Tips for Keeping Sports Fans Connected & Engaged with Video

Waving giant foam fingers and eating overpriced hotdogs will always be the ultimate way to enjoy a live sports event. But as the past year or so has shown us, video has become an essential part of the fan experience, and teams and organizations are accelerating their use of video to connect with fans in powerful ways.

Recently, Brightcove sponsored The National Sports Forum Spring Summit and hosted a marketing workshop called “How To Keep Sports Fans Connected With Video.” This roundtable discussion featured the insights of:

• Aalum Jaffer, VP Brand, Victory Creative Group
• Amanda Weiner, Senior Director, Digital Media and Ticketing, USGA US Golf Association
• Keisha Wright, VP Integrated Marketing, THINK450/NBPA National Basketball Player Association
• Mary Pink, Associate Athletic Director, Marketing and Promotions, Iowa State University

Here are key highlights of this conversation, offering new and unique ways for you to extend your audience reach and increase your revenue with sports video.

Think beyond the game

The actual sporting event or game is certainly a main attraction. But for passionate fans, the love of the game doesn’t end at the final buzzer, and you can continue to engage them in many ways.

• Develop a streaming app that offers content all year round
• Give fans a choice of the content they experience, from quick highlights and a weekly recap to select plays or the entire broadcast event
• Explore ways to curate content – for example, by creating a separate video channel of Top 10 players and their top moments
• Repurpose all the old video content you may have in your archives that fans would love to see: old telecasts, films, documentaries, etc.
• Take your sport and gamify it, giving fans a fun, hands-on experience that lets them compete and win
• Begin a draft-day event, bringing fans and past players together

Create original content

As the panel noted, the internet has unlimited shelf space, so your creativity is limited only by your imagination. Surprise and delight your fans, and they’ll come back for more.

• Create a customized video player showing more than just a leaderboard with player scorecards, highlights, live polling, live trivia, and more
• Original programming is huge right now – develop series that tell emotional and inspiring sports stories, both short and long form
• Come up with promotions to offer during live events, partnering with a sponsor and a personality/host to create excitement
• Showcase your players outside the game, from community involvement to fun ways they express themselves
• Kick-off a new season with a launch party, creating a robust event with corporate sponsors, home delivery of food and gear, DJ performances, and more

Keep up the momentum

The ways to use and monetize video are increasing rapidly as sports organizations discover how to tap into this powerful and popular medium.

• Even the biggest arena or ballpark is limited in size – see how video vastly increases your audience, reaching fans who might not be able to attend
• Partner with influencers to promote your sport and players
• Integrate the unique social media platforms of your players into your content
• Continually look at ways to package your content, from quick hits to full events
• Capitalize on data you gain from video usage, using insights to refine and target content
• Always seek different voices and perspectives that can translate into content for eager fans

Sports fans will always have a love of the game, and video will simply strengthen and amplify that connection they have to your team and your players. As a premiere video software platform, Brightcove can make the most of your digital connection by delivering a high-quality and highly monetizable video experience across devices. Let us deliver serious fan video engagement for you.