Curating Sports "Fan Experiences" Leveraging Technology

imagecredits -pexels/riccardobersciani

Sports Landscape is thriving and evolving at a rapid pace, with the expanse of business on an emphatic rise as well as its marketability, one thing that  has dramatically changed due to disruptive technologies is  “The Sports Fan Experience.”

Armed with unfathomable amounts of information now available to audiences in their pockets, Fans are looking for more … Keeping that in mind, New Innovative Fans experiences are being curated, Leagues & Teams are dedicating extra resources towards cultivating a strong relationship with their fan base, Reinventing methodologies to captivate & serve their base more efficiently, uniquely and leaving no stone unturned to leave them mesmerized.

Innovative Digital Technologies are catalysts resolving these issues for the Team owners. Not only do they leverage, be at the forefront in strengthening engagement on social platforms, but does allow active in-stadia participations & live-streaming at across plethora of devices. This transition has enabled many beliefs – This space is poised to dominate “The Ultimate Fan Experience.”

Images Credit - Pexels

Factors helping in decoding The Ultimate Fan Experience

Over the years, Fan Experiences have witnessed tremendous traction due to the following factors:-

Real – Time Data Analytics

Fantasy Leagues/ E-Sports are extensions to the existing hysteria in Sports. These propel immense traction that helps in an incremental surge of followers. On the other hand, the fans would like to be continuously fed with real-time onsite live statistics and analytics. Teams must take steps to provide stats/data real-time to their fan base in order to fuel exchange & participation in various contests /quizzes all this and more while watching the live action.

Millennials have short attention spans although like to participate & be engrossed, In the field of sports, they prefer real-time stats, data visualization & interactive quizzes to a propel their participation. They are ardent followers, form opinions and suggest their preferred choices virtually on social platforms.

Content Curation:

Social Media is a Power tool, changing dynamics across all industries. Sporting Leagues /Teams /Individual Athletes create online extensions by curating & promoting team-based content in order to interact with the fans pre-event, during the event & post event.

Social Networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Sharechat, Tiktok (banned in India for now). These platforms not only influence but also curate /stream organic video content – from showcasing highlights to player interviews or even inducements by players to purchase your favorite team’s merchandise. Direct Iterations like polls, quizzes & trivia add to the participation levels and strengthens influence & with the team/game.

Curating compelling organic videos like that of conversions inside green rooms/ dugout meetings/workout sessions/chill-out & relaxation videos which are not available to television audiences.

Live streaming exclusive & unique content generates tremendous curiosity and induces a lot of excitement amongst its fan-base. Interactive Quiz/ Polls get a select group of fans to have an all-access invite to the dugout. Live streaming such interactive content not only appeals to targeted users but encourages them to participate in future interactions.

Fan Relationship Management:

Emerging Technologies have made fan experiences convenient.  Fans are categorized in profiled categories. Die-hard followers are exclusive & the most loved category amongst the entire spectrum. These ardent ones get a variety of incentives for showcasing their loyalty to the teams. In order to achieve long-lasting benefits, teams are extensively required to leverage the use of technology as enablers in building such relationships.

ImageCredit - Pexels

GPS enabled/Powered devices offer rewards/ location specific targeted offers to consumers through geo-fencing/ push enabled technology.  Incentivized programs provide exquisite rewards for fans who follow teams on a game to game basis (e.g Bharat Army/Swami Army travels where-ever Indian Cricket Team is traveling overseas) The Loyalty programs are simple-scalable & easily implementable.

Community building tools like websites/ apps are convenient for fans to communicate, experience and consume specific team/ event-driven information.  From push messages to a limited set of offers within stadiums, the voice-enabled apps & chatbots play an effective role in managing CRM Initiatives.

Next Wave of Entertainment

ImageCredits - Pexels/timgouv

Heard of “SMART STADIUMS”? These stadiums are Next Generation Technologically Superior stadiums that elevate a fan’s user experience to the next level, they can offer directions inside the stadium, post live updates on Real-time Stats/vital information in curating an immersive in-gaming experience. In the upcoming Olympic Games (32nd) scheduled to take place in Tokyo 2020, The Japanese plan to roll out Smart Stadia that incorporate intelligence solutions/thousands of sensors, real-time data, artificial intelligence to provide fans/tickets, the requisite information in no time.

Sports Industry is increasingly adapting Augmented Reality(AR) & Virtual Reality (VR) technologies to curate out of box experiences, allowing fans sitting in their own comfort zones to experience the same experience as they would get sitting in a corporate box inside the stadium. For an avid fanatic, Interactive games at the team’s lounges or even at stadiums provide them with experiences to be present right where the action is. United States & Amsterdam are pioneers in AR & VR enabled experiences have used disruptive technologies extensively to curate exclusive “SMART STADIUMS” providing their audiences with a robust & unforgettable experience.

The Wrap:

Sports fans are not only inquisitive but are passionate and fiercely loyal. They like exhaustive details /data readily available on their favorite teams at the push of a button. Engaging with these fanatics will not only strengthen a team’s community but also would act as a force multiplier on other social platforms directly/indirectly building traffic to the team’s community zones.

As consumption patterns in Sports Changes, New Age Fans are looking out for newer mechanisms and platforms to engage with their favorite teams/ athletes/ starts & Similarly teams should be on a constant lookout to explore better and innovative tech solutions in providing an iterative and exclusive experience to the Fans.