Fan Engagement
Features
Everton FC | Gathering fan data in the age of GDPR
Ben Cronin asks Everton's director of risk & governance Paul McNicholas; Kyle Cockett, senior insight manager; and the club's first data protection officer Ian Garratt about its strategies regarding how it uses fan data.
Nascar searching for new ways to return to relevance after decade of decline
Organisers admit they 'lost their way' by alienating core fanbase
TV ratings and attendances down significantly, while many sponsors have left
ICC uses hybrid ticketing model to boost attendances at 2019 Cricket World Cup
Segmented marketing efforts to target different ethnic communities
One in three spectators at the tournament will be new to cricket
Pittsburgh Steelers steal a march on rivals in international social media battle
The Pittsburgh Steelers have long maintained a sizeable global following. Ryan Huzjak, their vice-president of sales and marketing, tells SportBusiness how they are now using social media to engage with, grow, and monetise that audience.
Philadelphia Flyers ride the coattails of social media sensation Gritty – and promise he’ll never sell out
Mascot is most-followed on Twitter of all US major professional sports and collegiate teams
Companies looking to partner with Flyers directly because they want association with Gritty
Beware the Big Eventer
The rise of the Big Eventer is the sports business story of the last decade.
Monumental gets gambling head start with Wizards betting broadcasts
'Predict the Game’ telecasts on NBC Sports Washington aim to engage fans and gamblers
Broadcasts are also pilots for 'totally synchronised' sports betting programming
M-is: Using Technology to engage all at Grassroots
London-based international agency M-is has been developing state-of-the-art fan experiences and engagement initiatives in sport for 30 years. With such rapid developments in technology, M-is believe brands and federations can use this opportunity to inspire and empower all at ‘grassroots’.
49ers draw on SAP partnership to improve fan experience in real time
The ‘Executive Huddle’ – the SAP-powered venue-management platform at Levi’s Stadium – has put the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers at the forefront of fan experience management and shows how far partnerships between tech companies and rights-holders can go beyond sponsorship.
Premier League clubs show the value in community service
In the commercial battleground of English football, clubs are investing time and money in establishing community and CSR initiatives without any realistic prospect of a tangible return on investment. SportBusiness asks why, through the lens of three examples from the Premier League.
FC Barcelona makes women’s football the core of its US commercial drive
LaLiga club wants NWSL franchise to activate sponsors and ‘be different’ from rivals
North American commercial partners brought in $99m of club’s $1bn revenue in 2017-18
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Wizards plan West Ham crossover and female basketball clinics for NBA London game visit
• Wizards District Gaming planning match against West Ham esports team
• Activations scheduled with global partner Alibaba
• Back home, NBC telecast prepares US audiences for in-play betting
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NHL shakes up weekend schedule to increase European fanbase and revenue
Fifty games moved to afternoons so they can be broadcast in primetime on continent
Approximately 30 per cent of NHL players come from overseas
How teams commercialise players from specific regions
When a leading sports team signs a foreign player, it does so because of their athletic ability. But sometimes that player can also usher in an opportunity to build a sizeable fan base in their home country
Formula One enlists biometric testing to better understand its TV audience
Formula One is working with market research group Populus on biometric studies of the live TV audience during grand prix coverage. Jonathan Dyson reports on how the work is being carried out and how the results are being used.
Local initiatives offer solutions to Major League Baseball’s national attendance problem
For the first time since 2003, average attendances fell below 30,000 and 70 million total threshold
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Fiba World Basketball Summit: harmonious event secures Baumann’s legacy
The late Fiba secretary general Patrick Baumann laid down a challenge to make basketball the most popular sport in the world at the Fiba World Basketball Summit in Xi’an, China. The way brands, media companies and major stakeholders responded to his call at the conference was a tribute to his collaborative approach. SportBusiness Professional reports from the event
How NBA China’s 17 sponsors activated around the China Games
NBA China currently maintains relationships with 17 sponsors
Partners a combination of Chinese organisations and multinational companies looking for exposure in the country
Mark Tatum: “The Chinese fan is a very sophisticated, knowledgeable fan”
League says most die-hard NBA fans play basketball before the age of 12
NBA working with the Ministry of Education in China on a grassroots junior NBA programme
Mariachi, masks and mixed martial arts | How a little local flavour can bring big success in combat sports
If you're a broadcaster or sponsor, partnerships with global, A-list combat events are fantastic to have. But if fighters’ identities and abilities don’t resonate with your audience, the properties or events they appear on are almost never A-list enough to warrant the investment.