Reaching Sports Fans Through Video: A Playbook for Marketers

While traditional sports viewership was about showing up at stadiums or watching live games on TV, today’s fans have a plethora of digital options for how they consume content. This shift to digital viewership allows people to access content anytime, anywhere, on any device, opening up new opportunities for fans around the world to engage with their favorite teams and players. 

With the rise of digital consumption, fans now have more control over how and when they access sports. This increased personalization has created new ways for marketers to reach and engage with sports fans, outside of pricey TV sponsorships or linear commercial time. As sport becomes a more multi-platform, multi-screen experience, marketers who align with a diverse spectrum of engaging content can drive brand awareness and loyalty among fans in unique ways. 

Below are key themes shaping sports fandom in 2023, with a focus on the changing aspects of fan culture & lifestyles. Using this playbook, brands can create meaningful experiences for sports viewers, anywhere they watch.

The love of sport transcends generations and genders

Today’s research shows that younger generations love sports as much as their older counterparts. A new global report from Nielsen and LaLiga Tech found that Millennials and Gen Z are following more competitions than Gen X and Boomers. And for young fans, they increasingly prefer highlights over live games.

When it comes to sports viewership, the gender gap is also shrinking. What was once seen as a predominantly male-oriented activity has transformed to reach different audiences. Women are becoming some of the most avid fans and viewers, both online and in-person. According to recent global statistics from GlobalWebIndex (GWI), nearly 80% of women surveyed said they watch live sports in person or online as compared to 90% of men.

The increasing number of female sports fans also represents a vast amount of untapped purchase power. A LEARFIELD report notes that female fans “influence 85% of all consumer spending power.” The same report states that 80-90% of women feel advertisers don’t understand or cater to them. Brands who identify how and when to engage with female fans will benefit significantly.

Beyond female fans watching men’s athletics, more people are tuning into women’s sports. Prior to COVID, the reach of the FIFA Women’s World Cup doubled between 2015 and 2019. When sports resumed post-pandemic, the growth didn't stop. WNBA saw a 68% increase in average regular-season viewership at a time when all other leagues were struggling with engagement. By aligning with women’s sports content, brands can speak to fans in new, often less-cluttered, environments.

Thinking beyond live games

For fans, there’s never really an off-season. The average sports fan has an affinity for over six different sports which creates a variety of opportunities for brands to connect with fans across different sports seasons. Outside of league and game coverage, fans are also consuming content around eSports, fantasy leagues, and sports betting. Younger audiences are driving much of this shift as they are 41% more likely to be engaging with fantasy games.

While sports-related content may be the most obvious target for brands, there are many other opportunities to reach this valuable audience through non-sports-related interests and topics. There is a wealth of adjacent content sports fans are watching, from entertainment and tech, to sustainability and more. For example, a recent YouGov study showed fans are interested in and early adopters of technology (181%), and tend to be more supportive of sustainability efforts (129%). On the entertainment front, Statista notes that 61% of sports fans are also interested in movies, TV shows and music.

For sports fans, fashion and health & wellness also go hand-in-hand. Sports fans are more likely to have sports and fitness as a hobby and many of the biggest sports stars are fashion icons in their own right.

So what does all of this mean for marketers?

• Brands must think beyond live games and linear spots to take advantage of sports media fragmentation and target viewers wherever they watch.

• Savvy marketers can capitalize on overlooked audiences by speaking to female fans and younger people.

• For added reach and scale, brands should leverage contextual targeting to connect with audiences across various sports & interests. 

By adopting a new strategy for reaching fans, brands can create meaningful connections and drive engagement across different generations, genders, and fan passion points.