Six takeaways from our digital and sport event

Last week we hosted a great evening discussion of how digital is impacting the way we enjoy sport.

Last week we hosted a great evening discussion of how digital is impacting the way we enjoy sport.

by Corinne Powers, Account Manager, Wilson Fletcher

We touched on everything from cardboard cutout league tables to UGC projected in sports stadiums, snapchat to large-scale distribution models and video games broadcast on Youtube to eSports inside huge stadiums with six-figure prizes. Here are our top six interesting topics from the night.

1. The secret to good data is context

We shouldn’t underestimate the level of detailed information today’s fans want to know, but context, as ever, is vital. Detailed statistical information has to be balanced with an understanding of what makes a statistic interesting and where it ends up. And that remains a largely human skill.

2. The match is simply the beginning

Sports fans today are more than spectators — they don’t simply ‘live for the game’ but for experiences that go above and beyond the match action. Fans thrive on excitement and there are numerous ways to give it to them — World Cup team announcements spiking higher on social media than matches is a great example of this.

3. Are eSports already bigger than football?

E-gaming dominated discussions at the end of the evening. Live video gaming is now a global ‘sport’. With 71m people tuning in to watch people play games last year, is virtual overtaking real at last? Live game contests are already rivalling the largest of our historic sports events for audiences and prize money.

4. Content is king, distribution is King Kong

We assume mainstream sports are picked up by the broadcasters, but are broadcasters increasingly becoming the home of traditional sports? How long will it be before the number of people watching virtual sports and gaming overtakes mainstream sport as a viewing activity?

5. Perhaps digital is more enhanced by sport than sport is by digital

The assumption that digital is enhancing sport may be the wrong way to think about it. Perhaps sport is just another form of content; enhancing digital channels more than those channels enhance it.

6. Snapchat might be the one to watch

With new features such as ‘discover’, Snapchat provides yet another means of directing content to large scale audiences. So is snapchat the next big channel? Might it be a game changer for organisations trying to reach out to younger sporting audiences in particular?