Rights Holders Industry Insight: Football & Covid, By Connexi

The Covid pandemic has not been easy for rights holders, particularly in the sports industry. The shutdown of sports and fan attendance posed many questions about how sports teams will cope.

Connexi undertook some research to delve deeper into the sport specific coping mechanisms and give you an inside look into how football clubs are reacting to the challenges that are coming about as a result of the Covid pandemic. Adapting and changing to the quickly changing environment to not only survive but redefine the future of the sport altogether.

Play for the name on the front of the shirt

The introduction of new digital assets has helped to provide new ways to showcase partnerships. Social media and other digital platforms have helped to create the new sponsorship assets, including virtual match sponsors, pre match shows, interviews with players and in one clubs’ case creating a new esports platform. 

Two approaches have been taken with digital assets, either offering these new sponsorship opportunities or they are replacing physical branding in stadiums, for example programme adverts being replaced by digital advertisements. In some cases, On site branding has been created as a result of the pandemic with empty seats making way for branded space such as wraps or banners. Particularly in the higher divisions, this form of branding has 90 minutes of exposure to fans through televised games. One logo within the main TV arc has been able to deliver enormous amounts of media value. 

Football is nothing without fans

Similar to partner exposure, digital takes centre stage with fan engagement. Virtual opportunities, through the use of social media platforms and other digital engagement tools, have provided clubs and their sponsors the ability to engage with their fan base on some sort of level. Clubs used the period of time to make developments to apps and to send out digital magazines in order to keep in contact with their fans. This also, in turn, created new advertising inventory to sell to partners.

“One club stated that they delivered virtual opportunities as additional rights in their own stead rather than as a replacement of the original rights.”

Social media platforms could be utilised in many different ways and this benefited the rights holders through flexibility. This was shown through the use of quizzes, polls, votes, competitions, behind the scenes footage, classic moments, and exclusive interviews, to name a few, all which maintained a high level of interaction with fans. Outside of social media, video calling technologies, such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams, enabled clubs to be able to hold regular events when physical events were not an option. Whilst one club mentioned that the broadcasting of classic matches helped to fill the gap during the first lockdown.

Winning as a team

For football rights holders the common theme was that the majority of partners and sponsors were sympathetic to the situation. Flexibility and understanding, from both the rights holders and their partners, has been key to keeping the relationships strong. With clubs being understanding of each brand’s specific situation, some have struggled whilst others have grown.

During the pandemic, the vast majority of sponsors and partners remained associated with their club, or even in some cases committed to new deals. Ensuring that the clubs continue to receive revenue that has never been more important, particularly given the lack of income from ticketing. The use of digital assets has made up for the loss of brand exposure in some instances.

One club stated that they delivered virtual opportunities as additional rights in their own stead rather than as a replacement of the original rights. From this they were able to push rights into next season and extend partnerships by a year at no additional cost. Another club created new opportunities for exposure by launching a scheme to feed 1000s of people in their local community, with sponsors taking up the opportunity to help fund the scheme. 

The game is evolving

Digital and virtual opportunities have progressed immensely over the last 10 years. The current high levels of engagement with social media channels, as well as the value association for brands, has provided clubs with new partnership opportunities that would not have existed a decade ago. Digital content and initiatives, particularly with a strong focus on social media channels, have allowed clubs to keep engagement with fans high when they otherwise may have struggled. Football clubs who have taken advantage of this have been able to continue to deliver value to both fans and partners. Not only continuing to maintain exposure for partnerships but also providing opportunities to remain in contact digitally with partners and their fanbases alike, thus proving to be a really important asset over this period.

Additionally to this is the ability for matches to be watched over the internet, as well as additional programmes that can be circulated digitally. The broadcasting of fixtures has meant that there is still a value to perimeter board sponsors, matchday programme adverts etc. Behind closed doors no longer means the same as it once did. Digital streaming and televising games has allowed for an exposure larger than the capacity of stadiums. Prior to the pandemic, each week of the Premier League saw 4 or 5 televised fixtures. However, during this period, every single game has been televised.

