Member Insights: Will robots be creating all sports content in the future?

In this Member Insights piece David Granger, Content Director at Cinch looks into how AI will impact content creation in the world of sport.

There’s been a lot of chatter around AI in recent months. From being the saviour of the illiterate to heralding the downfall of humanity, everyone has an opinion or a ChatGPT-written thought-piece about it. But how will it affect sport and content production arounds sport?

As the business grows in financial terms (global sports rights will break the $60bn barrier in 2024 according to SportsBusiness.com, it also is broadening and deepening its audience. The rise in popularity of esports, women’s sport, college sport and betting within sport, means there’s a lot to consume and a lot of games, matches and races to discuss, and wager on.

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And that – as ever – is what makes sport fascinating. There is so much speculation, gossip, rumour, narrative, prediction, analysis and commentary that it’s never, ever dull.

However, as digital and social gave everyone the chance to have their opinion broadcast to the world, output hasn’t always been as innovative as it could be. And now, with AI producing even more of this at the drop of a prompt, the content landfill is about to get even more bloated.

The rise of behind-the-scenes documentaries hasn’t helped. That particular arena is already seeing signs of eating itself. From F1 to football to tennis and golf, the docuseries portfolio is getting bigger and not necessarily better. In fact, it’s getting more self-referential and self-aware. Athletes, players (and drivers) are playing as much to the streaming service’s cameras as they are the spectators in situ.

Watch the latest Drive to Survive series and it’s full of references to Netflix and stilted on-camera conversations. But perhaps the most pointless waste of production time is the teams’ own content teams following the Netflix crew around, shooting the behind-the-scenes of the behind-the-scenes. It begs the question, who exactly is consuming this content?

Which brings us to artificially created content. From images to team selections to match reports, ChatGPT, Bard and Midjourney can now create content on the fly using information already on the internet. In other words, it’s curating what is already out there, re-formating it and presenting it as created content.

A more intuitive Google.

Not that it doesn’t have its uses. However, currently they’re more novelty than practical.
Check out this MediaCells blog. They spotted a great piece on an Everton FC fan forum which asked ChatGPT how exactly the club should be run.

In an attempt to see how far ChatGPT could take over production of sports content, I put in
the brief for this piece (Write a 500-word column for the world’s biggest sports industry
community website explaining how AI will affect content around sport.). You can read it here. It’s more balanced than expected, but still sides with the AI solution. It’s also not obsessed with Drive to Survive…

Meet the Member: “In digital there are no boundaries between industries”

Paweł Luberadzki is KFC’s Head of Digital and Omnichannel growth we caught up with him to speak about how a fast-food company gets involved in sport and how to balance a bargain bucket and athletic performance.

So Paweł to kick off, take us through your journey in sport?

It’s a never ending journey, that’s for sure. I started super young picking up swimming at competitive level, where I specialised in 800m. On the back of the the 90’s basketball back I switched disciplines to devote myself to basketball completely, which I played until University level. I have to admit that after graduating my sporting career took a bit of downturn, but I picked it up when I turned 30 picking up triathlon as my go to place, where I ticked off my bucket list item completing an Ironman. At the same time my professional life turned towards sports, as I joined Nike in 2012, where I stayed for almost 9 years, helping the brand Make Sports a Daily Habit, through my work in Digital and Innovation Space.

As you said you were at Nike for eight years, what were your biggest learnings from your time there?

It is such a fantastic place to grow, especially with the epic managers and leaders that I had a chance to work with. If I were to pick a few learnings I would name the following: 1. relentless focus on our consumers (aka the athletes). Everything that I did for the brand was to help the athletes become better, whether through products, service and inspiration. 2. Ability to tell stories; that is something that Nike is really great at, taking sporting moment, sporting hero’s (big or small) the heritage and telling stories that inspire 3. The importance of culture of the leadership based on unlocking human potentional. The trainings, practice and feedback that I received, but also ability to learn from my mistakes its what really developed me as a person. 

