Focusing on Fan Engagement at NBA's All-Star Tech Summit

By: Mike Schabel

With the NBA’s highly anticipated All-Star Weekend taking place, basketball fans around the world geared up to see captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo compete with their teams in Chicago. This year, the league announced a new format for the 2020 game, which saw the outcome of every quarter counting toward charity and a new fourth-quarter format paying tribute to the late Kobe Bryant. The team’s jerseys also included a special patch to honor former commissioner David Stern.

One of the features of All-Star Weekend that celebrates the power of technology to blend the game and fan experience is the All-Star Technology Summit. The annual conference has gained wide acclaim in the last few years for highlighting pioneering ideas across the sport, media and technology industries while bringing together a high caliber of attendees. We’re always honored to join the event with the who’s who of the sports tech and media industry and get a first-hand look at some of the incredible work that the NBA and their partners are developing.

“To figure out the fan experience, one must figure out the fan, and in particular, the younger fan. ”

This year, the messages were as impactful as they were wide-ranging. The common thread I heard was centered around the challenges and opportunities facing leagues, players, team owners, media networks, and content distributors with how they will transform fan engagement.

While opinions differed in what features should be offered to the fan who attends a live game in-person, I think confidence is high that there is no shortage of ideas and technologies to support the fan in the stadium, be it frictionless shopping and parking, to betting. That confidence changed, however, when discussing how to engage the at-home fan, and in particular, the younger fan. To figure out the fan experience, one must figure out the fan, and in particular, the younger fan. Nobody questions the young fan’s passion and loyalty, but everyone questions how to serve them and monetize the experience in such a way that delivers revenue with which to fund the game and its players.

When Kiswe started, it was with the understanding that made-for-TV content might not satisfy the digital-first consumer who is used to personalized, interactive, and social experiences on their digital devices. Perhaps if we rethink how we make content so that it is personalized, interactive, and social as a first-thought rather than an afterthought, we might have a chance to engage the newest fans, and create new international fans, for the great game of basketball.