Digital and Social Media Sports
A business-minded look at digital and social media in sports
There were fantastic quotes, stats, and nuggets of knowledge shared on the panels at the 2015 NACDA, CoSIDA, and Cynopsis conferences. Check out some of the top tweets below to relive all the best of sports and social media business, publicity, and marketing!
Posted by Neil Horowitz
Every year at Austin’s ever-growing South By Southwest festival, a plethora of new technologies. platforms, and concepts are labeled as the next big things to come in culture and industry. While such prognostications tend to be premature, just as often the sights, sounds, and tweets portend what may be on the horizon for new technology, use cases, and business concepts.
South By Southwest’s new(ish) sports track is no exception and this year’s panels foreshadowed a sports landscape soon to be overtaken, though never completely overwrought, with tech. (See my #SXSports summary deck) From the panels and conversation elsewhere, here are six ways tech is penetrating, and transforming, the sports media presentation and experience:
1) Virtual Reality – Football is finding cool ways to use virtual reality technology to give players non-physical “reps.” While the NBA is looking at ways to give fans around the globe the chance to experience a courtside seat at a game…without leaving their couch at home. The ability to develop VR technology that offers 360-degree, dynamic views, as well as live streaming video, offers a number of compelling use cases for sports. Whether the idea of a virtual seat will scare more teams, weary of promoting a viable stay-at-home option, before it is embraced remains to be seen, but VR is coming. And it’s coming quickly.
2) Drones – Many are familiar with drones, their use by the military, by businesses, by some sports telecasts, and even by consumers and Amazon, now. But they could be overtaking sports broadcasts, in many ways, before long. Drones can get optimal camera shots from optimal angles, can shift on a dime, and give consistency that the human hand cannot. Fox Sports exec Eric Shanks noted, at a recent Leaders Summit, that remote cameras and automated drones are quickly becoming a more integral part of sports broadcasts. A production crew may always be around to provide a human touch. However, increasingly smarter and learned (through data) computer programs may replace some of the production, too, giving viewers an optimized game presentation experience, shifting automated drones to deliver the content.
3) Augmented Reality – While virtual reality takes fans ‘there,’ augmented reality brings ‘there’ to fans, by having seemingly inanimate objects trigger content experiences for fans. There has been initial discussion for sports teams to use AR on the field of play and, as the technology becomes increasingly user-friendly and adopted, is also bringing forth incredible opportunities for teams’ content departments, as well as activations with corporate partners. One of the bigger players in the space is Aurasma, a standalone app that allows users to create and augmented reality through “auras.” Their tech may become more important for sports teams as they can integrate into team mobile apps and some are already starting to experiment with this in their app, with much room to evolve, with augmented reality experiences.
4) Automated Reporting – I don’t think quality journalism is going anywhere, even if the burden will be on the reader to know where to find it, but the professional jobs for journalists may continue to shrink. A major deal between the Associated Press and Automated Insights made big news in recent months. The software allows for reports on sports events to be automatically generated and reported and has already been used by the AP to report some college sports. As such software progresses, it may not be long before a computer can ingest some stats about the game and game flow, some quotes, and some photos and videos and bust out a catalog of AP-style sports stories for immediate consumption.
5) OTT – Over-the-top, or OTT, TV and video consumption is growing, as is mobile viewing. Cable companies, while still viable, especially for Internet, are seeing a generation coming of age without cable subscriptions. More and more networks are available without such subscriptions, while Apple plans a promising product for release this autumn. On a panel at last month’s #Leaders15 Summit, this generation was referred to as “cord never-wasers.” ESPN3 and several networks with sports programming offer streaming options via OTT, digital, and mobile and the marketing dollars are starting to flow there, too. We’re a long ways away from cable subscriptions being a thing of the past, but the trail to that reality is being blazed.