You have been working at KFC Europe now for six months, tell us a bit about the role and what has surprised you the most about working for them?

I joined the KFC team last year to bring in my expertise in unlocking digital and omnichannel growth. It sounds like a sales role, but the truth is, it is more of behaviour changing role. Yes, the end goal is to deliver on our 100% digital strategy, but it’s not necessarily about chasing that next digital sale, but rather focus on building the Digital First mindset that will unlock the endless possibilities of using technology to serve our consumers better and create a competitive advantage.

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What has surprised me the most is how much heritage the brand has and how focused it is on the product. It’s a new industry for me, which is great, as I am learning a completely different approach to running an international business, but fundamentals stay the same. Focus on removing frictions for the consumers, surprise and delight them with both product and the experience and help unlock human potential inside our organization.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face at the moment?

Direct to Consumers digital is a very young notion for the brand that has been opening and operating tens of thousands of restaurants around the world for 70 years. Our strength of a brand depends on franchisee who deliver both food and experience and me and my team exist to make sure that consumers can order and experience their food whenever and wherever they want. The challenge is to align all functions that are part of the organization to unlock the digital potential, and continue to drive incremental growth via digital awareness and acquisition.

KFC being a fast-food chain and sport being what it is, how can those two work together?

KFC, among other things is about indulgence and sharing, both of which are very much aligned to the emotion of sports. Enjoying a sporting moment, whether live or on TV, whilst enjoying our delicious tasting food is a pairing favoured by many fans around the world.

How much work do you put into engaging and understanding Gen Z, it seems to be something you do well?

It is in our local marketing teams is where the magic happens, using our heritage brand and delicious food, but localising the content to fit with the local trends and tone of voice is what help us create the language and attract gen Z consumers. It’s the teams in Madrid, Milan, Dusseldorf, Amsterdam and many other European countries, that bring the creativity and playfulness that is associated with our food in the communication strategy, that is cascaded across different digital channels, whether on TikTok or Twitch,  the creative content highlightng our values attracts Gen Z to our restaurants and digital ecosystem alike.

Looking forward then, what have you got planned for KFC in the sports space in the future?

I am here on a learning journey, but I believe in digital there are no boundaries between industries. We are competitors and collaborators at the same time. We compete for the shortening digital attention and digital wallets of our consumers, which are faced with countless possibilities 24/7. The ability to create locally relevant content and collaborate during moments of indulgence is where imho the possibilities are endless. Personally I am here to make sure the digital experiences are distinct and that we can serve our consumers best.

EngageRM announce partnership with New Orleans Pelicans and New Orleans Saints

The ownership group overseeing the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans today announced a 3-year partnership with EngageRM.

Under the agreement, both teams will employ the EngageRM platform to drive day-to-day operations, strengthen fan engagement and attract new audiences for the teams.  

Both the Saints and Pelicans will drive sales, ticketing, partnerships, event and customer services management capabilities through the EngageRM platform, deepening the relationship with their global fanbase. 

The partnership with the Saints represents EngageRM’s first move into the NFL, whilst the Pelicans expand on EngageRM’s growing presence in the NBA. The team joins a growing list of NBA clients including the Milwaukee Bucks, LA Lakers and LA Clippers. 

The EngageRM solution, native to Microsoft Dynamics 365, will work seamlessly within the New Orleans organizations technology ecosystems, to enhance capability and connect datapoints across their businesses. 

Rich Barbier, Vice President Consumer Insights and Analytics at the Saints and Pelicans, is delighted to be joining forces with the CRM leader. 

“We’re proud to partner with the team from EngageRM, their platform is a leader in sports technology and will strengthen connections with our passionate fans and partners,” said Barbier. 

“The capability and power of the platform is significant, and we look forward to leveraging EngageRM to create experiences that boost the quality of our engagement.” 

“The Saints and Pelicans are a dominant force in their respective leagues, with both organizations boasting an exceptional global fanbase,’ said Tim Barber, Chief Commercial Officer at EngageRM.  

