In this week’s Fan Engagement Podcast, we spoke to Jim O’Toole from Sports Interim about Rights Holders, Fan Engagement and the evolution of digital. The conversation was both entertaining and educating in equal measure, but one aspect I found especially interesting was when Jim touched on the way his son consumes sport. The “second screen” mobile device has become the primary screen for younger fans, with the television (and its expensive subscriptions) less important.
The box in the corner has become the second screen… an accompaniment to the mobile device in their hands. Watching 90 minutes of live action doesn’t appeal to the younger generation, not when they can consume highlights via social media.
Knock-on Effect for Broadcasters?
The broadcasting landscape is changing all the time, and the addition of Amazon etc to that mix has really put the cat among the pigeons. The example Jim gives on the pod of his son being disinterested in a full game of top level football echoes my own experience. For my sons, Youtube is their television, and they find it much more convenient to navigate their iPad/Tablet than they do the television. It makes you think, when this new generation leave home, are they really going to pay large subscription fees to Sky Sports or BT or any other broadcaster? The current trend says not, and that TV cabinet makers will soon have to find a new product line.
As per Rupert Pratt of Snack Gaming Limited, speaking at today’s Digital Sport Conference in London, “79% of fans list ‘match highlights’ as the number one piece of content they want consume”.
Broadcast rights are the lifeblood of the Premier League and other sports organisations, and will continue to be. However, for those broadcasters to continue to thrive and achieve ROI, they have to adapt their offering to suit the younger generation of fan.
At Sports Interim Jim heads a team which provides Interim management solutions for sports rights holders. With decades of experience working with sports associations under his belt, what Jim doesn’t know about sports and sponsorship is not worth knowing. We do hope you enjoy the show, and please do subscribe and share it with any of your contacts in the business of sports. If you have any feedback for us, or would like to appear on future episodes of our podcast, please do get in touch with Colm at [email protected], or indeed myself [email protected].