6) Mobile – You’ve heard it before, but it’s worth hearing again: mobile is an integral part of the sports fan experience. One of the head-turning stats that came from SXSports was that 80% of NFL fans have their mobile device in hand while watching games. Another telling stat came from the recent Sloan Sports and Analytics Conference, where it was said that 65% of game attendees engage in some sort of online activity while at the game. Sports teams and media properties are trying to figure out the best way to present, engage, and activate on these new and increasingly important channels. Mobile is following a similar path to other important emerging mediums in history. Its trajectory and outlook are auspicious.
So what tech are you looking to affect the sports world in 2015?
Posted by Neil Horowitz
On episode 40 of the Digital and Social Media Sports podcast, Neil chatted with Jim Kovach, Vice President of Business Development with CrowdOptic.
What follows are some snippets from the episode.
Click Here to listen to the full episode or check it out and subscribe in iTunes.
Posted by Neil Horowitz
On March 2-3, 2015, Q1 Sports held their annual Sports Fan Experience Conference in Kansas City, MO, featuring executives and leaders from throughout pro sports leading panels and discussions on best practices, trends, and more.
This is a collection of the best quotes, stats, and insights shared from the event via Twitter. For more, search #q1SFE15 on Twitter and see the day 1 recap deck.
Posted by Neil Horowitz
On February 27-28, 2015, the annual MIT Sloan Sports and Analytics Conference was held in Cambridge, MA, where top executives in pro sports and thought leaders in sports analytics gathered to speak on panels, learn, and engage.
The folks at @SloanSportsConf put together another fantastic conference and I followed along via Twitter at #SSAC15.
While there were several topics in analytics discussed this curated collection won’t touch on, the following tweets from the event span my interests, which include: sponsorship, social media, in-venue experience, mobile, the evolution of sports gambling, and ticket sales. Enjoy and thanks to all the speakers and tweets at the conference!
SPONSORSHIP
Remember, sponsorship is a luxury investment and it needs to be justified every year. – Sam Kennedy #SSAC15 (@risapecoraro)
@skennedysox says advertising on @MLB jerseys is inevitable and is in support of it. Too big of a revenue opportunity for teams. #SSAC15 (@akerdmanee)
Goal of web content isn’t more banner (ad) impressions; shift to more immersive fan experience. @vanDijk #SSAC15” (@jay_christley)
Revenue is the ultimate metric for brand and sponsorship, but brand shouldn’t be sacrificed for short term gain. #SSAC15 (@risapecoraro)
Entering partnerships it’s important to “define what the goals are & how you’ll measure.” @nfl SVP #SSAC15” (@jay_christley)
TICKETS AND SALES
LA Kings @AEGCheese will use variable pricing w/ season tix next year – provides flex. for dynamic pricing #SSAC15” (@blais17)
#digisport topics @ #SSAC15: social sales, friction in data sources, attribution models, engagement measurement, segmentation. (@AJKarg)
Amazon and Google have changed customers’ expectations of personalized communications/offers, per @perez2k of Orlando Magic #SSAC15 (@SprtsMktgProf)
@google researcher @elyselorraine says sports ticket buyers watch 5M YouTube video every month. #SSAC15″ #smsports (@SloanSportsConf)
Wow … @MLSAtlanta2017 has deposits for 19,000 season tickets as @thesoccerdon just noted at. #SSAC15 (@courtemancheMLS)
Good #sportsbiz STAT @ #SSAC15: 18% of ticket sales starts w/ social interaction (Google research). Prob MUCH higher w/ dark social included (@njh287)
More than HALF of traffic at Ticketmaster is mobile or tablet, per @johnforese at #SSAC15 (@SprtsMktgProf)
15% of @RedSox tickets are no shows. $10 in concessions x 5.5k seats = $55k / game. We hope the loyalty program will fill seats #SSAC15 (@SloanSportsConf)
#SocialSelling increasing in importance per @mikedfresh of LinkedIn during Finding the Digital Fan at #SSAC15 (@SprtsMktgProf)
Fader & Xu study on anonymous MLB team data suggests dynamic pricing decreased revenue. #SSAC15 #sportsbiz” (@steveseiferheld)
IN-ARENA FAN EXPERIENCE
#SSAC15 In-arena experience vs home experience will be a battle of unique memories for sport consumers & challenge for media biz companies. (@MikeFlynn826)
