Online bite-size content and distribution is shaking up the way in which Aussies consume sporting games. Wade Maris, vice president of media at digital sports content and media group Perform Group, argues that apps, Vine are changing the way we watch sports.
Maris is responsible for the commercialisation of the Perform group, including the digital revenue for major governing bodies such as the Football Federation Australia (FFA), V8 Supercars, National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Baseball (MLB). He’s also one of the speakers at B&T’s Ministry of Sports Marketing conference coming up at Sydney’s iconic Randwick Racecourse on 19th July.
“One thing that I’ll be covering at the conference is that the convergence of media means that almost everything is digital. Someone like MKTG, traditionally focused on panels surrounding stadiums but with LED lights that has now become a digital medium. Television, digital TVs and smart TVs is now a form of digital media. It’s no longer about the traditional model.”
The shift to digital has shifted the way in which people, especially the younger audience (14-25), consume sports. “The biggest shift we’re seeing is that because people can consume media anywhere it has created a much more even playing field for new sports entering the market. Young people still like the NRL and the AFL, but because there is zero barriers of entry to consuming the NFL, NBA, Ice Hockey, Premier League.
“You’ve got this massive trend where sports fans in Australia are absolutely embracing sports from all over the world because there is zero barrier of entry. You can consume all of the content from the EPL and NFL by the click of a button, which you couldn’t do a couple of years ago.
“All the major sports codes have over-the-top content (OTT) subscription services. It allows you to watch every match, so you have no need to subscribe to an ESPN or a FOX, it’s a direct consumption between the subscriber and the governing body.”
This direct consumption, whether through an app or website, has caused a shift towards bite-sized content. Products like Vine, which offer six second loops of content, means that people can just watch the best bits, they aren’t dedicating hours to sitting down and watching the whole game.
An example of short digital content is Ultimate Fighting Competition (UFC); for Maris, the reason behind the competitions drastic rise in popularity from its humble beginnings is because of online consumption. “The UFC is very heavily subscription based product, they focus on bite-sized content. Most fights go for five to seven minutes, a maximum of 15 minutes, which goes back to consumption habits – everything is about short time frames, fast content.”
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So what can marketers learn? You’ll have to find out at this year’s Ministry of Sports Marketing conference. It’s going to be a cracker of a day, so give this little link a click and find out more about the conference. Follow the social pages – B&T’s Twitter, MSM Conference’s Twitter and Facebook – for more information and updated stories.
