Fan Engagement
Features
Even amid game cancellations, MLB still has keen eye on Mexico
The United States' neighbor to the south is being increasingly viewed by Major League Baseball as a viable location for both regular-season games and perhaps an expansion franchise
Nascar moves quickly to fill void from Covid-19 with nationally-televised esports series
Esports has never been as important or relevant as it is now amid the global Covid-19 pandemic. Nascar has been an early mover in this space with the creation of the eNascar iRacing Pro Invitational Series.
‘Stop broadcasting, start interacting’ | The importance of digital engagement during sport’s shutdown
Adam Nelson speaks with a range of experts from across the digital space about how rights-holders and clubs can utilise digital content to both engage fanbases and provide a platform for their sponsors during the Covid-19-mandated shutdown.
Malaysian Football League targets comeback from challenging 2019
The Malaysian Football League had a tough 2019, which saw clubs suffering revenue shortfalls after two big commercial partners backed out of their deals. In the wake of making some significant commercial deals starting in 2020, Kevin McCullagh talks to MFL's chief commercial officer, Winnie Chan, about how the league is trying to recover.
BT’s ‘Beyond Limits’ rebrand informs CSR-focused partnerships with Home Nations FAs
The telecommunication company’s 2019 rebrand saw it move toward a focus on community and social engagement, something it is intending to carry through into its lead partnerships of all four UK football associations.
IMG and World RX join motorsport’s drive to esports
The World Rallycross Championship (World RX) has become the latest motorsport championship to introduce an esports series to compensate for the lack of events during Covid-19
MLB creates “Opening Day At Home” amid pandemic
Set of 30 archival games to be shown across various media partners will feature each club
USL creates Rocket League competition to stay active amid shutdown
The United Soccer League has unveiled a new Rocket League esports competition for its Championship and League One teams to take part in during the sports shutdown enforced by the Covid-19 pandemic
Topps expands trading card line with artist collaborations
"Project 2020" will see classic baseball cards reinterpreted by a broad mix of modern artists
How NFL Game Pass uses data to conquer fans around the world without hurting TV revenues
NFL Game Pass is the fastest-growing single-sport OTT service in the world, targeting both casual and avid fans. Frank Dunne speaks with representatives from some of the service's major stakeholders on how Game Pass fits into the league’s global media-rights strategy.
Q&A: Sam Jones, chief executive, OverTier, global distributor of NFL Game Pass
NFL Game Pass is the fastest-growing single-sport OTT service in the world, targeting both casual and avid fans.
Q&A: Dan Cohen, senior vice-president, Global Media Rights Consulting, Octagon
NFL Game Pass is the fastest-growing single-sport OTT service in the world, targeting both casual and avid fans
NBA Experience forges bold new ground for fan development
Christian Sylt takes a look inside the NBA Experience, the new immersive basketball venue at Walt Disney World in Florida.
Golf industry searches for path forward amid uncertainty at merchandise show
With golf participation rates falling, M. James Ward looks at how the merchandise and equipment business is working to attract new audiences.
Understanding the Sports Data Challenge
What you need to know to survive the next decade
2019 – a year in sport business
Four Inside Track contributors from around the world reflect on what they saw as the key industry developments of 2019 .
Wizards deploy multi-pronged strategy to develop Japanese fandom
In just a short amount of time, the Wizards have put themselves in prime position to become the NBA's most-popular team in Japan following the arrival of Rui Hachimura. Bob Williams discovers how they have done it.
How the Bundesliga courted its Indonesian fanbase with Jakarta experience
The German Bundesliga runs live fan experience events in markets around the world to nurture its international fanbases. SportBusiness attended the Bundesliga Experience Jakarta in November to see how such an events is put together.
Real Madrid’s global partnership with Microsoft helps club to 30 per cent digital revenue growth
Spanish football giants Real Madrid have grown digital revenues over 30 per cent over the course of five-year partnership with Microsoft, creating a digital marketing platform that allows the club to engage with, and learn from, it's 450 million-strong global fanbase.
Sports leagues, teams amplify autism outreach
As dedicated facilities are becoming more commonplace, Rick Snider looks at how sports venues are becoming more adaptive for autistic people.
Football risks ‘eating itself’ in the race for engagement, but digital may be a small part of the solution
Football has embraced social media in a huge way, but will its focus on digital technology undermine grassroots participation? Frank Dunne asks if the game is in danger of eating itself and looks at what Uefa is doing to prevent this.
Aston Villa looking to turn fan engagement into commercial revenue with new loyalty card scheme
Data-led fan engagement platform Fortress and Barclays have developed a new universal payment scheme at Aston Villa FC, aiming to deepen the connection between a club and its fans and open up whole new commercial revenue opportunities in the process.
Astros look to move past World Series disappointment with several 2020 projects
The Houston Astros MLB team has big plans for its future, in spite of recent disappointment in the 2019 World Series and recent issues with a executive who was fired. Eric Fisher takes a look at the projects the team have in store.
San Francisco 49ers continue concessions revolution with unlimited food and drink menu
Bob Williams looks at how the San Francisco 49ers looking to create a better game-day experience for their fans, starting with the concessions stand.
NFL stadiums are key testing ground for 5G mobile rollout in US
Expansive size and density of some of US' largest sports facilities provide a fertile environment to experiment with next-generation mobile technology. Story by Rick Snider.
New Jersey Devils looking to leverage arrivals of Subban and Hughes
The arrival of Jack Hughes as the No.1 NHL Draft pick and superstar defenseman PK Subban has generated a wave of optimism around the New Jersey Devils. Bob Williams speaks to the Devil's new president Jake Reynolds about his long-term commercial plans for the franchise.
Badminton steps outside with new format
The Badminton World Federation has launched a format variation, aimed at capturing new players and viewers. Badminton World Federation Secretary-General Thomas Lund tells SportBusiness' Asia editor Kelvin Tan what's next for Air Badminton.
McLaren’s new commercial chief Mark Waller is bringing lessons from American sport
Mark Waller joined McLaren Racing in May from the NFL, becoming the British motorsport team's managing director of sales and marketing. He's relishing his new role, and sees opportunities to drive the business forward in adding consumer-facing sponsors, creating more digital content, and expanding the team's already impressive esports programme.