High-performance data is a fundamental part of a modern-day sports experience. Whereas coaching staff used to rely predominantly on verbal communications and their own intuition to gauge the performance of an athlete or team, nowadays, data analytics tools driven by artificial intelligence (AI) are shaping the preparation and tactics for sportspeople in real-time.
As with all data, sports organizations are still learning how best to utilize information. Inside the day-to-day business operations, data intelligence helps rights holders optimize workflows, and also supports their bottom line by identifying ways of making their business and its practices more cost-effective. Meanwhile, fan data is helping properties identify new, untapped consumer-revenue streams.
Although traditionally the business of a sports organization and the performance of its athletes have been kept separate, as properties continue to digitize, there’s evidence that data science offers learnings for off-field operations in much the same way as it does for on-field staff; in that they create ways of looking at operations differently and to quantify existing processes.
By accepting this premise, as more teams and competition organizers embrace high-performance analytics into their ecosystem – and technologies that allow data points to be shared freely – athlete data is proving to be a valuable commodity for enhancing fan engagement, in particular, including via live broadcasts, mobile-first content, and in-play betting.
This is highlighted in fan research carried out by Deloitte, which found that more than two in five fans in the US are more likely to watch sports broadcasts that integrate augmented statistics into the production. The Future of Sports Broadcasting: Enhancing Digital Fan Engagement report, published in 2019, also shows that the customization of the over-the-top (OTT) viewing experience is important to a quarter of sports consumers.
PERFORMANCE ANALYTICS GAINING MOMENTUM
At the heart of sport’s digital transformation, data is the fuel that spurs change inside an organization. How that data is used will vary depending on the state of the sports property’s digital readiness and technological maturity. Just as data intelligence informs more efficient practices inside the front office, analysis is giving athletes and coaches more clarity over their performance during training and in competition.
The modern sportsperson represents more than their athletic ability. In the modern era, their commercial appeal carries as much weight for their organization as their success in the arena – so, it’s important to understand how their performance directly supports the growth of the business and the tools with which they and the team will flourish.
While athlete-tracking tools are used to tailor coaching schedules to individual players, machine learning capabilities also help reduce their risk of injury based on personalized athlete metrics. This is an important method for increasing the longevity of an athlete’s career, and also supports the wider organization’s bottom line by reducing the time playing talent is out of action.
According to research carried out by MarketsandMarkets, the value of the sports analytics sector is predicted to surpass US$8.4 billion by 2026, up from US$2.5 billion in 2021. Covering both athlete-tracking data and their biometric data, performance analysis is expected to become the fastest growing segment within the sports analytics market, supporting talent identification, in-game decision-making, and injury prevention.
Furthermore, performance data is also fueling audience appetite for digital content. In recent years, cloud-based technologies have enhanced the athlete-performance market. For example, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has developed an enviable sports portfolio, which includes top-tier properties such as the National Football League (NFL), Formula One, and the Bundesliga.
As part of its NFL partnership, AWS leverages real-time data analytics and machine learning to inform the league’s Next Gen Stats platform, developed in partnership with Zebra Technologies, including the production of granular athlete metrics for prospect-evaluation during the 2022 NFL Draft. Elsewhere, its technology is also used to improve player health and safety across the league.
In the meantime, this is supporting the NFL’s digital content strategy, too; enriching its direct-to-consumer (D2C) video with more in-game statistics and graphics that aim to entertain and educate consumers and also entice them to engage in the NFL’s live and non-live features.
ATHLETE METRICS COMPLEMENT CONTENT
As personalized content is driving fan engagement within sports organizations which adopt data-driven, digital assets, the industry is continuing to explore new ways to diversify content offerings that help grow support for the brand and turn casual fans into loyal, paying customers. Remember: understanding the fan and why they engage with your product is a fundamental first step to building an inventory that increases advocacy and engagement across the business.
Consumer behavior and sentiment is constantly changing, so it’s vital to own the capabilities – either in-house or via a third-party – to manage individual customer relationships, so as to unlock revenue opportunities among new and existing fans. Although athlete data is primarily used by coaching and playing staff, performance metrics gleaned from data analysts are also informing the fan experience in-stadia and at home, and is proving to be valuable for subscriber retention.
By way of example, and cited in 2022 Digital Trends in the Sports Industry, recently published by N3XT Sports, the Toronto-based sports and commercial real estate company Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) is collaborating with AWS on the creation of new mobile-supported fan experiences driven by athlete data, including “Game in the Game” features within MLSE’s Digital Arena app.
The partnership covers MLSE’s entire team roster, including the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Toronto Maple Leafs and the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Toronto Raptors, whose fans are offered access to second-screen experiences that combine visual data from in-stadia cameras with real-time athlete metrics recorded by sensors in the athletes’ playing jerseys and equipment.
To give context to the MLSE’s fan relationship, following early testing, the ownership group found that its features increased engagement time among subscribers between 20-25 percent via the MLSE Digital Arena app.
Not only does this identify the opportunity for sports properties to connect with fans globally through data-led content, but it also demonstrates the capability D2C technologies such as mobile presents rights holders to segment their digital content offerings with the support of an analytics partner. This helps increase advocacy for the organization among its subscribers, and a platform on which to develop personalized commerce and brand-partner campaigns for fans.
WHAT’S N3XT?
As the sports analytics sector continues to evolve, the wearables technology market is on the cusp of a phenomenal growth spurt as sports and fitness brands embrace innovative coaching tools. According to the Smart Wearables Global Market Report 2022, the sector is predicted to grow from US$18.08 billion in 2021 to US$20.64 billion in 2022 amid “increasing demand for wireless sports and fitness devices” among consumers.
Whereas high-performance data analytics is giving sports teams an edge over their rivals, and is bringing more statistics to rights-holder content, major sports organizations are also embracing wearable technology to monitor the health of its athletes. For example, in the wake of sport’s widespread shutdown during the Covid-19 pandemic, the NBA provided players with Oura smart rings to identify potential Covid symptoms as part of the league’s 2020 season restart behind closed doors.
A thirst for sports-related performance analytics is beginning to spill over into modern culture, where consumers are embracing their mobile devices to monitor their own health and fitness data. In response, this is giving sports properties food for thought as several expand their digital inventory to include health and fitness apps that appeal to broader audiences and act as another avenue in which the industry directly engages consumers and captures their data.
In light of this changing marketplace, N3XT Sports is supporting teams, leagues, and federations in the development and implementation of high-performance analytics capabilities into their wider digital transformation. This includes consultation on how athlete data supports the success of the organization off the field of play, too, and how analytics tools can inform the digital fan experience.
To find out more about what N3XT Sports can offer your organization, please fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch. We look forward to hearing from you.