Fluid Fan Featured Four Newsletter
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From our Founder Angela Ruggiero
“As the industry slowly continues to find safe ways to get fans back in the venue, the properties that create an immersive experience for fans, especially at home, will stay ahead in the market.”
At Sports Innovation Lab, we talk a lot about the importance of convergence media and the technologies needed to create an immersive experience for fans both in the venue and especially now, at home: we call this media convergence, the Fluid Fan Studio. The Fluid Fan Studio builds participatory fan communities and focuses on the fan behavior of “play." The Fluid Fan behavior of play focuses on fans creating opportunities for fans to get closer to the sports they love, through esports, digital formats, simulated matches, and more. Properties that are investing in technology and finding the right partners to work with and augment the fan experience will be better positioned in the market to capture the attention of the Fluid Fan. As defined in our research, Fluid Fans want their media to be social, accessible, and interactive. As the industry slowly continues to find safe ways to get fans back in the venue, the properties that create an immersive experience for fans, especially at home, will stay ahead in the market. The stories below highlight the right’s holders that are working to bring Fluid Fans immersive content in new and innovative ways.
Weekly Brand Breakthrough
As esports has taken off during lockdown and the break from live sports, many have begun to think about what kind of sponsorship opportunities remain untapped in this market. Last year Madden and Pizza Hut made headlines as the restaurant became the first company to acquire stadium naming rights to a virtual football stadium back in July of 2019. The pandemic has made clear to many the untapped potential of the esports market and the incredible sponsorship activations that are only possible in a virtual setting. It’s vital that brands start thinking differently about sponsorship if they don’t want to get left behind.
Weekly Live Entertainment Breakthrough
The World Series has begun at the new Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. With limited capacity in the neutral venue, fans of the Dodgers back in Los Angeles are having to get creative. For Game 1 of the series more than 850 cars filled a parking lot, watching the FOX telecast on 60-foot screens at what has been branded the “Dodgers Postseason Drive-In.” The atmosphere was described as electric, as cars honked and kids sat on top of cars eating pizza. The current atmosphere for sports is like nothing we have ever seen before, but franchises like the LA Dodgers, that pivot quickly and keep the fan experience alive, will continue to be successful.
Weekly Media Breakthrough
This past week La Liga, Spanish soccer’s top flight, became the first major sports league to make use of the powerful Twitch platform. They have created their own channel where they can host unique soccer content. After seeing great success with their eLaLiga Santander esports account, it made sense to build out their use of this tool. This move shows the willingness of top tier leagues to meet Fluid Fans halfway, on the platforms that they frequent. This is yet another indicator that the future of watching sports has changed.
Weekly Athlete Breakthrough
The Drone Racing League has partnered with Miami Heat All-Star Chris Bosh to launch a new STEM initiative for their 2020 season. With the help of DRL Allianz World Champion Pilot JET, Bosh will teach kids about the science behind the sport through an educational content series. Students will then be able to put their new-found knowledge to the test through the DRL SIM available on Steam and Xbox. Bosh studied at Georgia Tech before joining the league and is excited to bring together his passion for technology and sport and by doing so further define his individual brand.
For more information on the changing trends in sports and all of our latest research visit sportsilab.com
Sports Innovation Lab Events
SUSTAINING SUCCESS OFF THE COURT WITH GRANT HILL
Sportico and Sports Innovation Lab have partnered to take our Ask Me Anything series to the next level! Beginning this Thursday Oct 29th at 1pm ET with special guest NBA Hall of Famer Grant Hill, we'll be hosting conversations on leadership, innovation, and action with the most progressive visionaries in sport - and no questions are off limits. Hosted by Sportico's Editor in Chief Scott Soshnick, and Sports Innovation Lab Co-Founder Josh Walker, you can sign up now for this not to be missed series here. You can view all of our previous AMAs on our website and our Youtube Channel.