Robert Klein, CEO of Bundesliga International, is responsible for leading the global arm of one of the largest football leagues in the world. Bundesliga is not only a football league but it’s also one of the biggest media companies in Germany. Thanks to its “glass-to-glass” strategy, which encompasses every aspect of the digital experience, from the glass of the camera lens to the glass of our TVs or mobile devices, the league covers the full value chain from live content production, data collection and distribution.
Throughout this interview, we cover topics such as the current state and trends of the football industry, the future of football viewership, co-creation of solutions with partners, and some of the current and future projects that Bundesliga is working on.
1. With the vast usage of data and technology in modern football, what will the future of football viewership look like?
When venues open their doors again and the thousands of football fans flow to cheer on their favorite teams play “the beautiful game”, it’s on us, the right holders, to make sure we keep offering a better product and experience to all of our stakeholders. At Bundesliga, we had our first test with 5G technology in 2019, which allowed fans to interact directly with the live feeds or see stats from players on the pitch. From gauging the speed of opposition wing backs to analyzing the key pressure zones, 5G helps us to deliver analytics directly to the fan.
Digitally, the viewing experience has changed dramatically over the years and this will continue to do so in the future. In the past, everyone was consuming content in the same way. Consumption habits have changed and younger generations are way more demanding, specifically requesting more personalized content. With the advent of 5G, greater bandwidth and the advancement of technologies, today’s fans are far more aware of their options and therefore selective about the content they consume. We need to respond to that and ensure we are effectively meeting their demands.
2. What initiatives have you launched together with your partner AWS in order to enhance the viewing experience at home?
We have been experimenting with enhanced viewing experiences for some years now and of course, we accelerated our digital efforts when the pandemic hit us all. We started our partnership with AWS in January 2020, with the launch of a new product: Bundesliga Match Facts. Thanks to technologies such as machine learning, artificial intelligence and computing power, we are able to analyze 3.6 millions data points in milliseconds, and at the same time analyze 10,000 historical matches for similar situations. Based on this data, we are able to calculate the probability of the goal scoring in a specific situation, for example. But it does not stop there. We now have six different Bundesliga Match Facts powered by AWS, including Most Pressed Player, which rates the amount of pressure an individual is under, or Average Positions, which can identify how teams respond to certain match situations, such as after conceding or during the last 20 minutes of games. Bundesliga Match Facts are broadcasted in all Bundesliga matches where the viewer can enjoy a new way of consuming sports content. Offering this type of match data to the fan enhances their viewing experience and creates a conversation among their community and ecosystem, which increases the engagement of our fans. In this way, at Bundesliga International we are providing a unique experience for our fans, allowing them to look at matches completely differently. We are providing the tools to allow fans to analyze and assess, and thus encouraging increased engagement with the product.
3. We are starting to get into this hyper-personalized space. For you, as the CEO of one of the biggest sports properties, do you think there’s an option not to go towards hyper-personalization?
There’s no option not to look at it, hyper-personalization is the way of the future.
Looking at the Gen-Z and how they consume content, their focus is very much on tablet and phone usage as a second window of insight. The mix of big screen and second screen is ever-present. Fans of the future are looking to interact, looking for more stats, looking for more video opportunities, and therefore, it is on us at Bundesliga International and our partners to build in that direction.
Content personalization is extremely important. It allows us to engage with fan bases around the world on their level. That means tailoring the content based on our in-depth market research of each country. Delivering our content in Chile is dramatically different than delivering our content in Japan. For example, in our league, we have a lot of Japanese players and the demand for content around these players is frankly very high.
Hyper-personalization is a journey that all leagues should be on. As a media company, we can do the production but there is still massive data to analyze to enhance and personalize our product. That’s when partners such as AWS come in, thanks to its machine learning, and AI technology are able to look at a product, enhance it and create more products around it.
¨Fans of the future are looking to interact, looking for more stats, looking for more video opportunities, and therefore, it is on us at Bundesliga International and our partners to build in that direction.¨
4. What’s next for the Bundesliga? What are some new products that Bundesliga is working on?
Staying in the personalization space, last year together with AWS we launched an initiative called expected goals (xG), a predictive model used to assess every goal-scoring chance, and the likelihood of scoring. Also, something we have our eyes on is being able to predict the score of the games after the first 15 minutes based on game analysis. We will continue to work closely with AWS to make that happen. We think that these new products will be fun and will enhance the viewing experience which will turn into higher engagement.
5. What are some of the trends that sports organizations and their ecosystem have to keep an eye on?
The sports landscape is very complex and is constantly changing, so sports organizations must be agile, flexible and be able to adapt to any given situation. The first trend I would say we have to keep an eye on is personalization. Consumers want to be able to consume content on-demand, whenever they want from wherever they are. The second one is while the big screen will remain important, adapting to a multi-devices approach is a must in order to mirror consumption habits. The third one will be working very closely with our partners as a team. They provide unique skills, technology and value that we do not have in-house. And last but not least, correctly managing to capture, analyze and integrate Big Data in a meaningful manner that adds value to the consumer. As a league, it’s important to have control of our data production and digital content and if we have it well placed, we are able to serve our partners and our fans better in the future. There is an element of risk, but working alongside globally recognized experts and examining future trends, we are confident in our ability to deliver this successfully to fans around the world.