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Touchline issue 22 | November 2015 | 3
editorial
So, how do you take your sport? TV with a laptop and
iPhone, or TV with newspapers and radio perhaps?
We all now have the ability to view, read and hear the
sport of our choice almost anywhere, anytime. But the
way we are doing it is changing….and changing rapidly.
Live sport, instant sport, on demand sport, highlights,
clips, headlines. Television, print media, online, radio,
social network platforms...technology has made the
options seemingly endless.
In 2014, Know The Fan – The Global Sports Media
Consumption Report produced by Perform, Kantar Media
and SportBusiness Group revealed that the use of mobile
devices and social networks overtook print media for the
consumption of sports content for the first time in Australia.
It also showed that the average amount of time per week
spent on viewing sport had increased from 6.3 hours in 2012
to 8.9 hours in 2014 – a 41% increase in two years. The story
is the same around the world and whilst TV is still the single
most popular medium for accessing sport, online and mobile
platforms combined are used by even more sports fans to
access sport on a daily basis.
According to the report, approximately four out of ten fans
use mobile devices to follow sport in 2014. This represents
an increase from just 28% consuming via this method in
2012. The study also shows that 62% of fans in Australia
follow sport online, with penetration increasing from 55% in
2012, higher than print media at 57%.
Why is it important to know this?
Fans are the lifeblood of sport. They now expect to be able
to access their sport anywhere, anytime. So if your sport is
not delivering the content, they may just go to a sport or
club that is.
This information provides the insight on which to build and
develop a successful approach to today’s connected sports
fan. Some clubs are better at this than others, but those that
can really connect in a variety of different ways and through
different media have a much better chance of gaining and
retaining their fans.
But it is not just elite and high profile sport that needs to
be able to connect and promote itself. Any sport and club
has to be visible to potential new members otherwise it
will ultimately die, especially when the younger members
of society expect to be able to connect through a variety of
media to their club and find out what is going on. They want
instant access and information. They also expect to be able
to share their experience and achievements with their friends
through facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social media.
Attracting new members is essential to keep a club growing.
The age old methods of members inviting friends to come
along to see what goes on, and ‘Soccer Mom’s’ taking little
Johnny and Jenny to the local club to learn basic skills (and
give Mum an hour of peace and quiet) are still essential for
most clubs to attract new members. But so is being visible
on social media and accessing all of the opportunities that
technology now presents a club to get the message out.
There was a time not so long ago when it was prohibitively
expensive to live stream matches or to post weekly highlight
packages. These options were far too expensive for most
amateur clubs to be able to afford. But times are changing
together with the technology. Companies such as ‘My Sport
Live’ now provide solutions and are being seen as a cost-
effective way to narrowcast or even broadcast the sport and
publicise the clubs to a wider audience.
The costs for such promotion and exposure are now within
reach of nearly every sporting club and organisation bringing
with it the benefits of being able to connect instantly with its
audience. The decision to ignore or to not explore this new
world of possibilities now can have major negative impacts
on the development of these clubs in the future.
Whereas highlights packages were the preserve of the major
sports and elite clubs in the past, now increasingly, even
little Johnny can celebrate as he scores a goal and then go
and watch his feat again with his mates after the match in
the highlights package.
I’ll take my sport any way it comes!
HOW DO YOU TAKE
YOUR SPORT?
S TEVE BOUCHER