“It is thrilling to join forces with Rich and his team to deliver amazing digital experiences and help them connect with their supporters in new ways.”  

EngageRM CEO, Ned Coten, is also excited to join forces with both teams from New Orleans. 

“This partnership with both the Pelicans and Saints is a significant milestone for EngageRM, expanding our reach in the US sports market, and allowing both to bring their fans closer to the action,” he says. 

“It is a pleasure to be working with the Saints and Pelicans for the next 3 years and assist them in maximizing their relationships with key stakeholders and fans,” Coten said. 

EngageRM’s partners include major US sports franchises including the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, LA Clippers and LA Lakers, in addition to teams and venues across the US, UK, and Australia, including the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and Co-op Live in Manchester. 

To find out more about EngageRM click here

SailGP announces calendar for Season 4

SailGP, the world’s most exciting racing on water, has unveiled its final Season 4 calendar, featuring a mix of already established fan-favorite locations, new territories and some welcome returns to the SailGP host city fold. As a continued sign of the league’s rapid growth, the season will comprise 12 events, across four continents, over 13 months. Season 4 will start in June in Chicago and culminate once again in a spectacular Grand Final event on San Francisco Bay July 13-14, 2024. 

Season 4 will have an increased focus on the U.S. with three of the country’s biggest cities playing host to a Grand Prix and four events in total. This includes a new stop in Los Angeles – hosted from the Port of Los Angeles – and the reprise of New York, which will be one of the largest events of the season with a re-located racecourse off Governors Island, providing better racing conditions and spectator facilities with a backdrop of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. 

The new season starts in less than three months with the Rolex United States Sail Grand Prix in Chicago on June 16-17, 2023 at the stunning Navy Pier precinct – an event that delighted large crowds when it made its debut in Season 3 last June. From there, the league will remain in the U.S. and head to the West Coast for a first-ever Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix on July 22-23. While it will be a debut for SailGP, Los Angeles is no stranger to world-class events and is due to host its third Summer Olympics in 2028.

Following the two opening U.S. events, the league crosses the Atlantic for the European leg of the Season 4 calendar – starting with the iconic riviera destination of Saint-Tropez, France, on September 9-10, where last year, Quentin Delapierre’s home team set the all-time speed record of 99.94 km/h which currently still stands. Afterwards, the historical surrounds of Taranto, Southern Italy await on September 23-24, with the city returning to SailGP calendar after first appearing in Season 2. 

The European event schedule concludes with the league’s most economically impactful event to date, the Spain Sail Grand Prix, which takes place October 14-15, and once again is hosted by the vibrant city of Cádiz in the Andalucía region. Boasting the biggest spectator crowds of Season 3 – with over 50,000 fans cheering from the shorelines per day – a record 56.9 million USD was generated for the local economy. 

Season 4 continues on January 13-14, 2024 with the Middle East Sail Grand Prix. While the location and title partner will be announced in May, the event will take place for a second time in UAE after a successful Season 3 debut. 

Further South, the league makes a record fifth visit to the iconic Sydney Harbour on February 24-25. The event is supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW and is the only city that has been in the calendar every year since SailGP’s inception – proof that this is one of the best racecourses for fans and athletes alike. Following that, and after a sold out and hugely successful New Zealand debut in Christchurch last month, the second iteration of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix will take place in Auckland on March 23-24 as part of a multi-season agreement that sees Auckland and Christchurch alternate as hosts for four seasons.

With the Southern Hemisphere stage complete, SailGP will move back to one of its most picturesque locations with the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix taking place on May 4-5 – another firm favorite on the calendar, having hosted two previous editions of SailGP. In great news for fans thrilled by Canada’s victory last month in New Zealand, the Phil Robertson-led team will have a home event in Season 4 with the Canada Sail Grand Prix taking place on June 1-2. Over ten cities submitted bids for the event with the shortlist of Halifax (Nova Scotia), Kingston (Ontario) Montreal (Quebec) and Victoria (British Columbia) making the final four. The successful city will be announced in May.

