Twitter recently launched their new live-streaming service Periscope. Periscope allows users to follow each other, much like Twitter, and receive notifications when a person being followed “posts” or begins to stream their content. Users can broadcast live from their devices, interact with viewers, and end the show whenever they see fit.
Twitter bought Periscope seemingly as an answer to the social media platform Meerkat, which has been exploding in regard to its user base. Meerkat allows for individual live streams in a mobile sense, but when those streams begin, a lot of the time, they can end before a number of viewers get the chance to see, almost like an extended Snapchat video. Periscope allows viewers to watch the completed streams on demand, so nobody misses out.
Live-streaming is nothing new in the online world, which is no small world at that. Streaming platform Twitch.tv was recently bought by Amazon for nearly $1 billion. The thing that really sets apart applications like Periscope and Meerkat is that they can work on something as simple as a mobile device, while the rigs used to broadcast on Twitch can cost thousands of dollars to make, and a potentially hefty sum to maintain. Periscope allows for a freedom in streaming that hasn’t really been seen before, and sports teams should hop on board immediately.
There are plenty of ways that sports organizations can use Periscope to engage their fans. Here are a few of the most potentially impactful:
1. For Pete’s sake… Talk to them!
There is a fine line between fans and fanatics in the world of sports. Anyone that “likes” a team on Facebook knows how eager fans can be to let their favorite squad know how they feel about the decisions being made. But there is a real disconnect being mixed up in a slew of comments that are likely to go unnoticed.
Include a face with the social media presence and let the fans see who is talking to them. Which could be anyone from a social media intern to a star player or the general manager, and use the response as critical feedback. Part of the beauty of sports is that everyone can find a way to feel involved, and when you watch someone speak live, looking into a device they are holding, it’s not hard to feel involved. Talk. The fans will listen.
2. Let the fans behind closed doors
Give your fans some inside access, teams! Everyone loves to watch their team, and if training camps are any indicator, fans don’t care if it is a workout, practice, or a game. Teams can use Periscope to let fans see what really goes on at some of those closed practices. This may seem like a bit of a stretch, with the ability to replay completed streams via Periscope, but since that can be turned off, teams aren’t at that much of a risk of being spied on, as it may seem. Take us beyond the press passes, and let me see how Peyton Manning talks to the water boy!
3. Give away some cool stuff
Fans will wait in line for hours at an open event to get an autograph from a role player on their favorite team. Take advantage of the spur-of-the-moment nature of Periscope, and use that to build interest. Start a stream out of nowhere, wait for about a minute to build some viewers, and then ask a trivia question. The first fan to answer correctly in a tweet using the proper hashtag can win an autograph from a random player, or snag a gently used hand towel that’s been on the sidelines at a game.
You want to build a buzz about your team, give away some of the free stuff that the team has, and do it live. It won’t take long for people to catch on.
4. Let the fans get personal with the players
Once a week, a team could pick a player or staff member to get personal with the fans. Make things fun with it. Start a confession booth or guilty pleasures, or let the person tell a couple embarrassing stories from their childhood. Have someone share a special talent that we may not get to see outside of the locker room. Can your team’s right tackle sing like Barry White? I’d like to watch that.
5. Control your own news
Is there a rumor flying around your sports organization? Has there been some controversy going on that you feel needs to be addressed, but you’re too shy to hold a press conference? Take to Periscope and speak for yourself. Teams can end speculation that has the possibility to oversaturate the market, and let the fans know straight from the source what’s going on. If people think your team captain is retiring when in reality he’s hitting it hard in the weight room, show the people, and let them know what you want them to know, which is what’s really going on. On the flipside of that, it can also let teams portray how they feel, which can lead to further speculation. It’s an interesting idea, at the least.
Periscope launched at the end of March, and is already gaining traction. ESPN took to the service on April Fool’s Day to show NFL prospect Jameis Winston tossing some passes around at former coach John Gruden’s Quarterback Camp. This broadcast was a sign that this platform can be viable, especially in the world of sports.
The engaging possibilities that come along with Periscope are incredible, and sports teams should be taking note and tuning in.