Changing tactics

The pandemic has encouraged clubs to be innovative. It has shown the importance of effective fan engagement and social media usage, as well as the need to mutually support partners through new and innovative campaigns. Ultimately, “supporting a club isn’t simply about turning up at the ground to watch a match”, there is much more too it and it shows the necessity to constantly engage with fans and give them a positive experience, whether they are present or not.

The sponsorship model has already been changing over the past 5 years, but the pandemic has accelerated this rate of change. Moving further away from the traditional badging and brand awareness methods to more meaningful, relationship driven partnerships. Partnerships have started to, and most likely will continue to, become more fluid, such as shorter term partnerships anchored on delivery rather than the number of years of a partnership term. The use of data to create partnerships has become more important as a result, providing a broader understanding of what quantifies success and therefore creating more successful partnerships off the back of it.  

Changes will occur not only with sponsorship deals but also in stadiums when fan attendance returns. These changes will most likely be permanent rather than temporary with the most notable being the move to cashless stadiums. Over the past few years some clubs, mainly in the top level, have made this shift to contactless payments, but the Covid pandemic should lead to most, if not all, stadiums becoming cashless. Additionally there will be hygiene changes, in-stadia toilet facilities will be forced to improve, and sanitising stations will most likely be present for some time.

“Fan habits and working conditions have changed. A rights holder that is looking to adapt and be progressive will take advantage of this unique situation. Making changes that will not only help in the present but also for the future of the clubs.”

On the pitch, we could see, at least for the time being, a decrease in player transfers and more academy players getting a chance to play in the senior teams instead, due to rights holders refraining from large financial expenditures. This potentially will help to create a more stable future for the club and short term financial relief that could have big long term gains. Whilst outside of football we could see rights holders’ foundations working closer than ever before in their communities to support those that have been affected by Covid. Football clubs have shown large amounts of support for their local communities during this tough time, but with the effects potentially being felt for many years afterwards a continued reassurance of this support could be seen sport wide. 

A winning mentality

The pandemic has brought about many challenges for rights holders, and in order to solve them clubs have had to “think differently”. This new mindset produced the inclusion of new products and initiatives to make up for the absence of physical stadium attendance in football. Within football club structures “traditions have historically been very entrenched”.

The Covid pandemic has changed that. Fan habits and working conditions have changed. A rights holder that is looking to adapt and be progressive will take advantage of this unique situation. Making changes that will not only help in the present but also for the future of the clubs. Adapting to the changing environment has given rights holders an opportunity to “try something new”, whether it be using new technologies or implementing stadium changes ready for fans returning. Some of these can already be seen with the emergence of new categories for potential sponsorship, including hygiene and food delivery sectors.

Conclusion

Football is a sport where there are large disparities between the levels. The Covid pandemic has brought about common problems that have been resolved in many different ways. Clubs of all levels would have found the situation very difficult if digital assets were not as big as they are now. Without them, football clubs would have been stripped to the bare bones, whilst solely being dependent on “the core element of the club, the football matches”. Commercial revenue is at the forefront for football clubs. The past year has shown the importance not only of having partners but also of having a strong relationship and aligned values with them. 

This is potentially a period of time that lessens the league disparities, bringing the lower league clubs closer to the top leagues. Forcing lower league clubs to utilise digital methods of communication with fans and partners when they otherwise would not have made the jump. Even within stadiums, the implementation of cashless stadiums will bring dated stadiums into the modern world.

On all levels, we will most likely continue to see rights holders work harder for their sponsors in the future, with the added realisation of their support during this tough period. Mutual help has been so important to survival for both sides, but it was best put by one rights holder who said that “the more benevolent we are now during difficult times, the more that will be reciprocated by our partners when things return to normal”.

Major League Soccer Selects Deltatre As Web Technology Provider

Deltatre have today announced a multi-year agreement with Major League Soccer making Deltatre the League’s web technology provider. 

Under the agreement, MLS and Deltatre will work on a series of digital products for the League and MLS Clubs.

“Being selected by MLS is testament to Deltatre’s unique ability to provide cutting-edge digital solutions that serve the needs of the most forward-thinking and high-profile sports federations and rights-owners,” said Jeff Volk, SVP, Head of Business and Revenue, Americas at Deltatre. “This collaboration is another outstanding step for Deltatre, underlining our incredible progress and growth in the U.S.”

“Deltatre shares our commitment to implementing leading technology that enhances and evolves the fan experience,” said MLS SVP of Media Chris Schlosser. “Their impressive track-record in working with some of the largest sports leagues, allied to its reputation for innovation and delivery, made working together an obvious choice.” 

The news follows a strong 12 months for Deltatre. Among many highlights, last year Deltatre announced it had completely redesigned and revamped Juventus FC’s digital ecosystem. 

This collaboration marks another key milestone for Deltatre, boosting its already impressive presence in the U.S. Deltatre technology now underpins the digital offering for three of the largest North American professional sports leagues, adding MLS to a roster that also includes Major League Baseball. 

iSPORTCONNECT Unveils 2021 Influential Women In Sport Top Ten

Monday, March 8th 2021 is a key date for many across the world, as it represents International Women’s Day, when women across the world are celebrated for their achievements. It signifies a day in which women are also fighting for greater equality, which iSPORTCONNECT is totally behind, particularly in an industry with much to do.

On this day, therefore, we are thrilled to reveal our fourth annual iSPORTCONNECT Influential Women In Sport List for 2021, highlighting some of the industry’s key female players and those who have led from the front over the past 12 months.

This year YOU, our iSPORTCONNECT community, were able to play a part by being able to put forward those you believed should be recognised as being female leaders within the sporting space, nominating a huge amount of worthwhile contenders and helping us to create our Women In Sport Top Ten.

We also have four brand new categories we received nominations for from the community, in order to recognise those in other areas who are deserving of recognition for their efforts.

A massive thank you must also go to our seven external jury members (Ebru Köksal, Seema Jaswal, Fredda Hurwitz, Simon Chadwick, Lingling Liu, Anna Lockwood and Tim Crow) who were willing to give up their time to help us narrow down our contenders alongside iSPORTCONNECT to make up the final list.

Finally, here it is, the iSPORTCONNECT Influential Women In Sport Top Ten for 2021. Thank thank you to everyone who took part in nominating contenders and congratulations to all of our winners and to everyone who was nominated.

The Top Ten

Catherine Bond Muir – W Series, Chief Executive Officer.

Catherine has grown the W Series from the ground up and is providing terrific opportunities to female drivers in motor racing. In 2021 it will feature it alongside eight F1 Championship weekends, across the UK, Europe and the Americas.

Cynthia Marshall – Dallas Mavericks, Chief Executive Officer

Cynthia made history as the first ever female Chief Executive Officer in the the National Basketball Association when she was appointed in 2018.

Jane Fernandez – FIFA WWC 2023, Chief Operating Officer

Jane led Australia’s successful bid for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and was recently named as Australia’s COO of the co-hosted event with New Zealand. She has united the sport, state and national governments to secure the largest female event in the largest global sport, at a time when female sport continues to gather momentum.

Jeanie Buss – LA Lakers, Owner & President

A longtime part of the ownership and executive with the Lakers, Jeanie was in charge of the organisation as they won their first NBA championship for more than a decade, become the first female owner of a championship team.

Kim Ng – Miami Marlins, General Manager

Kim, a leader of women in baseball for many years, was appointed as the first female General Manager in MLB history when appointed by the Miami Marlins towards the back end of 2020.

Megan Rapinoe – USWNT Footballer

As one of the most recognisable athletes in the world since the 2019 World Cup, Megan has used that platform to expose inequalities in sports and society. Raising awareness about gender bias and social injustice, Rapinoe has been a role model for all athletes in all sport.

Naomi Osaka – Tennis Player / NWSL Investor

Naomi has been a leader for women in sport in the past year, making her voice heard when discussing equality and equal rights while excelling on the court once again. She has also become an investor in North Carolina Courage in the NWSL.

Nita Ambani – Mumbai Indians / Reliance Foundation

Under Nita’s guidance the Reliance Foundation has been encouraging and creating a youth sports revolution in India all while she is leading the Mumbai Indians IPL franchise, who won yet another IPL title in 2020.

Stephanie McMahon – WWE – Chief Brand Officer

Stephanie has been helping a number of initiatives to boost the profile and give greater opportunities to women in sport as well as having to be part of leading the WWE through Covid.

Susan Whelan – Leicester City FC, Chief Executive Officer

Susan is a high class operator who highly professional, clearly successful, but also a warm and generous person. Susan is an excellent role model and is overseeing an extremely positive period for Leicester City as a club.

Shortlisted: Ashley Ehlert – International Ice Hockey Federation, Barbara Slater – BBC, Fatma Samoura – FIFA, Hashimoto Seiko – Tokyo 2020, Joanna Coates – UK Athletics, Julia Fry – Extreme E, Louise Johnson – Fuse Sport & Entertainment, Lucia Montanarella – IOC, Soraya Sobh – Fnatic, Tatjana Haenni – Swiss Football Association, Tracy Power – Rugby League World Cup 2021.

The Inspirational Standout During Covid-19

Sarah Wall – NETFIT, Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Australian Netball player Sarah Wall’s NETFIT saw their free Facebook Live fitness and skills series gain over 3,000,000 views through isolation-inspired streams lead by various elite and community players through NETFIT Netball’s Facebook Page. NETFIT also partnered with the INF (International Netball Federation) to create the 24 Hour Live Netball Challenge.

Shortlisted: Mikaela Shiffrin – created the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund to support athletes that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tammy Parlour – co-founder of the Women’s Sport Trust, who has pulled together a report on how women’s sport responds to Covid. Sue Anstiss MBE – In 2020 she co-created the Women’s Sport Collective, founded during Lockdown one it offers women working in sport the opportunity to connect, learn and share.

Up-And-Coming In Sport Business

Alexandra Willis – All England Lawn Tennis Club, Head of Communications, Content and Digital

Alexandra has been leading the digital transformation of one of the UK’s most loved sporting brands, Wimbledon, while working for the AELTC. Later this year she will take up a new post as Communications and Marketing Director.

Shortlisted: Penelope Tomasi – UEFA, Anna Chanduvi – Facebook, Emily Frazer – Matchroom Sport.

Championing And Demonstrating Equality

Joanna Coates – UK Athletics, Chief Executive Officer

Joanna is an outstanding CEO who has for years has tirelessly worked towards greater inclusion, equality and diversity across sport and is now doing so at UK Athletics. Prior to that she had led strong work at England Netball, culminating in a Commonwealth Games gold medal for the team and hosting the successful 2019 Netball World Cup.

Shortlisted: Sue Anstiss MBE – Women’s Sport Collective, Leadership Woman Football (Organisation), Jane Purdon – Women In Football.

Platform For Good: The Best Campaign Or Work Supporting Women In Sport

Burger King – Burger Queen Sponsorship With Stevenage FC

The fast food chain signed a deal to sponsor English Football League Two side Stevenage FC and were able to rework their logo to be named ‘Burger Queen’, something that was incredibly innovative and drew a huge amount of attention to women’s football.

Shortlisted: Nike’s ‘You Can’t Stop Us’ campaign, Extreme E for creating the first gender equal sporting format in motorsport, the WNBA’s Orange Sweater Campaign to engage with public figures to bring more attention to the league and women’s sport.

iSPORTCONNECT Reveal Jury For 2021 Influential Women In Sport List

iSPORTCONNECT are delighted to reveal our jury for this year’s 2021 Influential Women In Sport List.

Following a whole host of nominations from you, our iSPORTCONNECT community, the jury will be providing their own opinions from the shortlist to bring together the final top ten, which will be released on International Women’s Day next Monday, March 8th.

We would like to give a massive thank you to the jury for giving their time to be part of this and are incredibly grateful to them for doing so.

Without further ado, here is our jury:

Ebru Köksal

A football and finance forerunner, Ebru Köksal, Chair of Women in Football, has a portfolio of Board and advisory roles including as senior advisor at J Stern &Co, INED at Doublepass BV, MNT Healthcare and the Professional Footballers Association. She is passionate about gender equality and building a better future for female leaders.

Seema Jaswal

You will currently find Seema presenting the Premier League’s global Match-Day Live coverage, ITV’s international football, BBC Snooker‘s Triple Crown events and the Premier League on Amazon Prime UK. Seema has presented a multitude of sports and covered some of the world’s most prestigious tournaments, including the 2020 UEFA Champions League for CBS Sports, the 2019 Cricket World Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Fredda Hurwitz

Fredda is a proud mum (human and furry) and a seasoned strategic global brand marketer (25+ years), whose experience is rooted in sports & entertainment, sponsorship & partnerships, employee and brand engagement for agencies, brands and rights holder. She’s the Founder & Chief Nut of Gingernut Thinking, a DC-based consultancy, working with SMEs, non-profits and agencies to help solve their marketing challenges and better articulate their “why”. Fredda is a regular contributor to the marketing press and a passionate supporter of causes focused on advancing access and understanding for children who are neurodiverse.  

Simon Chadwick

Professor Simon Chadwick is a researcher, writer, academic, consultant and speaker with more than twenty-five years experience in the global sport industry. Chadwick is Director of Eurasian Sport at emlyon business school (based in Paris & Shanghai), a global-top-50 ranked, triple accredited business school. He is also Professor of the Eurasian Sport Industry and Director of CESI – the Centre for Eurasian Sport. 

Lingling Liu

Dr. Lingling Liu is the Managing Director of China Sport Business Consulting Co., a boutique sports consulting firm based in Beijing and operating worldwide that provides strategic communication and sports marketing services.

Anna Lockwood

Anna Lockwood is  an experienced media industry executive specialising in broadcasting and sports. She is currently the Head of Global Sales for Telstra Broadcast Services.

Tim Crow

Tim is an Advisor, Investor and Non Executive Director who has worked within the sporting space for over 30 years, most prominently in the area of sports marketing and sponsorship.

Team iSPORTCONNECT

Our eighth and final jury member consists of our very own Beth Hushon, Ben Page and Taruka Srivastava, joining forces to provide a vote on behalf of iSPORTCONNECT.

The Race Is On: What Outdoor Exercise Sports Events Could Look Like In 2021

In our latest Member Insights piece, Nick Rusling, CEO of Human Race, give his thoughts and perspectives on how outdoor events will be able to return following the UK government’s announcement that it hopes to have all coronavirus restrictions within the country lifted by the 21st of June.

Outdoor exercise events are ready and raring to go in 2021. As a unique area under the events industry umbrella, there are a number of key steps that are being implemented to ensure they can go ahead in a Covid-safe environment.

Not only that, but the appetite for such events is strong; they play a critical role in society for charities, which are losing millions without them, as well as in supporting the nation’s mental and physical wellbeing and health. Once full lockdown restrictions are lifted, the industry stands at the blocks, awaiting the starting gun. 

The state of play for the charity & events sectors

Outdoor exercise events are a significant part of the charity sector calendar, which are used as a key piece of fundraising. With government guidelines restricting large outdoor gatherings for much of the past 12 months, such events have been cancelled or put on hold.  

“Large scale events like the London Marathon generate upwards of £150m to the UK economy, while even smaller-scale events like the Race for Life can generate revenues over £50m per year.”

As such, fundraising income from the 25 biggest outdoor exercise events organised by charities in the UK fell by approximately £100m in 2020. These events have historically been huge for charities, with the biggest raising £142m in 2019. Even sporting events which are not charity-owned, raise millions for charities each year; the London Marathon alone provides over £43 million annually to charities. 

For race organisers, over 50% have reported losses of over half of their annual revenue as a result of the cancellation or postponement of events. Meanwhile, the economic impact of such events must not be underestimated either. Large scale events like the London Marathon generate upwards of £150m to the UK economy, while even smaller-scale events like the Race for Life can generate revenues over £50m per year. 

The role of outdoor exercise events in society

At present, the UK is facing a growing obesity crisis, with 63% of adults in England overweight or living with obesity, which means making exercise a fun, and accessible, part of people’s lives, is crucial for the health of the country— and for easing the strain on the NHS. 

“Parkrun alone claims to have got nearly 40,000 previously inactive people running.”

Many outdoor exercise events market themselves explicitly to those who are less active, ensuring they are accessible and designed for all fitness levels, so that they are fast becoming vital spaces for enabling those less accustomed to regular exercise to become active. Research finds outdoor exercise events tend to motivate people to become more active since they have a longer-term fitness goal; Parkrun alone claims to have got nearly 40,000 previously inactive people running. 

As well as that, the impact of Covid-19 on the nation’s mental health is also well-documented, with doctors seeing a surge of mental health cases, particularly in the young. This is why outdoor exercise events will be more important than ever as the UK looks to get back on its feet when lockdown restrictions begin to ease, given the myriad mental health benefits of being active. Exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on depression and anxiety and can relieve stress, improve memory, improve sleep and boost mood. 

Appetite for a return

Sportcal reported in September that 96% of past mass sports event competitors have expressed the confidence that they will participate in an event within the first 12 months once lockdown measures are eased, and the desire to compete in such events has remained strong even during lockdown, with over 61% taking part in virtual events. 

Outdoor exercise events will thrive in a post-Covid-19 world, following the increase of people becoming active during lockdown. What’s more, there are simple ways that events organisers are already preparing for such a return. A phased return of events will give people the confidence to see they’re being delivered successfully and from there, the industry plans to deliver bigger events. With both space and time available to many organisers hosting such events outside means that people can be spread out in a controlled manner, while separate starting times mean that people will arrive at different times, putting less pressure on public transport. 

Such events can be held across a longer time-frame so that participants can be spread out and can take part at a safe distance throughout. Sanitation stations can be erected at regular intervals, and participants can be encouraged to bring and maintain their own water bottle supplies- a practice that will also help events to reduce plastic waste. 

“Once full lockdown restrictions are lifted, the industry stands at the blocks, awaiting the starting gun.”

Event planners have also been mapping out the logistics of managing the movement of people at such occasions; implementing simple features like channels can control the flow of people and maintain safe social distances . 

The industry hopes smaller scale events to return from April or May, and plans to work alongside stakeholders, venues and local authorities to build confidence in these events and put in place measures to protect residents and control spectator numbers. Industry leaders have decades of expertise in managing such events with a logical and safe approach, and are therefore in the best possible position to bring these invaluable occasions back to society.

The events industry’s ongoing campaign, We Create Experiences, is reassuring businesses, stakeholders and consumers that events can be delivered safely this year, as well as pointing to their economic and social importance to the UK. We therefore look forward to a more active spring and summer in 2021. Together, let’s do it right. 

The author Nick Rusling is CEO at Human Race, Chair of 2.6 Challenge and a leader of the MSO Group for the Outdoor Exercise Event industry

One Month To Go: iSPORTCONNECT Media & Broadcast eMasterclass

In one month’s time, on the 25th of March, iSPORTCONNECT’s eMasterclasses will return for 2021 in a new and improved format.

We are excited to utilising a brand new platform in order to provide the best experience possible to our members while they are attending our events and interacting with their peers.

The success of last year’s eMasterclasses were a delight to us to at iSPORTCONNECT, and we were pleased to be able to give something back to the industry by making these free and open to the public. However, we are slightly adapting this model for 2021 to something which resembles more closely to our physical events.

Our first event coming up will be our Media and Broadcast eMasterclass, and here are the four key points to note for the event changes:

1 – Chatham House Rule

Our eMasterclass events will now be running for three hours, split up into smaller sessions with breaks between each of these sections.

They will also follow the same procedure of Chatham House Rule, mirroring our physical events, in order to provide the most open discussion possible between everyone in attendance.

2. Invitation-only

Our events will be open exclusively to top-level executives at brands, right holders and broadcasters, if you would like to register interest for this event please contact our Community Manager Bethany Hushon on bethany@isportconnect.com


3. Capacity capped

There will be a maximum of 150 delegates allowed at these events in order to ensure there is intimacy and access to key decision-makers while keeping the conversation in-house.

4. Unique Networking

We will be utilising new breakout sessions to create a close & relaxed environment which will allow people to flow freely and get involved in networking virtually with each other and allowing new conversations to happen and connections to be made.

We have already announced our first speaker for the event, TV4 Media’s Head of Pay Channels and Rights, Johan Cederqvist, and more are on the way in the coming days and weeks as we build up to the event so stay tuned for further information.

To register interest for this event please email Beth Hushon at bethany@isportconnect.com

“The Rights Holders Are Working A Lot Smarter Than Historically”

Watch iSPORTCONNECT’s Feature Interview With Rory Stewart-Richardson, Founder & CEO of Connexi.

iSPORTCONNECT recently talked to Connexi’s Rory Stewart-Richardson to hear about how Connexi has been able to grow throughout Covid, brands and athletes better understanding the power of their voice, Esports in sponsorship and more.

Three Key Takeaways From Our Digital Content Strategy eMasterclass

Brandon Garcia, iSPORTCONNECT’s Head of Consultancy, has picked out his three key points noted from this week eMasterclass ‘The Key Role of Short-Form Videos in Digital Content Strategies’.

I would like to share with you, our iSPORTCONNECT community, a number of key-learnings from a very experienced and innovative panel discussion at our latest digital content strategies webinar.

Content segmentation

Using Artificial Intelligence and Automation is key to reach every layer and target audiences especially in a day and age when we are flooded with a constant flow of content. The quality also plays a big role in this efficiency exercise.

Available vs Behind the paywall

The right balance tried and tested by many leaders in the space.

All platforms aiming to have a profitable business but taking the step too abruptly on placing most content behind the paywall can have a serious detriment in the number of subscriptions generated and retained.

The human element

There are times when technology cannot replace that moment and the capture driven by emotion. The element of finding and connecting the story around the game is a gift that keeps on giving for a loyal fan.

Wasps And Bundeling Combine To Launch Innovative New Business Club

Wasps Rugby Club are delighted to announce the launch of an innovative digital business club and networking platform with the help of Bundeling.  

The new initiative, developed in conjunction with Bundeling and sponsored by long term club supporter Genesis Wealth Creation, will provide a unique business hub enabling existing Wasps  partners to be connected to the club 365 days a year, meet new contacts, share business opportunities, and receive invitations to exclusive events.  

Bundeling, headquartered in the Netherlands, focus on creating solutions to transform the way in which people come into contact with one another, how they maintain their business network and how they stay informed.  

Genesis, a team of well qualified financial advisors, have been part of the Wasps family for several seasons now, initially sponsoring Wales International Bradley Davies and then supporting Thomas Young. Last season they continued their sponsorship of Thomas and agreed to support winger, Zach Kibirige. They are also loyal season ticket holders and often travel to away games to support the team.  

Adam Benson, Wasps Chief Commercial Officer, explained: “This new digital offering provides a  fantastic platform for our partners to engage with the club and its many stakeholders. It is vital, particularly in the current climate, that we continue to evolve our offering for the companies we  work with. We are delighted that the team at Genesis have already seen the potential benefits of  this and agreed to become an Official Business Club Partner.” 

Genesis Wealth Creation partners, Roy and Sarah Perry, said: “We are delighted to extend our relationship with Wasps by committing to a multi-year agreement as their Business Club Partner. Over the past five years, we have made many strong business connections through the club’s sponsorship programme and are looking forward to building upon this. 

“We would like to thank Wasps for this opportunity to build on our strong relationship, and also the players and fans who have accepted us as part of the growing Wasps family.” 

“We’re thankful to iSPORTCONNECT for helping to facilitate the creation of this deal”

Bundeling CEO, Elroy Jansen, added: “We at Bundeling have a passion for helping clubs connect  smarter with their new and existing partners. With the signing of Wasps, we aim to bring their communication with their partners to the next level! We from Bundeling wish Wasps a successful season and are looking forward to this great partnership. We’re thankful to iSPORTCONNECT for helping to facilitate the creation of this deal, our first with a major rugby club in the UK, and we look forward to creating more deals and helping to benefit more organisations within the sports industry.”

Ray James, iSPORTCONNECT’s Chief Relationship Officer, stated: “We’re delighted to be able to play a part in this new partnership, by utilising our industry relationships we believed there could be synergies between Bundeling and Wasps. From our own knowledge of having a digital community, we know the benefits a platform such as Bundeling can bring to an organisation.”