An Exploration of the Over-The-Top Sports Streaming Consumer

Historically, many sports entities have generated revenue through media rights, which has now become a billion-dollar business with its convergence with technology. As technology advances, cord-cutters have criticized cable television providers based on the high costs of content and the lack of consumer choices. Over-the-top (OTT) platforms have since converted conventional television viewers to OTT platforms serving as a viable force that has altered the existing market. This disruption has created new opportunities for sports properties to exclude traditional media powerhouses and provide their own live and on-demand services to consumers, an opportunity that organizations across all levels of sport are exploring as a means of expanding their revenues and strengthening their reach. As online sports consumption is relevant to OTT, current research does not address the reasons why fans consume sports via digital platforms and their gratification with the product. Despite trends reflecting changes in consumption patterns and the expansion of the profits accumulated from digital sport media rights, there has been limited research exploring the OTT consumer, which would be practical in developing effective marketing strategies. The overarching purpose of this study was to determine the composition of an OTT sports consumer and examine what effect their motives have on their gratification and constant utilization of the platform. An online survey was administered to OTT users (N = 151). Descriptive statistics, cluster analyses, t-test, and MANOVAs revealed characteristics about the users

Motives to engage with sports brands on Facebook and Instagram – the case of a Portuguese football club

Purpose Social network sites are key marketing tools that allow brands to connect and engage with consumers. However, there is still a lack of evidence of their value for football brands. This research aims to understand the motivations for fans to engage with their favourite football brands on Facebook and Instagram. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was performed, resulting in 214 valid responses. As the social media strategy followed by the football brand analysed was built around games, the authors divided fans into two groups based on the main method in which the club's games are watched: in stadium versus mediated. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between motivations and fans' engagement, through content consumption and contribution, on Facebook and Instagram. Analysis was performed first with the whole sample and then by group (stadium attendance vs mediated attendance fans). Findings The findings show that social influence, entertainment, searching for information and rewards are the most relevant motivations for consumers to engage with brand-related content on Facebook. Entertainment, rewards and social influence are the main motivations influencing consumer interactions on Instagram. Group moderation was only confirmed in the impact of social influence on Facebook page content consumption. Originality/value The results provide valuable insights into the social media marketing activities of sports brands, which will assist brand managers to develop strategies for effectively stimulating engagement with the different groups of fans.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Social media hook sports events: a systematic review of engagement

Social media are nowadays used in all sectors, and likewise frequently within the sports industry. However, there is a lack of studies that offer a holistic understanding of the phenomenon of social media engagement (SME) in this area. Thus, the main object of the present study was the elaboration of a systematic review of the existing literature of the past ten years about SME within the field of sports events. The study was carried out following the PRISMA guidelines. By searching the databases Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, and Academic Search Ultimate, we identified 208 studies. After screening and reviewing for eligibility, we finally included 28 articles in the present study. The methodologies, types of analysis applied, main objectives, and the results on SME of the articles included in the synthesis were systematically reviewed. The findings showed that only four articles had as a principal theme the SME. Social media offer a useful tool for engagement, but SME adopts must still gain greater recognition. The need to co-create with users and engage them on social media, due to the great utility of social media in this sector is highlighted based on the results. It was found that SME around sports events remains an emerging and still developing research field which presents a wide range of future research lines

Towards a Video Consumer Leaning Spectrum: A Medium-Centric Approach

Purpose: As TV and digital video converge, there is a need to compare advertising effectiveness, advertising receptivity, and video consumption drivers in this new context. Considering the emerging viewing practices and underlying theories, this study examines the feasibility of the traditional notion of differentiating between lean-back (LB) and lean-forward (LF) media, and proposes a revised approach of addressing video consumption processes and associated advertising effectiveness implications. Methodology: An extensive, systematic literature review examines a total of 715 sources regarding current lean-back/lean-forward media research and alternative approaches as by (1) basic terminologies, (2) limitations of lean-back/lean-forward situations, (3) advertising effectiveness implications, (4) video-specific approaches. Findings/Contribution: Key differences between lean-back and lean-forward video consumption are presented. A conceptual integration of video ad receptivity/effectiveness drivers is proposed to guide future media and marketing research and practice. Video consumption today is no longer lean-back or lean-forward, but a “leaning spectrum” with two dimensions: leaning direction and leaning degree. Designing video content today requires focusing on consumption drivers and platform synergies for owning the “leaning spectrum”