Following the first-ever Canada Sail Grand Prix, the season will conclude with two final U.S. events; New York on June 22-23 before the season finale, which will once again take place on the iconic waters of San Francisco Bay on July 13-14, 2024.

At the conclusion of the season, the league will pause for both the Olympic Games and America’s Cup to allow its athletes to participate in both, while at the same time the SailGP Technologies and Shared Services teams will perform maintenance and upgrades to the fleet. Season 5 of SailGP is scheduled to commence in late 2024. 

Andy Thompson, Managing Director of SailGP said: “The fact that we are again expanding our season from 11 to 12 events, and now have many multi-year agreements in place, shows the continued demand to host events and the strong momentum the league continues to experience. The impressive array of global locations and wide range of event title partners – with more to be announced soon – is great news for our passionate fans and partners alike and is further evidence of the growth and appeal our sport has on a global scale. It is amazing to see how far we have come since our inaugural Season launched in 2019 with just five events.”

Final SailGP Season 4 Schedule //

2023

June 16-17 // Rolex United States Sail Grand Prix | Chicago at Navy Pier

July 22-23 // United States Sail Grand Prix | Los Angeles

September 9-10 // France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez

September 23-24 // Italy Sail Grand Prix | Taranto

October 14-15 // Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía- Cádiz

2024

January 13-14 // UAE Sail Grand Prix | Venue to be announced

February 24-25 // KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney

March 23-24 // ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Auckland

May 4-5 // Bermuda Sail Grand Prix

June 1-2 // Canada Sail Grand Prix | Venue to be announced

June 22-23 // United States Sail Grand Prix | New York

July 13-14 // SailGP Season 4 Grand Final | San Francisco 

DP World Tour release statement on LIV decision

Sport Resolutions today announced it has upheld the DP World Tour’s conflicting tournament release regulation and its ability to sanction members who breached it. Furthermore, appeals brought by those members have been dismissed.

The decision follows an arbitration which took place before an independent three-person panel, chaired by His Honour Judge Phillip Sycamore CBE, from February 6 -10, 2023.

In summary, the Sport Resolutions panel found that:

  1. Keith Pelley, the DP World Tour’s Chief Executive, “acted entirely reasonably in refusing releases”.
  2. The relevant regulations are lawful and enforceable.  The regulations “cannot be said to go beyond what is necessary and proportionate to the [DP World Tour’s] continued operation as a professional golf tour” and the DP World Tour has a legitimate and justifiable interest in protecting the rights of its membership.
  3. The sanctioned members “committed serious breaches of the Code of Behaviour of the DP World Tour Regulations by playing in [LIV Golf events] despite their release requests having been refused”.
  4. All of the players’ challenges therefore failed, their appeals are dismissed in their entirety, and the £100,000 fines originally imposed must now be paid within 30 days.

STATEMENT FROM THE DP WORLD TOUR

Keith Pelley, the DP World Tour’s Chief Executive, said: “We welcome today’s decision by Sport Resolutions which upholds our regulations and our ability to administer them.

“We are delighted that the panel recognised we have a responsibility to our full membership to do this and also determined that the process we followed was fair and proportionate.

“In deciding the level of these sanctions last June, we were simply administering the regulations which were created by our members and which each of them signed up to.

“It is, of course, regrettable that resources, both financial and staffing, which could have been otherwise deployed across our organisation, have been impacted by this lengthy arbitration process.

“However, with the clarity provided by today’s decision, we look forward to continuing to focus on our 2023 global schedule, whilst also continuing to plan for 2024 with the valued support of our many partners and stakeholders.

“We will now carefully consider the details of today’s decision with our Board, our Tournament Committee and our legal advisors and take the appropriate action in due course.”

