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The Calum Johnson Show

Robbie Lyle (EXCLUSIVE): Beef With Legacy Media & Building @AFTVmedia To Over 1 Million Subscribers

Watch more about how to take control of your life | Dontez Akram Timestamps 2:13: How Robbie’s parents set him up for success 13:20: How he scaled through the pitfalls of the music industry.

Robbie LyleguestCalum Johnsonhost

Apr 8, 20241h 47mWatch on YouTube

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CHAPTERS

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Chapter summaries

Cold Open and Introduction to Robbie Lyle
Calum Johnson previews the episode and introduces Robbie Lyle, founder of Arsenal Fan TV and DR Sports. He promises an inside look at how a controversial sports media brand was built, including backlash from media, players and trolls.
- •Robbie Lyle is the founder of Arsenal Fan TV and DR Sports
- •Calum says Robbie revealed things only his brother knows
- •The journey involved backlash from media, former players and online trolls
- •Robbie describes being physically attacked by fans outside the stadium
Growing Up in a Strict Jamaican Household
Robbie describes growing up as one of four brothers in London and Luton with Jamaican parents. He credits his dad's emphasis on hard work, discipline and integrity, and his mum's kindness and faith, for his principles.
- •Parents moved from Jamaica to England in the '60s; Robbie was one of four boys
- •His dad, a plasterer, said a Black person in the UK must work twice as hard
- •Integrity and keeping your word were stressed, along with remembering his heritage
- •His mum was church-going and taught him to treat everyone with respect
- •His parents' focus on education meant his misbehavior at school reached his dad quickly
Temptations in the Reggae Music Scene
Robbie explains how "Proud to Be Black" reached number one in the UK reggae charts and took him around the world. He recounts turning down an offer to invest in drugs and handing back envelopes of weed and cocaine, crediting his parents' teachings.
- •"Proud to Be Black" topped the UK reggae charts and took off in America
- •He was offered a chance to invest in drugs and had a sleepless night before declining
- •The man who made the offer later served about 10 years in prison
- •A promoter handed him envelopes of weed and cocaine, which he returned
- •He compares his parents' guidance to the angel and devil on a cartoon character's shoulders
Fame, Humility and Seeing the Music Career Wane
Robbie reflects on how fame felt and why his humble background kept his ego in check. He saw his music career fading, went back to a 9-to-5, and dealt with people's assumptions that artists make huge money.
- •Early fame brought attention, but he stayed humble because of his upbringing
- •He hadn't traveled much before music took him around the country and abroad
- •He could see shows and tune sizes shrinking and accepted it
- •He got a job instead of clinging to being a former artist, which was hard
- •Reggae earned decent money, not the millions people assumed
Serial Ventures and Faith in a Failed Nightclub
Robbie lists the businesses he tried, from market stalls and clothes to promotions and a nightclub, and says he isn't scared to try things. He believes God shut the nightclub down because it wasn't right for him.
- •Earlier ventures included market stalls, importing hip-hop clothes from America and promoting events
- •He calls himself fearless and thought every venture would be the one
- •He says you may have to flop a few times, and believes God can lock off a path that isn't for you
- •He felt the nightclub failure was God intervening, though he was bitter at the time
The Fallout of the Club Closing: Debt and Hard Years
Robbie explains why the club's closure still stings: licensing authorities cut its hours and killed trade. He describes about two years of repaying lenders on a tight budget, then the idea behind AFTV emerging from a friend's boxing channel.
- •Licensing cut the 4am closing time to midnight, which killed the trade
- •He had borrowed from people who had to be repaid, and he repaid them all
- •For about two years he had little money left after bills, working a job with kids
- •He told himself he'd come back later down the line
- •The AFTV idea grew from holding a camera for a friend's boxing channel
The Viral Moment That Launched AFTV
Robbie recalls the Supporters Club videos filmed after Arsenal lost to Aston Villa following a summer without signings. Chris Hudson's rant and other videos hit around a million views and trended number one, bringing national and international coverage.
- •Fans were frustrated after no summer signings and a loss to Aston Villa
- •The videos captured fans' frustration and went out the same day
