Throughout history, different sports have emerged for all tastes around the world. The rules were changed, supporters increased, and a powerful industry emerged that grew unabated. However, what is in its essence and will not change is the ability to do so generate emotions.
Stadiums were built, tournaments were organised, competitions were globalized and fans appeared. The engine has always been the same fun; Therefore, sport cannot be conceived as a discipline foreign to social customs. Beyond this, in the digital economy it is essential that the industry considers its ability to reach and engage a global audience.
The culture of participation – enhanced by technology – has emerged recently, has crossed all aspects of our lives and is generating a paradigmatic change: it is no longer the institutions that offer entertainment and the fans who access it, but rather theFans act proactively. From the data, each time fans attend, we get first-hand information that allows us to refine the offering. This line, which is imminently to be followed, is what makes it possible to achieve a global commitment.
Another aspect of this new paradigm is globality: fans were previously only within the local context, which made it easier to understand them. And now a global, multigenerational connection 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Technology allows numerous innovations in these aspects, gamification is one of them. 2024 will be the year a sporting institution presents the first video game platform. It will be about Barça Games, a virtual space where FC Barcelona fans will be able to interact, listen to music, participate in tournaments, go to the store, purchase tickets and access on-demand content. Users will add points in what will be called the “Virtual Farm” and future players will train in that digital space. The video game industry already generates more revenue than music and cinema combined: according to International Data Corporation, profits increased by 20% compared to 2019. As if that wasn’t enough, in November Lionel Messi has joined an eSports team with his friend Kun Agüero.
In February 2023, the NBA presented something new that could be a trend in the coming years. The mobile camera app scans the user’s entire body and allows you to replace him with any player from a real match. The result is fascinating: you can see yourself with the home clothes on the court while shooting Stephen Curry’s 3-pointers or with the skill of LeBron James.
Artificial intelligence is the new game changer that can transform the way fans discover and interact with content. For example, we can use artificial intelligence to change the language of the commentary, offer a personalized camera from different angles or alter the audio of the match itself, based on user preferences.
The NBA is usually at the forefront in the use of artificial intelligence, but, above all, in understanding that new fan-focused experiences allow you to connect with the deepest essence of sport: emotions. AI, in these cases, provides an approach to generate content and engage with ever-growing global fan bases, which will provide greater economic returns to the sporting entity.
Today, artificial intelligence allows you to analyze a broadcast in real time and create compacts according to personal tastes. If you turned on the television with 5 minutes left in a game, you could see the highlights on your phone and even choose between funny moments, fights or offensive plays.
Another example, now on the playing field itself: PGA Tour golf has incorporated a tool to solve one of the main deficits: losing sight of the ball. With augmented realitynow all that remains is to concentrate in the direction of the launch and They can see with a colored line where it falls and how far.
The technology will enable the creation of frictionless stadiums. Some ways to avoid long lines during halftime are to sell products with Face ID or, like the América de México soccer team, add an online payment system. the shield of t-shirts of the fans. Surely it won’t be long before some club offers used wristbands to Disney with each user’s personal information.
Another trend has to do with the monetization of the connection with fans, which, if successful, generates a virtuous circle: the greater the engagement, the more fans provide data and the more money transactions. A specific case brings us back to Messi who, of course, everything he touches is gold and usually provides clues about the sports industry. This is what happened with fan tokens, another increasingly popular innovation. When the star arrived at Paris-Saint Germain, the French club’s infungible asset grew by 130% in 5 days and when the Argentine national team was world champion, it multiplied its launch value by 70. Beyond the quotas, clubs and spectators found in this exchange a more exclusive way of belonging, including exclusive experiences, lotteries, VIP tickets and merchandising .
With artificial intelligence solutions you can strengthen your revenues by protecting your brand, prevent millions of dollars from being diverted through pirated productsuntil you obtain the data of all your fans around the world, personalize and update them, to offer them tailor-made solutions.
The exponential progress of technology often makes any prediction ridiculous; The indisputable trend, however, is the centrality of the spectator. Innovation emerges as a step forward, but also as a way to do so preserve the essence of sport with exciting experiences, increasingly enabled by technology.
Source: Clarin