Granger: the sacto kings revitalization is bigger than bball. New arena is a civic center, research is more about city than team #ssac15 (@brianmillman)
65% of game attendees engage in some sort of online activity. 1 in 2 is researching future events. #ssac15” #msports #sportsbiz (@tiffan)
A good thing? RT @SloanSportsConf: Ability to virtually attend a game “coming sooner than you think” – Phil de Picciotto #sportsbiz #SSAC15 (@njh287)
Beacons provide better insight into what fans do inside the arena. Use it to your advantage. #SSAC15” Value of passive data. (@GeoffTBlosat)
SOCIAL MEDIA AND ENGAGEMENT
“Social media saved the @SacramentoKings. What happened on Twitter kept our team there. I can’t say enough about it.” @cgkings #SSAC15 (@SloanSportsConf)
We agree @cgkings @SacramentoKings social media saved the kings by giving fans a louder voice #SSAC15 (@SloanSportsConf)
Why doesn’t the NBA crack down on people ripping plays on YouTube? Adam Silver: “Highlights are marketing.” #SSAC15 (@matt_dollinger)
NFL teams focusing on engagement > traffic for digital analytics. Evolution. (@GeoffTBlosat)
“Important to measure the impact, not the effort, that digital impressions make”- @vanDijk #SSAC15” (@katheral)
Strategy to engage with the younger fan:Mobile. There is a new generation that will interact with media with mobile only #SSAC15 #digitalfan (@SloanSportsConf)
“Sports is about conversations and uniting communities” says @espn’s EVP John Walsh. Amen. #SSAC15 (@WarrenKZola)
SPORTS GAMBLING
Microbets & real time betting will make sports even more DVR proof in the US than it is now @SportsLawProf #SSAC15 #sportsbiz (@joefav)
According to @chadmillman sports betting market is $892 trillion #SSAC15” And he says average online bet is $25. #sportsbiz (@evergreenswag)
NBA VP @jeffma believes NBA owners support legalized sports gambling as it increases the value of the teams they own. #SSAC15” Strong point. (@matt_dollinger)
THANKS! TWEET YOUR FAVORITES!
End to another great @SloanSportsConf, my 4th straight. Tweets #SSAC15 reached 2.6 million ppl, 3100 attendees, and a lot learned once again (@RotoAnalysis)
There were a lot of other interesting topics discussed, including injury prevention, gut instinct vs. analytics, wearable technology data, proper use of analytics in journalism, and more. I’d recommend following Sports Analytics Blog and searching the #SSAC15 hash tag on Twitter to see more.
What is your biggest takeaway?
Posted by Neil Horowitz
Check out a brief look at the official mobile applications (as viewed on iOS) for the two teams competing in Super Bowl XLIX — the New England Patriots (MA-based Adept Mobile) and the Seattle Seahawks (Yinzcam). Note the Patriots also have a separate game day app and the reviews were done without experiencing each during a game nor while signed in to any of the features.
There are some cool utilities and novelties, some gaps, some great features, and some missed opportunities. While the official Super Bowl mobile app (Yinzcam) will power the activity on-site at the big game on February 1, 2015, these two combatants on the field offer some good competitive juice in the mobile app space, too.
More info on the Patriots app and more info on the Seahawks app
Super Bowl XLIX is here and this year’s game in Glendale, Arizona will be the most digitally and socially active, and activated, ever. [Yes, we’ll be writing the same thing about next year’s Super Bowl, and so on.]. University of Phoenix Stadium is equipped to handle it, while media and advertisers are chomping at the bit. Whether you’re reading this before or after the big game, here are nine digital, tech, and social media elements to watch for at the big game this year. [Besides being extra vigilant of the Patriots sideline]:
Facebook, Google, Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter, among others, are seeing huge spikes in activity and engagement during big games and brands are reacting. By segmenting and targeting fans talking about or searching about the game in real-time, advertisers can know they’re reaching the same fans watching the game, and ads, on TV. Also, I won’t elaborate here, but the preparedness of brands for real-time marketing opportunities is always worth watching during big sports events.
