Key Takeaways from SportsPro OTT 2022

Earlier this month, SportsPro Media returned stateside for their signature OTT Summit at Citi Field in New York City. Home to the Mets, the location was well-suited to unite some of the biggest names in sports media and highlight insights around the world’s largest sports broadcast market. During the two-day event, the Kiswe team attended a number of sessions led by industry leaders to examine themes around content, technology, and betting. We also caught up with old friends and met some new ones as the conference signaled an all-important reuniting of the sports business community. Here are some of the key topics and discussions that we saw trending at this year’s SportsPro OTT in New York. 

An evolution of direct-to-consumer models 

As publishers and brands strive to better understand their end customers, direct-to-consumer avenues have advanced as well. Specifically, we saw companies focusing on mobile apps and reorganizing their in-app content so that the user experience is more streamlined and easier to navigate. This content-driven approach ensures that users are staying in one ecosystem longer, as opposed to leaving for third-party apps where data and engagement become more difficult to track. 

A continued focus on fan engagement

Connecting fans is and will remain a crucial metric for anyone in the sports industry. Thus, more companies are focusing on improving inner-activity as a means of increasing fan engagement. The increased competition remains as to who can get the most amount of engagement from their fans within their platform. The quality of interactive features plays a pivotal role for fans as it extends to overall brand loyalty and participation from fans. 

Brands want to achieve zero degrees of separation between engagement tools and live events. Synchronizing and focusing on the fans’ needs across an organization could help bridge the gap. Other methods include features like free-to-play betting which reaches and identifies the most active fans, along with personalization to super-serve the most relevant content. It’s also important to consider the value of younger fans and how a brand can improve interaction with the next generation of sports fans. 

A move to digitize the sports fans

With the majority of fan engagement now online, new technologies are adapting to capture the value of offline experiences digitally. In addition to building hybrid experiences that replicate the in-stadium experience for at-home fans, another way that companies are digitizing fans is by extending the collectibles market. Leagues like the NBA and NFL are offering limited collectibles and memorabilia through NFTs. We can also see other offline methods like ticketing and fan verification taking place through NFTs as blockchain technology becomes more widely adopted.  

Leveraging influencers and the creator economy 

We’ve also seen more celebrities, influencers, and content creators taking a larger role in helping promote brands and content. With traditional advertising methods falling by the wayside, influencers can help cut through the noise by putting their unique spin on a piece of content and reach new audiences. 

After a two-year hiatus, Sports Pro OTT USA made a memorable comeback filled with important discussions and outlooks that are sure to spark more ideas and drive the future of the sports media industry!