How digital storytelling and gaming can lift the profile of a football competition

Spain’s La Liga competition have realised the power of digital storytelling and gaming, implementing strategies successfully to engage fans across the world.

Alfredo Bermejo, the director of digital strategy at La Liga, recently stated that building a connection with supporters is a priority, through the use of a variety of social media channels: “We need to know what the fans like, which platforms they engage with and what kind of content they like.

“Social media provides the possibility to go global and to have a scaled approach to the fans,” he said at the Social Football Summit conference.

Social media engagement data provides evidence that relevant stories of an international player at a modest club in the league, will have a bigger impact than posts about a superstar at Real Madrid or Barcelona.

“I think a common goal for all of us is to go beyond the big names and the big clubs and to try to tell stories and make other clubs and players become known by the audience,” Bermejo explained.

“We try to identify which stories are relevant within markets. Sometimes players from smaller teams have a bigger reach than the big stars because they belong to a certain territory where they are number one.”

As an example, Chinese international Wu Lei signed for Espanyol in January of 2019 with the club becoming the most-watched team on Chinese TV.  La Liga’s follower count on social media network Weibo also soared by 82% in the second half of the 2018/19 season, due to Lei’s arrival.

Similarly, in the Japanese market, Eibar have utilised the signing of Takashi Inui in 2015 to tell appropriate stories about the player and continue to build the club’s profile in the country.

The competition’s social media metrics reach their highest during the matches of each round, therefore, the use of gaming to keep fans entertained for the whole week is vitally important.

Bermejo explained: “It’s an area where data gives us an advantage. With the traffic to our official website, we have big spikes during the weekend and then, during the week, we have lower valleys. What we try to do is to generate content abroad that helps us to minimise that.”

The league’s fantasy football gaming service, La Liga Fantasy Marca, has been a huge success.

“One of our biggest investments has been in our fantasy football game,” Bermejo stated. “When we created it, we had a belief that it would help boost consumption of more matches than just the traditional Real Madrid or FC Barcelona matches.”

“When you create a team, you have to select players from different teams so the biggest match for you during a weekend may not be one involving the biggest teams,” he continued. “It may be the match where you have the most players from your fantasy line-up.”

Fans can choose which team is their favourite before selecting a squad in the fantasy game, with the data portraying a broad spread of interest and engagement with different clubs in the league.

This is significant for La Liga and for its broadcasters, as information like this is shared between both parties in the best interests of strengthening their relationship.

“In the past, leagues used to sell the rights to broadcasters and then do nothing more,” he concluded. “Now, the model has completely changed. We’re moving from B2B to B2C business, where the relationship with the client and with the fans is getting more and more important.”

Other recent examples of La Liga connecting with the gaming world include Sevilla’s commercial agreement with Fortnite, where their kit will feature in the game along with more than 20 other football teams across the world.

As of May 2020, Fortnite has amassed over 350 million players globally, with Sevilla and La Liga tapping into the potential of the gaming giant through this beneficial partnership.

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Philip Panas is a sports journalist with Soccerscene. He reports widely on football policy and industry matters, drawing on his knowledge and passion of the game.

Premier League Productions combine with Genius Sports to bring Premier League Data Zone

Premier League Data Zone

Genius Sports Limited, Football DataCo’s Official Tracking Provider, has announced a new relationship with Premier League Productions (PLP) to improve live broadcasts for fans in over 185 countries across the world through rich tracking data insights and data-driven augmentations.

PLP creates and distributes all of the Premier League’s overseas content, including the telecast of all 380 league matches each season. PLP broadcasts now include a live ‘Premier League Data Zone’ viewing option, bringing fans closer to the action with rich data and tracking metrics in a highlighted match every match round as part of a cooperation between PLP, the Premier League, Football DataCo, and Genius Sports.

Everything from player names to passing accuracy, shooting velocity, sprints, total distance travelled, touches in the final third, and field maps is integrated into live broadcasts via a distinctive L-bar, answering the ever-increasing demand for data-driven insights among Premier League fans worldwide.

To enhance the fan entertainment experience, Data Zone will also include official Fantasy Premier League updates and standings.

Genius Sports CEO Mark Locke spoke on the deal and what it meant for both parties.

“Through Premier League Productions and their international broadcast partners, Genius Sports is revolutionising the viewing experience for millions of Premier League fans around the world,” he stated via press release.

“Powered by our Second Spectrum AI technology, we deliver an enriched visual experience with advanced analytics and key performance metrics in the live broadcast.”

Genius Sports is also FDC’s authorised supplier of official live data to the worldwide sports betting business, offering the most up-to-date and accurate feed on all Premier League, English Football League, and Scottish Professional Football League games.

Genius Sports’ Second Spectrum technology provides enhanced, data-driven Premier League, NFL, and NBA broadcasts on CBS, ESPN, NBA League Pass, and TSN.

U.S. Soccer and Ticketmaster to streamline the match day experience

U.S. Soccer and Ticketmaster

U.S. Soccer have recently announced a strategic partnership with Ticketmaster to become the Federation’s official ticketing partner for the next several years.

The partnership is set to use Ticketmaster’s industry-leading technology to support all ticketing initiatives and solutions with a goal to enhance the match day experience for fans at the stadium.

Ticketmaster is one of the world’s largest ticket sales and distribution companies. They have serviced millions of events across many different countries they operate in, providing a quick and reliable online service for fans that is focused mainly on convenience.

There is an unprecedented line-up of soccer events coming to the United States over the next few years and the Federation is being proactive in its approach to ensure a reliable ticketing service.

The features being brought in will be a fresh change for fans who have previously struggled acquiring tickets to matches because of the multitude of unreliable services that were selling them outside of the U.S. Soccer website.

Ticketmaster plan to incorporate features such as mobile app integrations, use of a 3D Interactive Seat Map to enhance seat selection, and the ability to save tickets to mobile devices which eases access at the gates.

U.S. Soccer and Ticketmaster will also recognise fans through custom content that will highlight the undying commitment of fans and their journeys to U.S. Soccer-controlled events, including U.S. Women’s and Men’s National Team matches, and create unforgettable moments through engaging sweepstakes.

U.S. Soccer Chief Commercial Officer David Wright expressed his excitement for what the partnership was going to bring to U.S. Soccer

“Fans are the heartbeat of our business. Supporting our commitment to super-serve our passionate fans, we are excited to partner with Ticketmaster in our efforts to enhance the customer experience,” he said in a U.S. Soccer press release

“Ticketmaster has been at the forefront of technology and innovation in this space for years and is the perfect match as we continue to elevate and evolve as a property.”

Ticketmaster Executive Vice President & Co-Head of Sports Clay Luter explained how the partnership was going to improve fan engagement.

“The expansion of our partnership with U.S. Soccer is a testament to our commitment to celebrating passionate soccer fans,” he added via press release.

“As the game’s popularity continues to rise, we’re eager to take engagement and connectivity to the next level while actively discovering and connecting with new fans. Through our platform, we’ll deliver must-have ticketing solutions, unique content and innovations that further fuel the interest in soccer across the country.”

The focus on fan engagement through augmented reality and app activations is a fantastic touch from the U.S. Soccer Federation, doing something that Australia has yet to attempt.

The country would definitely benefit by following the U.S. in their fan-first mentality, with an overall goal of making the matchday experience memorable and addictive, especially off the back of the Matildas World Cup success story.

This partnership is attempting to put the building blocks in to ensure crowd numbers are healthy as this new generation of soccer fans start to emerge. It is very strategic and has a forward outlook that must be applauded.

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