As fans are glued to their TV, and their devices, for the four-plus hours comprising the Super Bowl, the opportunity for brands to tell stories through their ads and/or extending consumer engagement is ripe, but not often executed on. In last year’s Super Bowl, 91% of fans used their smart phones during commercials. Whether it’s telling a story on TV, across channels, across days, we can certainly watch for brands engaging fans throughout the game, and then some.
During last year’s Super Bowl, 59% of fans used their smart phones during the game, so mobile devices are very much a part of the game experience for fans. That number will likely be higher this year and, as proliferation grows, a trend to watch will be what, exactly, fans doing on their devices? Are they using messaging apps to correspond with friends, sharing content on Facebook or Twitter, watching video highlights on websites or YouTube, commenting on Facebook and Instagram, posting their snack setup on Instagram and Pinterest, and Snapchatting, well, everything along the way? Let the data start to divulge some insights during this year’s big game.
Twitter and Facebook are game, as always, Tumblr is making a run, YouTube is ready, and there will no doubt be a live Snapchat story on Super Bowl Sunday. But which social network will Monday Morning Quarterbacks be lauding before, during, and after the game? There will be no single answer, but there will be data, discussion, and healthy debate!
During the Seahawks-Panthers game earlier this NFL postseason, the Seahawks reported that 2.7 terabytes of data were processed on its venue’s network. It’s also notable that, oftentimes during games’ biggest plays, the number of uploads exceed downloads. Fans are doing a lot and, during the exciting times, are sharing out what they’re witnessing. So how is the mobile experience being integrated into these trends? It’ll be something to watch – should mobile be more about watching replays and unique camera angles or about communicating and consuming and sharing content?
That same Seahawks playoff game saw an astounding 2-to-1 ratio of iPhone-to-Android users among fans using the WiFi or DAS networks on their mobile devices. While this split is telling, in particular, about fans living in the greater Seattle area, for the most part, the Super Bowl will offer an insightful look into a unique fan base of rich, famous, and otherwise influential attendees of the big game. Maybe this crowd will be rocking their Windows Phones?
While I love the football just as much, many fans eagerly anticipate the commercials that run during the Super Bowl even more than the game. The huge audience that annually keeps their eyes peeled on commercials, with their mobile device in-hand now too, is an opportunity for brands to activate that second screen with calls-to-action on TV. It may be extended content, a contest/sweepstakes, or even where to find more info about a deal or product; the best brands want more than just a view of their commercial – they want action. But, with just 46% of consumers expected to engage with ads they see on TV during the Super Bowl, something to watch will be which brands are successful with engaging ads. [There is another discussion to be had with teams and media activating sponsors with mobile content]
Brands and teams are getting increasingly savvy when it comes to making the most of their ad spending. There are countless methods to make sure fans that engage with your brand, in any way, are accessible after the day of the big game. Some of the ways to watch include: entering a sweepstakes [Twitter cards may help], getting a website visit [where a re-targeting pixel can be fired], a newsletter subscription, a coupon download/redemption, and so on. This is where E-surance’s promo shined last year.
It would be an understatement to say that it has been a banner year for the growth of fantasy, from the normal year-long leagues to the burgeoning weekly versions, with revenues, payouts, and investments in the millions. The DraftKings of the world may have a record week surrounding the Super Bowl and the potential value to pro sports leagues will become even more apparent. Also worth considering, it is these early success stories (FanDuel, others, too) are getting the data/info of the most dedicated fantasy gamers. Betting, both online and offline, will be as big as ever, too. Will leagues seek their stake in gambling and gaming? The direction may become more urgent or more visible after Super Sunday.
There’s plenty more to watch in the digital and social space at this year’s Super Bowl. The field is ever-changing, evolving, and advancing. What will you be watching at this year’s big game?