- •Before this, the channel was getting around 5,000 to 20,000 views and had once celebrated 100
- •The videos reached a million views and trended number one on YouTube
- •Newspapers ran the video, some without permission, and it appeared abroad with subtitles
Living a Double Life While Working a 9-to-5
Robbie describes juggling surveying work with AFTV, filming videos in his car and managing his schedule so his job never suffered. He had learned to hide his side career after jealousy at an earlier workplace.
- •He changed into a football shirt in his car to film breaking news
- •He did property visits early so he could film match previews
- •His boss only learned what he was up to about a year ago
- •At an earlier job, jealousy led to him being refused holiday for a show in America
- •He says his work for the day job and for AFTV never suffered, only he did
Quitting the Day Job and the Leap of Faith
Robbie explains that he left his job when he realized he couldn't grow AFTV further while keeping it. Going full time meant working harder than before, and both speakers call it a leap of faith.
- •The point to leave came when he felt AFTV wouldn't grow more while he kept the job
- •He had to explain the move to family who remembered his earlier setbacks
- •Going full time meant working twice as hard, which his father's work ethic prepared him for
- •He values consistent view counts over one-off viral hits
- •Consistent figures of 50,000 views and up count as great numbers for football content
Clash With Gary Neville and Attacks From Legacy Media
Robbie describes the clash with Gary Neville, which ended in a respectful meeting arranged by Sky. Calum reads criticisms from Neville, Simon Jordan and Ray Parlour, and Robbie says he was ready to answer them because he knew his audience was larger.
- •Robbie responded to Gary Neville with a video recorded on his phone, which went viral
- •Sky invited them to a meeting that ended with mutual respect and put AFTV before a wider audience
- •Calum reads quotes from Neville, Simon Jordan and Ray Parlour calling AFTV embarrassing or drivel
- •Robbie says some legacy media were scared, and he pushed back because he had financed the channel himself
- •Ian Wright and Levi Roots offered encouragement and warned him not to be derailed
Handling Haters, Simon Jordan and Thick Skin
Robbie says criticism comes with growth, noting that the BBC later invited him to speak to its football staff. He talks about his personal feud with Simon Jordan and says hurtful attacks come from people he trusted or are racist.
- •The BBC asked him and Redmen TV's Paul to talk about making content
- •He says not everyone has to like your content, and he doesn't criticize shows he dislikes
- •He found his TalkSPORT appearance with Simon Jordan very personal
- •Attacks from trusted people and racist abuse cut deepest
- •He advises influencers to be prepared and not let it derail them
The Toughest Moment: Confrontation at the Emirates
Robbie recalls a time Arsenal fans tried to stop AFTV from filming at the Emirates, the week after his niece's sudden death. He held his nephew back and didn't retaliate, and a man involved later apologized.
- •Fans ran up on the crew and it nearly became a big fight
- •His niece had died the week before, and his nephew had come to the game to take his mind off it
- •He pulled his nephew away despite his anger and offers of help from people he knew
- •One man later came back and apologized
- •He credits God with stopping him from reacting
Faith, Staying the Course and Not Reacting With Emotion
Robbie talks about his belief in God and how prayers are answered in God's way and time. Asked what he'd say to someone whose life is hit by several things at once, he advises stepping back and avoiding reacting purely from emotion.
- •He believes God delivers in his own way and time, not ours
- •He says we can't comprehend God and sometimes still questions events in the world
- •Calum says multiple things going wrong at once is when character is tested
- •Robbie says to stay the course and avoid reacting purely from emotion
- •Taking time to reflect often changes your view of the situation
What His Parents Would Think and Helping Others
Robbie says his parents would be proud. His dad lived to see AFTV and gave understated approval, while his mum's example of generosity shapes his own efforts to help others in the industry.
- •His mum passed away before AFTV began; his dad saw it grow and approved
- •His mum would tell him to help other people with his success
- •He tries to help talented people in the space and mentions Anita and Kelechi
- •At his mum's funeral, strangers described the help she had given them
- •Calum thanks him and notes the AFTV team had been in contact for months about the interview

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