The average sports fan is smarter than ever. Not only with how they watch an event, but also with the information imparted to them while doing so.
And while that insight is ultimately used to drive the conversation across social rather than the household or pubs like it once used to do, it is important for creators to follow this trend and continue to innovate their content to meet this growing challenge.
With an exciting year of sports coming up, our editors and producers at Stats Perform will look to utilise some of the major events and sports competitions, alongside our AI-powered solutions and data-rich insights, to reflect the trends in the marketplace.
UEFA Euro 2016 saw a four-time increase in engagement across UEFA’s official platforms from the previous tournament, so it isn’t impossible to believe there will be similar growth again this summer.
With the social marketplace more crowded than ever and brands now competing in the news sphere to attract news and interaction, it’s more important than ever to make sure your identity is at the forefront.
Taking learnings from the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, timings became a crucial part of our delivery solution for clients in the western hemisphere, with events occurring overnight. This meant our social focus early in the day had to revolve around exploiting moments.
Social is no longer a ‘one size fits all’ solution. Consumers expect to see authentic content native to their chosen platform, but outlets need to ensure they are delivering a return on this engagement to their hosted platforms.
Rights portfolios will forever be the heartbeat of a strong content offering, the question now is how creators can enhance these productions beyond the immediate aftermath of the event and the traditional highlights packages.
While the viral, in-the-moment reaction will draw the instant reaction across social media, data is becoming more key to storytelling in the aftermath. This can be highlighted by editorialised facts with the ability to go beyond what we see on screen.
Condensing these into a highlights-driven package gives the consumer an all-in-one production – the complete round-up of the games action which can drive forward the agenda in the hours after a game.
Although most audience eyeballs will be focused on major events, it doesn’t detract from the need for all content suppliers to continue to innovate their offering. At Stats Perform, with AI as our North Star, this will bring a wealth of benefits to our coverage of the rest of the sporting calendar.
Data will be our driving force, but with a focus on the storytelling that these insights will offer. It’s how they are presented to the consumer that will prove our success.
The traditional marketplace has changed. Betting, gaming and federations are joining news outlets in wanting innovative content to keep their consumers informed. It will be our role to continue offering these creative solutions in 2020 and beyond.
Graham Bell is senior editor, special projects and tailored content at Stats Perform