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAN ENGAGEMENT AND FAN MANAGEMENT IN SPORTS

This investigation explores the current state of fan management and engagement in the sports management, and its growing importance within sports clubs as a driver of revenue. Among the different aspects embedded in sports organizations’ management, “fan experience” has become one of the most relevant and innovative concepts developed. In 1980s, ticketing represented 90% of the turnover; currently, ticketing accounts for between 15% and 20% of revenue. Revenue is now largely derived from other sources of entries: e.g. broadcasting, TV rights, sponsorship and commercial deals. Fan experience, in this scenario, arises as a new lever for sports clubs for diversifying and increasing revenues (establishing a direct relationship between fan engagement and revenues). Leveraging my position as Press Officer at Juventus FC, data was collected from interviews with experts in the industry, such as Francesco Campagna (Protocol Officer President Office at UEFA) and Mike Cragg (Athletic Director at St John’s University), and a survey completed by more than 100 sports fans. The results point to a positive impact from managing fan engagement on financial outcomes for sports teams

Fan motives for interacting on social media – the example of the International Table Tennis Federation and Facebook

Social media has become an important tool for sport organisations to interact with fans. In particular for sports that have smaller marketing budgets and that do not receive mainstream media coverage on a daily basis, social media platforms provide unique communication and marketing opportunities to overcome such challenges. This study investigates the motives of fans to communicate on the Facebook page of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). It is the first study that focuses on the use of social media in the context of an international sport federation. Knowledge about the gratifications sought by fans while interacting on social media is important for organisations to develop more customised online content, as this may help to reach further goals such as maintaining public interest, reinforcing brand awareness or developing closer relationships with stakeholders. We extend the academic understanding of sport fans’ motives in the context of social media and derive implications that can be relevant for managers of (niche) sport organisations with limited financial and personal resources

Sponsoring women’s football : Attracting sponsors in the Finnish sponsorship market

Sponsorship can provide an effective solution to many companies seeking a unique way to reach their stakeholders and, therefore, the popularity of this marketing instrument continues to thrive. While companies’ main aim is to achieve their commercial objectives through sponsorship, the financial aid given to the sport entities themselves is often crucial for their operation. This applies also to women’s football. The sport has witnessed a significant growth in recent years, culminating to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019, which attracted a record of 1 billion viewers for the first time since the competition began in 1991. Women’s football has also become more professional in Finland, but it is evident that the sport needs to receive more sponsors to cooperate with. The origins of this research lay in the Finnish Football Association’s need to find out how also the Finnish female football could attract more sponsors and how to build and develop the commercial side of the sport even more. The study is as a qualitative research, utilizing an exploratory approach. The existing sponsorship literature is extensive up to date, covering both women’s and men’s sports from various perspectives. However, specifically women’s football in Finland has not been studied from the business perspective before. To fill this gap, data has been gathered by interviewing both global companies and domestic companies already supporting women’s football and studying the motivations behind their commitment. Moreover, to understand better the Finnish sponsorship culture, three pilot interviews were conducted. The theoretical setting of the research was built on value creation and relationship marketing theories. The research found five critical attributes that can be recommended to women’s football teams to build their image and marketing messages on. Ability to reflect persuasive values, growing interest towards the game, channel to reach a wide consumer base, cost-effectiveness and appealing brand players are the elements valued by sponsors. Specifically, as a novel contribution of this study, the element of player brands was added to the previous widely cited model of the four main criteria that companies use when selecting the entity to be sponsored. Moreover, the research found that the modern comprehensive sponsorship approach appears to be more effective than the old-fashioned view of sponsors requiring only pure logo presence and visibility. The main finding of the present thesis is that even if companies identify some challenges related to women’s football as a sponsorship partner, the sport can be regarded as a legitimate business opportunity for companies, not only in the largest leading football countries in Europe and the US, but also in Finland.Sponsorointi tarjoaa ainutlaatuisen ja tehokkaan tavan tavoittaa sidosryhmiä, minkä ansiosta tämän markkinointikeinon suosio on edelleen merkittävä. Yritysten tavoitellessa kaupallisia tavoitteitaan sponsoroinnin avulla, rahallinen avustus urheilutoimijoille on usein erittäin kriittistä. Tämä pätee myös naisjalkapalloon. Laji on kasvanut merkittävästi viime vuosina, mistä yhtenä tärkeimmistä osoituksista oli vuonna 2019 Ranskassa järjestetyt naisten jalkapallon maailmanmestaruuskilpailut. Tämä tapahtuma rikkoi miljardin katsojan rajan ensimmäistä kertaa kisojen vuonna 1991 alkaneen historian aikana. Naisten jalkapallosta on tullut ammattimaisempaa myös Suomessa, mutta laji tarvitsee lisää sponsoreita tuekseen. Tämä Pro Gradu -tutkielma perustuu Suomen Palloliiton tarpeeseen selvittää, kuinka suomalainen naisjalkapallo voisi saada uusia yrityskumppaneita ja miten lajin kaupallista puolta voisi entisestään kehittää. Tämä tutkimus on toteutettu laadullisena tutkimuksena eksploratiivista lähestymistapaa käyttäen. Jo olemassa oleva sponsorointitutkimuskirjallisuus on ajankohtaista ja kattavaa, ja siinä on keskitytty sekä mies- että naisurheiluun useista eri näkökulmista. Suomalaista naisjalkapalloa ei kuitenkaan ole tutkittu kaupallisesta näkökulmasta. Aineisto tähän tutkielmaan oli kerätty haastattelemalla sekä kansainvälisiä että suomalaisia yrityksiä, jotka jo nykyisellään tukevat naisjalkapalloa. Tavoitteena oli tutkia näiden yritysten motiiveja ja näkökulmia sponsoroinnille. Lisäksi tutkimuksessa käytettiin kolmea pilottihaastattelua suomalaisen sponsorointikulttuurin ja sen nykytilanteen kartoittamiseksi. Teoreettinen viitekehys tutkielmalle perustuu arvonluontimalliin ja suhdemarkkinoinnin teoriaan. Naisten jalkapallojoukkueiden suositellaan jatkossa perustavan imagonsa ja markkinointiviestintänsä viiteen tutkimuksessa löydettyyn attribuuttiin. Sponsorit arvostavat naisten jalkapalloon assosioituja arvoja, lajin kasvavaa kiinnostusta, kanavia laajojen asiakasryhmien saavuttamiseen, kustannustehokkuutta sekä asiakkaisiin vetoavia pelaajabrändejä. Lisäksi modernin sponsorointilähestymistavan on havaittu olevan tehokkaampi verrattuna perinteiseen logonäkyvyyteen keskittyvään sponsorointiin. Vaikka naisten jalkapallon sponsorointiin liittyykin haasteita, laji voidaan nähdä varteenotettavana liiketoimintamahdollisuutena paitsi maailman johtavissa jalkapallomaissa, myös Suomessa

