Fan Engagement
Features
Vodafone and Bundesliga bridge gap between stadium and living room with 5G first
Vodafone and the Bundesliga launched a world-first use of a 5G mobile network in Wolfsburg’s Volkswagen Arena on Monday night. Adam Nelson reports on how the technology can bring second-screen engagement to the match day experience.
Sky looking to the future with YouTube Premier League highlights
SportBusiness talks to YouTube’s head of sport EMEA, Tomos Grace about Sky Sports' recent decision to make Premier League match highlights available on YouTube.
British horse racing needs ‘collaborative approach’ to overcome decline in media and betting revenues
With a decline in media and betting revenues associated with the closure of multiple retail bookmakers on the cards, Ben Cronin looks at how senior stakeholders in British horse racing will react to this threat.
Paddy Power’s Save Our Shirt campaign offers positive message but struggles to balance risk and reward
Never knowingly understated, Irish bookmaker Paddy Power's latest marketing activation ended up garnering a £50,000 fine for one of its partner clubs. Adam Nelson takes a look at the story behind the betting company's 'unsponsorship' of five UK football teams, and whether the campaign can maintain relevance and visibility throughout the season.
Las Vegas’s minor league teams confirm city’s place as major league sports town
The city of Las Vegas is not immediately recognizable for its reputation as a sports hub. Bob Williams looks at how it is transitioning "from the entertainment capital of the world to the sports and entertainment capital of the world".
NFL stadium designers look to social media, youth to guide next wave of new facilities
Stadium designers are increasingly turning toward psychological and anthropological research to guide the development the next generation of NFL facilities and create comfortable, as well as Instagram-able, venues. Randy Williams reports.
FIS goes digital-first in fan engagement push ahead of Beijing Winter Olympics
The International Ski Federation is ramping up its global engagement efforts as it builds towards Beijing 2022, with its secretary general, Sarah Lewis, describing China as “the biggest opportunity for winter sports in the last 50 years”. Adam Nelson reports on how FIS is using its digital strategy to encourage consumers to take to the slopes.
Surrey’s post-World Cup T20 sales fuel continuing ambivalence for The Hundred
Surrey County Cricket Club has seen a surge in ticket sales thanks to England’s victory in the ICC Cricket World Cup and a new family zone at the Kia Oval. Chief executive Richard Gould talks to Ben Cronin about the club's commercial successes and offers his take on the ECB Hundred.
Rights to beloved Phillie Phanatic mascot in dispute after more than 40 years
Legal battle revives tension that previously existed between the MLB club and the design firm that helped create iconic character.
ICC targets younger audiences with digital-first, data-led broadcasting approach
Adam Nelson reports on how the International Cricket Council revamped its broadcast coverage ahead of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, focusing on storytelling to attract new audiences and break digital engagement records
NHL leverages Ovechkin’s pulling power to expand footprint in China
In order to develop their presence in China, the NHL have sent Alexander Ovechkin on a one-man ambassadorial trip to Beijing this week. Bob Williams talks to David Proper, executive vice-president of media and international strategy, about how ice hockey's governing body is leveraging its players' star power.
LaLiga and Bundesliga aim to make inroads on Premier League’s Asian dominance
The Premier League has long been the top international football league in Asia. As the 2019-20 season begins, SportBusiness Asia spoke to the Asian offices of Spain’s LaLiga and Germany’s Bundesliga about their work to challenge the English league’s position.
“Women’s football is about so much more than what happens on the pitch” | Fifa’s Sarai Bareman
SportBusiness speaks to Fifa's chief women’s football officer, Sarai Bareman, to get her reflections on the 2019 Women's World Cup in France and hear how she is hoping to leverage the momentum gained from that event to further develop women’s football around the world.
MLB aims to ‘democratize’ esports with inclusive push around Home Run Derby VR game
Major League Baseball's developing esports strategy, much more inclusive and based on a game title much simpler to play, veers heavily from other major US sports properties
Falcons and Rays go cashless to take fan experience ‘to an even higher level’
Cashless deployments in Atlanta, Tampa point the way toward likely broader adoption across the sport industry.
Minor League Baseball seeks to move national sales to “biggest levels in the market”
After more than three years of steady growth building a national sales operation, the affiliated minor leagues of baseball has growing ambitions
Liverpool goes it alone | Why an ‘independent’ US tour offered the club more than the ICC
Liverpool FC decided to arrange its own tour of the United States this summer, rather than compete in the pre-season International Champions Cup, because the club preferred to be "independent" and have more freedom to arrange opponents, dates and venues.
ECB hopes Cricket World Cup momentum fuels enthusiasm for The Hundred
The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup has demonstrated that there is a significant market for the ECB's new competition, The Hundred, according to its managing director, Sanjay Patel. He tells Adam Nelson how the ECB intends to capitalise on England's stunning World Cup victory and extend the sport's moment in the sun well beyond this summer.
Robin Clarke from the Endeavor agency SDMS London interview
Highlights of Robin Clarke's conversation with SportBusiness moderator Matthew Glendinning from the Sports Decision Makers Summit in London