From YouTube to FRDM+: Cleeng Powers a Migration for Motorsports Streaming

FRDM+ is a subscription streaming platform launched in 2022 by Cleetus McFarland, a YouTuber with over 4.6 million subscribers known for his action-packed motorsports videos. With more than 2 billion views as of February 2026, Cleetus has built one of the leading motorsports channels on YouTube.

When motorsport events were put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cleetus and his team saw an opportunity to offer fans more and expand beyond YouTube by offering live, premium event-driven experiences. That’s how FRDM+ was born.

The team’s goal was to build a platform that would work in parallel with the Cleetus McFarland channel. “YouTube stayed as the front door and FRDM+ became the owned venue”, explains Jonny Mill, President for FRDM+.

Screenshot of the Cleetus McFarland YouTube channel

The challenge: scaling beyond the early days

Launching FRDM+ was a labor-intensive effort, requiring immense dedication and creative problem-solving. In the first year, the team behind FRDM+ was essentially a one-person operation. “I was rebuilding the platform, managing vendors, hiring contractors, and handling customer support”, explains Jonny Mill. This hands-on approach worked in the early stages but quickly revealed its limitations.

One major issue for FRDM+ was dealing with fragmented and time-consuming processes. While Mill had full visibility into payment and churn data, accessing this information was manual and inefficient. “Every hour spent on payment issues was an hour I wasn’t spending on improving the product or growing the audience”, says Jonny. On top of this, FRDM+’s previous solution provider was phasing out key data features. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it, and I like to manage aggressively”, Mill notes.

The solution: partnering with Cleeng

FRDM+ needed to overcome the challenges of its early setup and build a more efficient, scalable platform. Cleeng’s Subscriber Retention Management (SRM®) suite provided the solutions to streamline operations and address these pain points effectively. By automating processes and delivering real-time insights, Cleeng eliminated the inefficiencies of manual data handling. This allowed the team to reclaim valuable time and focus on enhancing the product, growing their audience, and expanding events.

What truly set Cleeng apart was its ability to improve data usability. With advanced analytics and clean delivery automation, FRDM+ could access critical insights quickly and effectively. “What Cleeng changed was not the access to the data but the quality and usability of the data,”, says Jonny Mill, President of FRDM+. These improvements became vital in helping the lean FRDM+ team operate more efficiently and drive results. Streamlined customer support also played a key role; Cleeng’s chatbot and customer care tools reduced the burden on the FRDM+ team, enhancing both operational efficiency and user satisfaction.

The partnership with Cleeng also complemented FRDM+'s existing relationship with Accedo, their video platform provider. Since Cleeng had established integrations with Accedo, the migration carried less technical risk. "Cleeng's existing relationships with our broader tech stack really reduced the risk and accelerated our deployment," Mill explains. This interoperability meant the FRDM+ team could focus on the transition itself rather than troubleshooting compatibility issues between vendors.

“Cleeng’s existing relationship with our broader tech stack reduced the risk and accelerated our deployment. I’m always looking for best-in-class tools and not band-aids, Cleeng checked that box.”

Jonny Mill, President for FRDM+

Screenshot of FRDM+’s branded help center powered by Cleeng

“What Cleeng changed was not the access to the data but the quality and usability of the data. I have clean delivery automation and real-time insight, and when you run lean like us, tools that remove friction are force multipliers.”

Jonny Mill, President for FRDM+

Results: A seamless launch and sustained growth

When FRDM+ transitioned to Cleeng in July 2025, the priority was simple: move fast without breaking anything. The migration delivered. Active subscriptions transferred with a 99.6% success rate – including password migrations – meaning fans logged in after the switch and found everything exactly where they left it. For a subscription business, that kind of continuity is not just a technical achievement but also a win for retention.

Payment performance held strong, too. FRDM+ achieved a 94% recurring attempt success rate – above the industry benchmark – keeping revenue flow consistent and subscriber trust intact from day one.

For Jonny Mill and a lean team managing live events, original content, and customer support simultaneously, the operational shift was just as significant. Cleeng's automated workflows and real-time analytics replaced the manual processes that had previously consumed hours better spent elsewhere. The platform's chatbot and customer care tools further reduced support overhead, allowing the team to stay focused on growth rather than troubleshooting.

The result is an infrastructure that can grow alongside FRDM+ as its subscriber base expands.

Lessons learned: Advice for other creators

For creators considering launching their own platforms, the FRDM+ team has valuable insights to share from their own experience:

1. Start small and scale smart: “Overbuilding too early is one thing I see a lot. People are trying to buy gear like they’re going to build ESPN, and you just don’t need that”, explains Mill. Jonny’s advice is to focus on the essentials and scale gradually as your audience and demand grow.

2. Understand hidden costs: Live streaming comes with unexpected expenses like bandwidth, which are typically absorbed by social media platforms for creators and brands streaming on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Plan ahead to address these costs.

3. Maintain your free community: Don’t alienate your audience by yanking free content. Instead, offer premium experiences that complement your existing offerings. “Keep giving them what they came for and offer something better for those who want a little bit more”, says Jonny Mill.

4. Start with one ecosystem, then expand: Host your store, content, and live streams on a single platform so customers encounter your brand everywhere they engage. This builds early trust and makes it clear the experience belongs to you—not a third party. Once your audience is established, you can separate tools without weakening brand identity.