Dan Rossomondo joins Dorna Sports as CCO

After a global search for a new Chief Commercial Officer, Dorna Sports is delighted to welcome Dan Rossomondo to the role. Dan joins the company from the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is ready to put his commitment, drive and experience into one of the world’s biggest sports entertainment properties: MotoGP™. Dan will lead the media rights, global commercial partnerships and digital business teams, using his expertise to fuel the continued international growth of MotoGP™’s profile, audience and revenue.  

Dan arrives at Dorna from his role as Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships and Media at the NBA. After gaining his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown and then an MBA from New York University, his career began in advertising sales at Madison Square Garden and has since taken him to IMG, Time Warner Global Media, the NBA and now, Dorna Sports.  

At the NBA, Dan worked across a range of different business lines, both domestically and internationally, and was responsible for substantial growth across sponsorship, media, global attractions, licensing, and retail. He and his team negotiated agreements across an array of NBA properties and oversaw sales relationships with Walt Disney and Warner Media Discovery, as well as rights holders across the world. His experience in driving the growth of the NBA as a sports, entertainment and lifestyle property sees him join Dorna Sports with a proven track record of passion and results, ready to focus on taking MotoGP™ to even greater heights.

Endeavor announce ground-breaking acquisition of WWE

Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. and World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. today announced that they have signed a definitive agreement to form a new, publicly listed company consisting of two iconic, complementary, global sports and entertainment brands: UFC and WWE. Upon close, Endeavor will hold a 51% controlling interest in the new company and existing WWE shareholders will hold a 49% interest in the new company.

Together, UFC and WWE will have global reach, impressive scale and omnichannel distribution. On a combined 2022 fiscal year-end basis, UFC and WWE achieved revenue of $2.4 billion and a 10% annual revenue growth rate since 2019.

“This is a rare opportunity to create a global live sports and entertainment pureplay built for where the industry is headed,” said Ariel Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor. “For decades, Vince and his team have demonstrated an incredible track record of innovation and shareholder value creation, and we are confident that Endeavor can deliver significant additional value for shareholders by bringing UFC and WWE together.”

“Given the incredible work that Ari and Endeavor have done to grow the UFC brand – nearly doubling its revenue over the past seven years – and the immense success we’ve already had in partnering with their team on a number of ventures, I believe that this is without a doubt the best outcome for our shareholders and other stakeholders,” said Vincent K. McMahon, Executive Chairman of WWE.

McMahon continued, “Together, we will be a $21+ billion live sports and entertainment powerhouse with a collective fanbase of more than a billion people and an exciting growth opportunity. The new company will be well positioned to maximize the value of our combined media rights, enhance sponsorship monetization, develop new forms of content and pursue other strategic mergers and acquisitions to further bolster our strong stable of brands. I, along with the current WWE management team, look forward to working closely with Ari and the Endeavor and UFC teams to take the businesses to the next level.”

The new company will be led by Emanuel (Chief Executive Officer), who will also continue in his role as Chief Executive Officer of Endeavor, McMahon (Executive Chairman of the Board) and Mark Shapiro, who will be President and Chief Operating Officer of both Endeavor and the new company. Dana White will continue in his role as President of UFC and Nick Khan will serve as President of WWE. The Board of Directors will consist of 11 members who will be appointed at a later date, six of whom will be appointed by Endeavor and five of whom by WWE.

Together, UFC and WWE expect to deliver an estimated $50 million to $100 million in annualized run rate cost synergies by leveraging, among other things, Endeavor’s back office and robust infrastructure. Endeavor also expects significant growth across revenue areas including domestic and international media rights, ticket sales and yield optimization, event operations, sponsorship, licensing and premium hospitality. Endeavor’s success at UFC, including increasing commercial opportunities that have driven more than 2x Adjusted EBITDA growth since its acquisition in late 2016, demonstrates the significant value creation opportunity and upside potential of having UFC and WWE under one roof.

Transaction Details and Approvals

The transaction values UFC at an enterprise value of $12.1 billion and WWE at an enterprise value of $9.3 billion. The transaction represents a contribution price of WWE of approximately $106 per share (before any post-closing dividend). Additionally, UFC and WWE will each contribute cash to the new company so that it holds approximately $150 million. At closing, Endeavor intends to sweep all excess cash at UFC, and shareholders of the new company (other than Endeavor) are expected to receive a post-closing dividend.

