BroadcastBridge
Making digital media available in-stadia opens up the single-seat experience which currently limits fan engagement. So says EVS which is conducting a study into fan content consumption on mobile devices inside sports stadia.
“Digital media provides fans in a stadium with informative and immersive content which gives them a unique experience, increasing fan loyalty,” states Belgium technology developer EVS, which is targeting the growing demand for bespoke venue content creation and delivery. “This loyalty creates an emotional link between a club and its fans. Clubs and stadiums can then leverage this emotional link to generate a return on emotion.”
The report takes in responses from fans attending events (soccer, basketball, baseball, ice hockey and tennis) in the US and in Europe. It focuses on the influence of digital media asking under which conditions (where, when and how) do sports fans prefer to consume digital media. It is also asking which digital content sports fans prefer to consume on game-day. EVS plan on presenting the results in September but here are some preliminary findings.
According to EVS, 32% of fans attending sporting events have limited opportunities to watch replays, 15% don’t have detailed information about the game and 9% miss the action while away from the seat.
It argues that the availability of multi-angle replays, stats, player profiles, team line-ups and behind-the-scenes branded footage will bring fans closer to their team or favourite player. The connected experience and exclusive media also allows fans to share their in-stadia experience on social media platforms, it says.
According to reports from consulting firms and Cisco contributing to the EVS report, on-demand video of instant multi-angle replays are consumed the most at the venue.
“This is what is missed at a live game versus watching a TV broadcast at home,” EVS states. “Having the ability to do this from your smart phone or tablet while at a game is the perfect example of being able to consume the broadcast experience in a live-game environment.”
Recommendations to venue operators
The firm advises clubs and stadiums to consider what they want to achieve before adopting a multi-platform distribution strategy. “There are now so many new revenue streams that can be generated by ‘connecting’ stadiums and offering exclusive content, clubs should have a clear idea of what they want to gain from opening up content delivery to fans,” EVS states.
In a similar vein, clubs and venue owners should be asking what content they want to deliver and when.
“The wants and needs of a high-level, professional club will differ to a smaller, niche sports club,” EVS suggest. “By optimising the variety of video content, it becomes easy to manipulate its lifecycle. Does a VOD-type application where fans can engage with video content at all times make sense or is it preferable to make content only available in-stadium as live games are played?”
A dedicated stadium mobile app, for example, can give fans the ability to view the game from their choice of angle, or enable them to see instant replays. Or, it can offer both.
“The depth of engagement that can be created depends on these decisions. By adopting the correct strategy and making the right content available at the right times, clubs can increase fan loyalty and engagement. The revenue streams that can then be leveraged from this engagement are huge.”
EVS highlights the two most successful in-venue connectivity business models. These are a connected league with a centralised platform or a connected stadium/franchise which operates its own content platform.
It describes the NFL as a perfect example of a league where both models are being utilised in tandem. The NFL organisation runs not one, but a number of video content platforms. “This works well for the league because of the nature of their organisation,” states EVS. “Each team is important to the integrity of the entire league and they’re all given the same amount of coverage across these video platforms. This business model engages fans of the sport rather than just those of a particular team. Fans can choose their favourite team and are presented with slightly more content orientated around that but the platform has game highlights, post-game analysis and even live NFL news network feeds from the entire league.”
Revenue opportunities on this platform are then available on a higher, league level. App users can purchase tickets for any league game, buy NFL merchandise and support the league as one entity.
Then further down in the league, team and stadium owners are building their own apps to engage fans on game day. These are the apps that connect to in-stadium Wi-Fi and have replays and feature alternative camera angles. These are the apps that tie into the stadium or club’s customer management operations. By inputting their ticket numbers, app users can order food from their seat, buy club-associated home-game tickets or order their favourite teams merchandise.
“Both of these business models are successful,” say EVS. “It depends what content operators want to deliver to fans. Again, this underscores the idea that goals determine the kind of business model and specific infrastructure deployed.”
EVS is promoting two aspects of its tech portfolio to sports venue operators. These include IPDirector content tools at the heart of a 'Stadium Control Room' for game-day content production and delivery; and the C-Cast multimedia distribution platform.
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