Insights From CES 2020: How Technology Will Enhance the Fan Experience

From innovations in electric vehicles to smart homes, we witnessed a tremendous amount of groundbreaking technology coming out of CES 2020. While a majority of the news from the conference generally comes from the showroom floor, we found tantamount insights from the panel sessions. For us, we primarily focused on the sports technology stage, where experts from media companies to sports leagues sat down to discuss the key trends they’re seeing in their respective industries.

One of the consistent themes we heard at panels like “The Future of Streaming Sports” was that improving the fan experience will become even greater and important than ever, especially as we’re seeing advancements in mobile. Below are some of the observations we gleaned from the sessions as we see technology continue to take hold in sports and live events.

Growth of Esports

Esports provides a unique advantage as it provides a low barrier to entry for anyone to participate and is conducive toward building community as other people are needed for players to improve. Players can gain traction quicker than the path of traditional athletes and easily be discovered by others. The diversity of games--from NBA 2K and Madden to multiplayer first-person shooter games like Overwatch--also offers a wider breadth of audiences to reach as they exceed geographic locations or regional teams. Thus, fans are able to become loyal supporters of teams as advances in streaming technology provide enhanced accessibility to people around the world.  

As esports is inherently digital, data and statistics around games and players are much easier to acquire. However, one of the ways we see digital borrowing from the physical is that arena games and live events have become increasingly popular, rallying communities together to cheer on their favorite players akin to traditional sports. ABC and ESPN are also broadcasting esports games as it becomes more relevant to mainstream audiences.

The Convergence of Physical and Digital Experiences

Making the physical and digital experiences seamless will be a crucial step toward improving fan engagement when it comes to live games. As fans demand more control of their content and experiences, providing the right opportunities for personalization and serving the superfan will remain a priority for leagues and media companies. Companies like Verizon consider streaming as not the endpoint but rather the beginning of the experience and build content for the platform instead of simply repurposing a broadcast. Fox Sports also takes a similar approach by segmenting the fan experience into three segments: pre-game, in-game and post-game, with highlights created specifically for social platforms.

With immersive technology like VR, AR and MR continuing to grow, blended experiences are poised to enhance the fan experience for fans both in-venue and at home. People can watch sports remotely and connect with other fans as if they are in the same location together.

Improvements in 5G and Hardware for Fan Engagement

With advancements in 5G and mobile technology, fans can acquire content quicker with lower latency, improving viewing experiences on the go. Additionally, real-time stats and information from components like biometrics can be delivered to broadcasts, providing unique interactive features. The increased data can allow businesses to make informed decisions around what’s important for fans and improve AI to deliver predictive analytics.

Quicker real-time information can also open up gamification around live games and offer opportunities like micro-betting, which can enable new revenue streams. Overall, we’re seeing sports as a vital player in driving technology and connecting fans to content.