Under the terms of the transaction, existing WWE shareholders will roll all existing equity into the new entity that will be the parent company of UFC and WWE (“NewCo” until it is named at a later date) and intends to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “TKO”. The listing of NewCo will expand the collective investor base to allow for broad market participation across Endeavor and NewCo.

The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of Endeavor and by the Board of Directors of WWE. The transaction is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including receipt of required regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2023.

This marks the successful conclusion of WWE’s strategic alternatives review process. WWE embarked on this process to take advantage of the company’s unique position in the entertainment ecosystem as well as the inflection point coming with its media rights renewals, both of which were widely recognized in the marketplace through this process.

The View from the US: March Madness 2023, eliminated early, SEC nabs tournament high $34 million

While the rest of the world is focussing on the end of the English Premier League season and the IPL, over in the States, March Madness has been topping the headlines for the last month. In this article we find out from people on the ground how it went down.

An SEC team won’t win the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, but the league will eventually take home roughly $34 million from its March Madness success, more than any other conference.

That’s because of the complicated way the NCAA distributes money during the tournament. Instead of paying schools for their success, the governing body distributes money directly to the conferences themselves. The amount of money each conference receives is determined by the number of tournament games each team plays prior to the final.

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The SEC sent eight teams to this year’s tournament, more than anyone except the Big Ten, and those teams will end the tournament having played 17 games. Each game played will be worth roughly $2 million, according to Sportico’s calculations, paid out in annual installments through 2029, bringing the SEC’s haul to roughly $34 million. The Big 12 is next with 16 games played for $32 million, followed by the Big East with 15 games for $30 million.

The SEC’s haul is historic for multiple reasons. It’s been at least two decades since the SEC led all conferences in tournament earnings. It’s also just the second time in the past 20 years that the highest-earning conference failed to advance a single team out of the Sweet Sixteen—Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama all lost one win short of the Elite Eight.

A quick summary of the NCAA’s tournament distributions: A team earns one “unit” for every game it plays before the championship, including the first four games held in Dayton. There are therefore 132 units awarded each tournament, and those units stretch over six years, generating payments to each school’s conference in annual chunks.

The value of a unit changes each year, meaning the total payment for a 2023 win won’t be fully apparent until 2029. But the NCAA’s revenue and distribution guidance provides estimates, and Sportico calculates that each game played this year will be worth about $2,001,400. That starts with a unit payment of roughly $342,000 next year and ends with a unit payment of roughly $326,000 in 2029 (the value eventually goes down because the canceled 2020 tournament concentrated payments for the following six years).

Because there is no unit award for the championship game, this year’s haul is fully set. The Mountain West, led by Final Four participant San Diego State, finished sixth at $16 million. Conference USA sent just one team to the tournament but will earn $10 million thanks to FAU’s surprise run.

The NCAA encourages its conferences to share their tournament money evenly, and most of them do. That means that the Columbia Lions, who went 2-12 in Ivy League play, will receive the same amount as 2023 upset specialist Princeton, a 15-seed that won twice before falling in the Sweet Sixteen. Not every league, however, cuts the unit money into even chunks. Gonzaga has won a vast majority of the WAC’s tournament money in recent years, and has enough in-conference leverage to command a higher share.

One more interesting wrinkle this year—conference realignment. UCLA, which made it to the Sweet Sixteen, is leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. Texas, which lost in the Elite Eight, is leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. The units they earn, however, stay with their current conferences, meaning a number of schools are earning money that they won’t fully realize. (It’s unclear how their new conferences will treat them for distributions earned before they joined).

In the women’s draw, the SEC and ACC have already played 19 games each, with a few more units left to be earned. The NCAA, however, distributes no money based on teams’ success in the women’s March Madness.

By Eben Novy-Williams and Lev Akabas

With assistance from Emily Caron. 

