Team, marketing and media executives are always looking for new ways to engage fans, and COVID-19 has accelerated that process. On the latest episode of “SBJ Unpacks: The Road Ahead,” our Bill King is joined by Ben Shields, senior lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management, to discuss how the industry can survive the pandemic and in what ways innovation can reshape the presentation of sports.
On engaging fans without home games:
Shields: Our primary touch point with the athletes and the teams that we love right now is through digital and social media. There’s an interesting question, especially when games are being played on a more regular basis going forward: How can we recreate that experience of being at a game and that collective energy? How can we do that digitally? … Look at platforms like Twitch, for instance, where you can connect with other fans, make comments, sometimes make fun of the esports players. You can co-stream your own stream of the game and cut your own highlights. These are the participatory fan experiences.
On innovations in teams’ social media strategies:
Shields: The biggest opportunity for teams and even leagues is creating original content. Teams and athletes are media companies today. Social media is one of their primary distribution channels. I would view this as an opportunity to say, "How can we create new, original, episodic content that can engage fans when we’re not playing the games?” This is a movement that we’re seeing across the industry in the direct-to-consumer world. I think about some of the more highly produced content, like the Formula 1 “Drive to Survive” series on Netflix.
On the benefits of experimenting with broadcasting methods:
Shields: If you’re not trying new things and experimenting, you’re leaving opportunity on the table. There are a lot of ideas that are floating around in the industry, and the thing that we can do is try them and get data on how successful they are, what the fan reaction is. Some are not going to work, but some will. Some will actually make the broadcast and streaming experience better for fans going forward. That’s the kind of innovation mentality that I think is important that we all adopt.