Sports Podcast Consumption: A Qualitative Media Content Analysis

The objective of this research is to identify the elements of a podcast production that foster and facilitate audience gratifications. The Uses and Gratifications Theory posits that consumers of media seek out desired content to fulfill their needs or gratifications. This qualitative media content analysis researches gratifications derived from sports podcast consumption by analyzing fifteen podcasts in three different categories: high-ranking, medium-ranking, and low-ranking. Through the qualitative content analysis of over 54 hours of podcast content, the emergence of four structural content elements that seem to foster and facilitate audience gratifications were identified. The implications of the findings of this research promote practical measures that can be taken to enhance podcast production, as well as advance the utility and application of the Uses and Gratification Theory in communications research

Viral Dissemination of Content in Advertising: Emotional Factors to Reach Consumers

Social media has become a relevant content dissemination channel in recent years. Each user has the capacity to potentially reach others, and in this way, social media challenges the traditional distribution of content through mass media. The advertising industry has had to adapt to this new ecosystem and develop audiovisual pieces specifically tailored to this environment as part of their communication strategies. These pieces aim at achieving not only views but to engage viewers in sharing content with their contacts. Recent research indicates that there are certain aspects of human behaviour related to emotions and motivations that have an impact on the decision to share information, news and content with others. However, there are few studies analysing how the features of the content shared influence that decision. This article presents the content analysis results of the 100 most widely shared advertising viral videos around the world from 2011 to 2015 according to Adweek. The analysis was conducted from an emotional perspective in order to establish the common features of the most shared videos and to identify the frequency in which emotional narrative resources are used

Motivations for the Use of Video Game Streaming Platforms: The Moderating Effect of Sex, Age and Self-Perception of Level as a Player

A particularly striking new phenomenon in recent years is the live streaming of video games through popular platforms, such as Twitch. This study focuses on the motivations and types of use underlying viewer participation in live streaming platforms. Based on the uses and gratifications theory, this paper aims to analyse how three basic motivations are related to the use of video game streaming platforms. Furthermore, it examines the moderating effects that significant variables, such as the audience member’s age, sex or self-perception of level as a player may exert on this relationship. The results reveal that the three types of motivations are positively associated with use of the platform, although notable differences appear, with informational motivations outweighing entertainment and social motivations. At the same time, no moderating effects on the results of the proposed model were found for the heterogeneity stemming from sex and age. Conversely, the influence of informational motivations on the use of these platforms is moderated by the self-perception of level as a player