NBC Sports: A Game Changer

“In the entertainment business, we are competing against not only our sports rivals. We are competing against other streaming services, video games, and so on. We are competing for the attention of our audience.” 

- FC Barcelona board member Didac Lee, source Sportico. 

Getting fans to watch sports content - a live game, a recorded stream, or highlights - is simply getting them to show up. To keep Fluid Fans hooked, to get them coming back more frequently, and for longer periods of time, sports organizations must enable them to learn more about the sport and the athletes. When fans learn, they dive deeper into storylines, get invested in matchups, and come back again and again because they have a greater appreciation for the sport. When fans watch more, revenue opportunities from sponsorships, as well as ancillary behaviors like shopping merchandise or betting, increase.

Sports Innovation Lab’s Power Play Index for the behavior of Learn identifies those companies that are best positioned to make it easier and more enjoyable for fans to learn while they watch. The companies plotted on the index have mastered the technologies required to empower learning, including (but not limited to): digital graphics, virtual overlays, sports statistics, and augmented viewing experiences.

Industry leader, Brian Josephs, SVP at Sportradar weighed in on why learning is so critical to the success of the industry coming out of COVID. “With so much content available, learning is so important [to the Fluid Fan]. For storytelling, content creation across platforms, and ultimately moving towards delivering personalization at scale.” 

As the cost of media rights continues to rise, and digital native behemoths Facebook, Amazon, and others continue to bid, expect to see a shift towards enhancing broadcast with learning technologies like those represented on the Power Play Index for Learn.

To have a conversation with the Lab about the Power Play Index, reach out to gina@sportsilab.com.