March 25: Players Still Adapting to New Wilson Ball

March 24: UConn Women Beat Football Team in Ticket Cash

March 23: FAU’s Dusty May Earning Bonuses and Job Attention

March 21: Financial Upsets Erase Chalk in Women’s Bracket

March 20: Biggest Financial Underdog Is… Princeton?

March 19: Princeton’s Ivy Peers Score NCAA’s Most Valuable Wins

Move over blockchain: AI is the future of fan engagement

Fan engagement? Is that still a thing? 

Not everyone likes the term fan engagement. Like many buzzwords the problem is not the buzzword itself rather the contradictory contexts within which it’s used (and abused).

Google Trends is a good proxy for the gradual reduction in attention given to fan engagement as a concept as new buzzwords have grabbed the headlines. Google search data suggests a steady decline since 2004 in usage of fan engagement as a search term. 

However, despite this, 71% of respondents to a recent sports industry survey conducted by iSportConnect (in Jan / Feb 2023), in collaboration with Choicely, see fan engagement as important or very important to their organisations.

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While the web3 movement continues to gather momentum (and spawn a whole new lexicon of buzzwords), it seems that sports industry respondents are turning their attention to artificial intelligence – at least as far as fan engagement is concerned. 43% of survey respondents believe that AI / generative AI will be revolutionary for the field of fan engagement over the next 3-5 years versus 7% for blockchain technology. Virtual / augmented / mixed reality also scored very well (33%).

What single technology will be the most revolutionary for the field of fan engagement in the next 3-5 years?

[Single response]

n= 289 (all respondents)

I like to think I’m an optimist. The fact that data analytics (25%) and market research (25%) are the skills / capabilities that sports industry professionals recognise as most lacking to deliver on fan engagement goals, is a good starting point from which we as an industry can start to explore ways to rectify this.

What skill/ capability is most lacking in the sports business to enable organisations to deliver on your fan engagement goals?

[Single response]

n= 289 (all respondents)

If this has whetted your appetite for more, you can access the full report here.

David Fowler is the Managing Director of iSportConnect’s Advisory team where he supports best-in-class companies with their sports market entry and growth strategies and is also a Co-Founder of the world’s first sports technology marketplace, SportsTech Match.

Why IT are the big winners this F1 season

The 2023 Formula 1 season is just starting to rumble into life and as the travelling circus begins the journey from Melbourne to Azerbaijan we are going to take a look at the 300+ sponsors across the sport.

Our F1 Sponsorship Index powered by caytoo analyses all the sponsors across the sport to see how the landscape has changed and the key sectors that the individual teams should be prioritising.

Over the last nine months, the 10 Formula One teams and F1 itself have signed nearly 14 new sponsors per month. In that period, Information Technology has seen the biggest increase in the number of sponsors (+15), narrowly ahead of Financial Services (+14) and Consumer Goods (+8).

IT’s growth was driven by both Software (now the No. 1 sub-sector, up from No. 4) and Cybersecurity brands; Financial Services growth was driven by Investment/Trading brands (up from No. 12 to No. 7) while Consumer Goods was driven by Accessories brands such as luggage and sunglasses.

The growth of these sectors is driven by the brand rationale of ‘showcasing capability’ as a reason to undertake the sponsorship.

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IT is a particularly natural bedfellow for F1 in this regard; technology powers the sport and so many partnerships are technical supply or value in kind deals. Cognizant (Aston Martin) and Oracle’s RedBull deal show that the tech can power the car and the partnership delivers for the brand. These true partnerships lower costs, provide technology and revenue for the team and brand assets for the partner. The demonstration of the technology in action adds authenticity by showing that it delivers elite performance.

Consumer Goods is also a natural partner; clothing, watches, sunglasses and luggage are crucial to the day to day lives of the drivers and the teams – its inherent globetrotting DNA – as well as reflecting the sport’s close links with fashion and some of the world’s most glamorous locations.

Data correct as of February 22nd.

Let’s get into the index: