The central role of athletes in creating fan engagement was a recurring topic at the iSportconnect Digital Masterclass in London yesterday during a day jam-packed with insights from experts from both sides of the Atlantic. This overview on iSportconnect TV gives a sense of the buzz.

Here are some of the stimulating points made in the discussions.

Panel 1: Content, Data & Innovation

• Jodain Massad, Executive Producer, Fighting Irish Media, Notre Dame Athletics
• Johary Rafidison, Digital Content Insights, beIN Media Group
• Xavier Diquet, General Manager – Content & Brand Engagement, Nissan Europe

The moderator was Joe Kyle, Marketing Director of digital marketing agency Goodform.

• “The most interesting social media metric is retweets rather than likes. Retweets mean people want to align their own personal ‘brands’ with you.”
• “The young audience is done with fake. They demand authenticity.”
• “Athletes should be content collaborators.”
• “The biggest challenge is making the link between the physical and digital experiences.”
• “Intuition are common sense are not enough when you play in the digital world. You must depend on the analytics.”
• “Social listening is crucial.”
• “The single most important of a brand is trust.”
• “Digital is ideal for bringing young people to your brand even before they become your customers. You take them on a journey to becoming customers.”
• “Our most important KPI is time.”
• “It’s challenging to compete with publishers who produce content without spending money on rights.”

Panel 2: Digital Media & Technology

• Richard Berry, Commercial Director, Williams Racing
• Taylor Riese, Managing Director EMEA and India, Verizon Digital Media Services
• Anand Narayanan, Head of Digital Marketing and Innovations, Panasonic UK
• Marcus Parnwell, SVP Future Market Expansion & Planning, DAZN

The moderator was Mark Bishop, Head of Marketing EMEA & APAC of digital payment solutions leader Vindicia.

• “The OTT market is a creation of technology. Broadcasters used to own the delivery platforms. Now they don’t.”
• “OTT barriers to entry are low. In Brazil, we launched in a new market by promoting through YouTube and subs for OTT took off.”
• “For content, we have a cost-per-minute KPI.”
• “OTT should be about doing what broadcasters are unable to do.”
• “Some social media integrations with partners work, others don’t.”
• “Digital latency is getting lower. But broadcasters will always be a bit faster.”
• “Unscripted up-close content with legends can work best. Show Rio Ferdinand reacting to a real game and the authenticity shines through.”
• “For a brand, the moments between the games are more important. When there’s a game, the engagement is on the game, not a brand.”

Panel 3: Is Digital The New Sphere for Athletes to Win the Battle of Ideas & Opinions?

• Callum Skinner,Olympic Champion, Lead Athlete for Global Athlete, and Sports Governance Reform Campaigner
• Daniel Smith, Director of Communications and Digital, World Sailing
• Rob Woodhouse, General Manager Talent – UK, TLA Worldwide
• Steve Wilson, Communications Adviser / Writer

The panel was moderated by Ben Nichols, CEO of Ben Nichols Communications, who also acted as emcee for the day.

• “Athletes have audiences that are more engaged and more powerful than many organisations.”
• “We use the athletes’ channels to amplify our organisation’s communication.”
• “The most effective way for athletes to use social media is by being themselves.”
• “What makes a good campaign is the athlete believing in it.”
• “In five years, we will probably see more collaboration between federations, athletes and commercial players.”
• “Thanks to social media, athletes are now in a position to control the conversation.”

Panel 4: International Expansion for Brands – Using Digital to Engage Fans in New Territories

• Adam Field, Head of Global Fan Engagement, Chelsea FC
• Robert Alberino, Vice President & Executive Producer, San Francisco 49ers
• Alejandro Daroca, Communication & Translation, Real Betis Balompié

The moderator was Ben Barker, Commercial Director of digital engagement technology specialists Monterosa, who before the panel gave a fascinating presentation on his company’s interactive solutions. He pointed out that fans have always relied on media companies for content. Now rights owners and sports bodies can (and should) create their own content “to keep the fans in their own environment.”

Comments and observations made by the panellists included:

• “Think like a fan. Thank about the story you want to tell and how they want to hear it.”
• “Do not be afraid to fail. You have to fail to succeed.”
• “We have now launched in India because we have succeeded in gaining traction in China. If we hadn’t made progress in China, our focus would have remained entirely on making progress there.”
• “You can never switch off in China. Even for a day.”
• “Nine times out of ten with our content, we just try something. If it doesn’t work, we move on.”
• “One size does not work in the international market. That goes especially for the U.S.”
• “Engaging with the popular culture in a market is a good way for a sports property to grow.”
• “In the Mexican digital market, memes are very popular.”
• “We tend to experiment in overseas markets. If we try something new at home that doesn’t work, the fans might riot.”
• “Sports have the advantage of huge archives of video to draw upon in creating digital content.”

LaLiga Santander and LaLiga 1|2|3 matches had a total of 14,812,356 fans come through the turnstiles during the 2018/19 season, setting a new record which takes the competition ever closer to the 15-million mark.

It is the first time that LaLiga has registered a total attendance of 14,812,356, which is a 3.8% increase on the previous campaign, equating to 538,538 more across the two divisions.

For the sixth consecutive season, LaLiga Santander has managed to surpass the 10-million mark, with a total of 10,102,394 this time around. The figure shows a 0.7% decrease on the previous campaign, although during the second half of the season, 5.8% more fans attended stadiums (2,243,316) than in the corresponding period in 2017/18.

LaLiga 1|2|3, meanwhile, had a total attendance of over 4.5 million for the first time, despite the fact that CF Reus did not compete in the second half of the season for disciplinary reasons. The total figure of 4,591,290 shows a 15.2% increase on 2017/18.

A total of 118,672 supporters attended matches during the LaLiga Santander promotion playoffs, a 2.2% increase on the previous year.

Average stadium occupancy at LaLiga Santander grounds is 72%, up by 2.7% compared with the previous season.

Stadium attendance figures have been consistently increasing season upon season since 2013/14, when the total was 13,116,414, up to the current record of 14,812,356 set this campaign. The accompanying PDF offers a detailed breakdown of stadium attendance figures in each season.

LaLiga continues to grow as an entertainment industry, with the fans’ sustained interest in taking part in the spectacle of Spanish football driving the upward trend in stadium attendance figures season after season.

The growth of winter sports facilities and participation in China ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 is dramatic. By 2025, winter sports will account for 20% of the whole sports market in China, according to Li Zhang, Vice President of International Data Group – China. This eye-opening interview with her on iSportconnect TV is full of facts and figures on the winter sports trend in the world’s largest country.

IDG was an early investor in China’s tech industry. Among its many activities today, the group is a major sports investor. Its sports fund currently earmarks about $3 billion for the sector, with a particular interest in winter sports.

The Commonwealth Games, whose  22^nd edition will take place in Birmingham, England, in 2022, is one of the world’s largest multi-sport events. More than 4,400 athletes took part in the 2018 Games in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, where iSportconnect TV interviewed Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) CEO David Grevemberg and Birmingham 2022 CEO Ian Reid during the recent SportAccord for this in-depth piece.

Among the members of the CGF are some of the world’s largest and smallest countries, from India, with over 1.2 billion people to Niue with a population of 1,600.  More than 60% of the Commonwealth citizens are under 30.

With 95% of the competition venues already in place, Birmingham 2022 will be both prudent and innovative.

An enhanced and refurbished Alexander Stadium will be pivotal to Birmingham 2022 (see the new design below). Capacity will be increased permanently from 12,700 to 18,000, with up to 40,000 during the Games through additional temporary seating.

The Games will also use three indoor arenas: the NEC, NEC Arena and Arena Birmingham.

One of the CGF’s important innovations described in our video has been the creation of a system of knowledge transfer enabling Birmingham and future host cities to build on the experience of previous events.

A devastated Swedish bid team struggled with rejection after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) yesterday snubbed their promise of a sustainable Winter Games, instead awarding the 2026 event to Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Reuters reports:

Milan romped to victory in the race, winning 47 IOC votes to Stockholm’s 34, in a one-sided result that left the Swedes almost as confused as they were crushed.

“I am very sad for the 34 people who voted for the Games of the future,” Stockholm2026 Chief Richard Brisius told reporters in Lausanne.

“Our proposal for a transformative Games was a good one, but the IOC did not choose it.. Of course we are very disappointed. We had a bid that included all the reforms for a sustainable Games. But it did not happen.”

When the final hammer blow came with the opening of IOC President Thomas Bach’s envelope, it was hardly unexpected.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven had left Lausanne before the announcement, having earlier addressed the IOC membership.

There was a sense the Swedes had known their chances were becoming increasingly slim after Gunilla Lindberg challenged her fellow IOC members in the morning.

“As IOC members, you must choose a city that embodies the principles of Olympic Agenda 2020 and The New Norm,” she told them. “Not just on paper and, frankly, not just in the bid, but in every part of culture and way of life.

“This is your chance to prove that The New Norm is not just talk,” she added, prompting sharp intakes of breath from seasoned Olympic watchers.

The IOC’s reforms in recent years under the ‘Agenda 2020’ banner and ‘The New Norm’ program — “an ambitious set of 118 reforms that reimagines how the Games are delivered” — aim to make it cheaper and easier to stage the Olympics.

Not even a rendition of Abba’s ‘Dancing Queen’ by Stockholm Mayor Anna Konig Jerlmyr could put the bid back on track as the hours to the vote ticked down.

In the minutes between the secret ballot and Bach revealing the winner, Swedish IOC member Stefan Holm was seen in despair.

The Olympic high jump gold medallist had taken himself outside the SwissTech Convention Centre and stood slumped over a metal railing.

His head in his hands, he stayed there, motionless apart from a shaking head, for more than 10 minutes, processing the soon-to-be-announced defeat.

Lindberg failed to address the media after the announcement, in a rare move for such an experienced IOC member, while Konig Jerlmyr peddled the party line.

“We are very proud of our work,” she said. “Of course we are disappointed… we thought we had a strong bid, but of course we congratulate Milano-Cortina.”

Sweden, a winter sports powerhouse, have now bid eight times for a Winter Olympics and never won.

“It is too early to speculate about another bid,” Konig Jerlmyr said. “We have to evaluate the whole process and then see. We thought we had a strong bid, but at the end they did not choose us.”

The IOC is due to discuss radical reforms to the bid process later this week, a move welcomed by the Swedes.

“It is probably a good thing that the IOC will make changes to the bidding process,” Brisius said. “Because obviously it does not seem to suit us. That’s my conclusion.”

 

Australian gold medallist Natalie Cook, who competed in beach volleyball at an incredible five Olympic Games, has made the mental health of athletes a focus of her post-playing career. In this exclusive interview with iSportconnect TV, filmed at SportAccord in her native Queensland, she shares insights about the often overlooked psychological component of sports.

Natalie is the first Australian woman to compete at five Olympic Games: 1996 Atlanta (bronze medal), 2000 Sydney (gold medal), 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Games.

She was part of the successful team who lobbied to get Beach Volleyball into the 2018 Commonwealth Games for the first time ever, and is currently lobbying for the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane, Queensland.