, we’ll be a hundred percent AV voc. Mm-hmm. It’ll be advertising supported. We also believe that there will be an opportunity for sponsorship and branded content. Yeah. There’s a lot of endemic advertisers to this industry.
Mm-hmm. That don’t have a, an efficient way to reach their audience. Absolutely, absolutely. Because it’s so fractionalized and once upon a time it was, you just throw money at everybody. At everything, at everybody. So we are, we will be aggregating. The other part of this is we are at. Well, what I like to call a mini mass network.
Yeah. We, we are, we are creating a mass audience from a bunch of smaller channels. Yeah. It’s interesting you say that. ’cause when we started Mission Matters, the concept and the idea, I actually host eight different shows and they’re all different niches. And we built that and now we have a catalog, Nova 6,000 interviews, and that’s over the last nine years.
This year I’ll do over 2000 interviews and then, and we are aiming to hit. All of these different audiences and that, and that for our advertisers, for our subscribers, for everything else, it’s no longer just a couple networks. It’s like you’re, you’re fighting for those pockets and over time you’re building that loyalty and trust and every hour somebody listens or, or watches flight versus something else that was providing maybe general content is a win.
It’s, it’s a win. And look, I think that. Look, and we, we know from just what Netflix is doing with their re Yeah. Their beautiful retooling they’ve just done, yeah. There’s something in the industry. I’ve heard it called content discovery fatigue. Yeah. All right. Where you spent 20 minutes, everybody’s done, man, everybody’s just you saying that.
I did it last night, so I’m hurt. So the same time I was done, I didn’t wanna watch anything. There you go. So the point is now we have the tools. Yeah, yeah. And we have the, the AI based tools that are. Driving the recommendation engines. Mm. So the more you watch on flight and the more we learn about you Yep.
The more we can provide a personalized service. Mm-hmm. What, what do you think in terms of initial content? Like what, what kind of things, how do you think you’re gonna source that? Is it gonna be, I. Bringing in other, other great, great catalogs that exist. Is it gonna be growing in house combination?
All, all of it. So how do you do all of it? Well, you have to, you don’t have a choice. Okay. You don’t have a choice. Ah, man. So, so if you’re hurting my head here, George. Ah, so look, so, so part of it is one of the things that we have done is we are acquiring this country’s premier broadcaster of live tele live air show.
It’s live air show tv. Okay. So there’s a lot. So that infrastructure is there. There’s a lot. And there’s a live component. Yeah. That’s a big part. And there’s, and there’s a sports component because there’s air races Yes. And there’s drone races. Mm-hmm. And so we believe that there’s a new vertical with one of our channels that is live.
Very important. Yeah. We will, of course, curate the best of the programming that is out there. And we will, we expect that we will have, we will have, content providers. Mm-hmm. That we will do a rev share deal. Yeah. And we’ll build a library that way. For sure. For sure. Then the other thing is we have a whole slate of original content that we’ll be reproducing.
Yeah. Am I thinking like off base? When I think of like, and obviously they, everything’s in house with them, but like a Red Bull tv. Yeah. How that, how that, how whatever they did, whatever they created, they’re, I’m soapbox races in Germany from five, 10 years ago, are still playing at night. There’s, they’re still, and they’re still good and people still watching, people still catch me sometimes.
I’m like, dang, why am I watching this? Because of content fatigue, George. And, and there were, and there were things that the public hasn’t seen yet. Yes. Like short takeoff and landing drag racing. Oh, that’s cool. When these pilots take off within 10 feet and land within 10 feet. Wow. And so, so part of what we’re going to be doing is bringing some of these sport spec that addictive like kind of component of like, well, you know, from, from your own work.
Yeah. That to be successful you have to become a habit. Yeah. Yeah. And to become a habit. Mm-hmm. You have to feel, fill the personal needs of, of your For sure. Audience. For sure. That’s awesome. So we’re, so tell me about where you stand today. Like, where the network is today. What should I call it? A network, by the way, how do we, we call it a streaming service.
We’re, the streaming service starts today, which is the, a streaming service. So, so, so we have, so we’ve been developing it for about three years. Yeah. My partner Craig Ackran and I have put significant dollars in this. Mm-hmm. We have a small group of friends and family. And we are up now with Kathleen raising our first zero.
Amazing. That’s, and so That’s awesome. That is what we are doing. Mm-hmm. And they’re leading, they’re leading the effort. Yeah. In, in, in, in that investment marketing process. Mm-hmm. And if everything goes according to plan mm-hmm. We’ll launch in April of 2026. Wow. That’s amazing. And so, looking at the, at the, the launch, and obviously this is gonna be, you’re still in the middle of all your seed round, but to get to that point.
That’s an accomplishment. It is cool. And you’ve been fine. You’ve been following this for the, the niche and the in for a bit now, so that’s interesting. Well, look, I also think there’s a convergence of, of several things that also make this the right time. Mm. You know, there is, on a global basis there is renewed interest Yeah.
In aviation and space. Yeah, for sure. You know, for sure. You know, from, from, you know, obviously. Yeah. From, from, from the launches around around the world. Mm-hmm. The streaming, of course, has become. The dominant form. Yeah, yeah. Of of more accessible and more accessible. Know it. It’s OCT 10 years ago wasn’t what it’s now, now.
And about four, you know, by one study I saw 40% of all television viewing is now via streaming in this country. You know, so that, that’s, I never thought about that. That that’s the other. So this is how people are consuming. And then, and then the other one is that governments and private sector are investing.
Mm-hmm. Billions of dollars in new technology, in vertical aircraft, in vertical takeoff aircraft. Interesting. In air taxis. Yeah. One of our signature programs, we believe will be our newscast, our daily newscast. Yeah. Yeah. Because that will kind of be the sampler. Mm-hmm. What are the, what is the news of the day in all these different categories?
Mm-hmm. And we believe that that’s, that’s gonna be one of our major. So kind of like a, if I’m thinking of like a cheddar tv. Yeah. Like the, like the, not the exact content of course. And, but I’m just thinking about their component. Yes. That was like their core early on, early days was like, that was their real kind of hook.
Yes. And then they built from there to some other things. Yes. Oh man, this is exciting. Come on, Bri, that this is why people are tuning in here. We brought you the story. So last thing I want you to do, George look into the camera. How do people learn more about FLYT? How do they follow the, how do they follow the dream?
Well, you can follow us and follow the dream and join us on. FLYT.tv. Fantastic. If everybody watching, just so you know, we’ll definitely put the links in the show notes so you can just click on the links and head right on over. And speaking of the audience, if this is your first time with Mission Matters and you haven’t done it yet, hit that subscribe or follow button.
This is a daily show. Each and every day we’re bringing you new content, new ideas, and hopefully new inspiration to help you along the way in your journey as well. So again, hit that subscribe or follow button. And George, man, appreciate you coming on. I appreciate you having us. Thank you. Thank you.