How To Improve Viewer Experience In New Era of Sports
I am a sports enthusiast, so there’s nothing more painful for me than reading in the news about the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, IPL (Indian Premier League), and NBA (National Basketball Association) tournaments. I already had my tickets booked for IPL, but in vain. I still remember that nail-biting last over from last year’s season, and the stadium was full of electrifying energy. Anyone who has ever been to a stadium knows that there are so many things to experience than just watching a game.
With digitization, emerging technology has changed the way we interact and engage with all forms of sports. Live stats are available on dedicated apps and the option to discuss and chat with friends, and I can still hear the commentary. If I can’t make it to the stadium, I can experience the action close-up in virtual reality.
Last week, I was reading about a similar study, which said -
“Physical attendance for both the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Basketball Association (NBA) has declined since the 2014–2015 season”.
At the same time, the OTT platforms are emerging as new favourites. While these big sports tournaments have seen a drop in tv ratings, fans streaming the league games increased by 25% in 2018.
Technology is undoubtedly transforming the sports industry and radically altering both the customer experience and businesses.
With these new technologies coming into the picture, sports fans are no longer interested in the game alone. They seek an exclusive and shareable experience that can be amplified by technology. Sports organizations have also started thinking in new directions. They can hook the fans by using immersive technologies such as augmented and virtual reality to create an intensely exciting viewing experience. They can also increase engagement by leveraging loyalty and customer relationship management to tailor the experiences according to individual fan preferences.
To enhance the fan experience, a second screen approach can also work wonders. If the stadium’s app can provide you with more information about the match, provide features to access cameras from all angles via smartphone. As a viewer, if you can learn more about your favourite player, it would present a significant added value.
In my opinion, digitization is a big word that’s thrown around a lot today, but when it’s used with sports, it can be genuinely transformational. From the perspective of viewers, the coaches and athletes can have immense benefit from cutting-edge technologies. It means that everything we do in a sport can now be captured as a piece of data. Data like we have never experienced it before. Health care coaches can now tailor everything from nutrition plans to sleep patterns to ensure players’ fitness and analyze their best performances. With the precise data, athletes can now potentially push themselves further and safely.
Yesterday, when I was watching a cricket match, I felt that the on-field umpire stood just for his presence. Every decision is being referred to the TV umpire, which checks it via a snickometer and informs the on-ground referee’s final decision. I believe that this digitization will eventually work its way into fully automating the judging process as well, and there won’t be any need for on-field umpires.
Did the ball hit the ground?
Did he step over the line?
Was that a short run?
We heard the players questioning if the “ball was really above the waist height in cricket world cups.” But now, with digitization, we’ll know that that it was a perfect delivery and that player scored a century and created a world record.
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