From the Fortnite challenge on late-night TV to politicians meeting constituents in-game, it’s no secret that gaming has risen to become an incredibly profitable entertainment industry—a trend that has accelerated in the past year as consumers have flocked to online environments for connection.

Just look at esports’ growth: the esports ecosystem is expected to surpass $1 billion in revenue this year, most of which will come from sponsorship and advertising. So, while gaming audiences have historically been difficult to connect with, emerging interest in esports has caught the attention of brands.

This development comes at a time when consumption of traditional sports has waned. So, will esports replace traditional sports completely? Of course not—but the ways that gaming audiences connect and consume could offer a glimpse at broadcast viewing experiences of tomorrow.

Esports Broadcasts Pull Fans into the Game

While esports organize in competitive leagues, they uniquely blend together what happens both in the game and in the arena. Technology like extended reality lets a broadcast drop character models directly in front of the characters who choose them. Meanwhile, commentators may stand beside an augmented reality diorama of the game to show replays in immersive detail. These innovations stand in contrast to watching a physical sport. “Cameras in a sports stadium are still very flat and traditional,” says Geert Eichhorn, Innovation Director at MediaMonks. “What fans want is an environment you can walk around and engage with.”

Traditional sports have long sought ways to make the viewing experience more engaging to audiences at home, though those experiences have largely remained linear. Today’s sports audiences connect through a variety of digital channels to seek new ways of getting closer to the action, and esports audiences are accustomed to interactive viewing experiences delivered through livestreaming channels like Twitch or YouTube. Sports can look toward esports’ innovation to enable more engaging experiences that break down the barriers between the audience and the game—with brands serving as the MVP’s that power these experiences.

Building the Virtual Stadiums of the Future

For esports and traditional sports alike, virtual stadiums set the stage for immersive and interactive viewing experiences. “You have to think: what can we offer in a virtual space—how are we using the third dimension?” says Eichhorn. “You can do more than just recreate a stadium by letting spectators look beyond the fixed angle of a camera.”

What’s more, much like a physical venue, a virtual one opens up unique sponsorship opportunities for brands, whether it’s more measurable and personalized ad targeting or branded stadiums. 

When it comes to consuming videogames within a virtual stadium, APIs are crucial. An API funnels data from the game in and into the viewing platform in real time—for example, the health of each player, their current equipment, whether they’re in a vehicle and more. In-game assets like maps, player models and animations can also translate seamlessly into the viewing environment.

MediaMonks Labs, our R&D team, has experimented with this technology by building their own virtual venue in Mozilla Hubs. Inside, a small group of viewers can meet together to watch a game of Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds both traditionally (a recording on a stream) and through a 3D map that shows each player’s location in real time—a lot like the park map featured in the HBO series Westworld.

Eichhorn explains why the prototype is limited in the in-game data it uses: “Many game developers are guarded with API access to data in an effort to minimize cheating,” he says. “But a brand or creative partner working directly with a developer to virtualize a competition would have access to much more.”

Sports can Take a Page from the Esports Playbook

We’re still a way off from watching a full traditional game at that level of detail. “Volumetric in real time is difficult for live sports, because it takes days to stitch together everything into a 3D file.”  Though some are bridging the gap, like NBA’s games broadcast in Oculus venues, which lets viewers from afar watch together in a virtual environment—albeit from a linear, fixed-camera perspective. 

However limited immersive broadcasting within a virtual venue may remain today, there is a strong potential to fuel entirely new content experiences. “Intel creates replay clips through its True View volumetric capture,” says Nora Henrikkson, Managing Director at MediaMonks. “These clips pause at a key moment to let the viewer look around in 360 degrees. In the future, it would be cool to broaden that experience and put more control in spectators’ hands.” The same technology powers our work with Intel, which uses volumetric augmented reality to let sports enthusiasts watch, rewind and examine athletes’ moves from any angle.

Esports are branching out and following the lead of traditional sports—like franchising teams, organizing in season matches—but traditional sports can likewise learn from their digital counterparts. At the very least, virtual stadiums set the stage for more impactful, engaging and interactive digital experiences that bring people together, a goal shared by both industries. As brands aim to connect with audiences as well, virtualized environments and platforms that level-up the viewing experience offer an opportunity to change the game forever.

A high score in innovation.

Being a sports fan often means being a geek for stats. Here’s a couple interesting ones: last year’s televised NBA finals gained a viewership of almost 18.9 million. In comparison, NBA 2K20, a videogame that puts you in charge of your favorite team and players, amassed an audience of over 19 million players in the year since its release—on just the Playstation 4 platform alone.

Surprising? Perhaps it shouldn’t be.

While videogames like NBA 2K20 have filled a void for fans early in the pandemic as they waited for games to return, these numbers point to something more: fans want to feel closer to the action and feel like they’re a part of the game. They’ve also become accustomed to new ways to engage with their favorite franchises, whether it’s through gaming or livestreams. These trends present a new opportunity for sports as they return to broadcasting: innovate and deliver on fans’ new needs and digital habits to enhance the spectatorship experience.

How Digital Heightens a Viewers’ Emotion

This desire for immersive digital experiences inspired an amazing feat of sports innovation: pulling fans directly into a series of NBA Restart games with courtside seats in VR. The NBA’s official marketing partner Yahoo Sports, next-generation motion picture studio RYOT and MediaMonks came together to redefine sports spectatorship and demonstrate how the at-home experience can become closer to—or extend beyond—the thrill of being there in person.

Broadcasting through a more immersive channel like VR gives fans an experience that makes them truly feel like they’re part of something bigger. One response to the NBA games in Oculus Venues that really struck me was from a user review that said the user was sick of Zoom and FaceTime calls, and that watching the game with their brother was “the closest thing that I’ve felt to going out and doing something normal in five months.”

But it’s not just about mimicking a return to normalcy. After the pandemic, consumers likely won’t find value in comparing how well a digital experience stacks up to being there—but the reviewer’s sentiment does show how closely these experiences get to merging the spectator experience and watching a game live and in-person. And through added digital interactions, sports spectatorship offers fans opportunities they may have only dreamed of before.

A Whole New Ballgame for Sports Broadcasting  

Throughout 2020, we’ve become all too accustomed to enjoying experiences in highly mediated ways: through the screen. While the computer or TV screen has been a lifeline to consumers, it hasn’t accurately delivered on the breadth of creative experiences that consumers demand today. Think about a recent digital event you may have watched, versus a Zoom happy hour with friends, versus a video conference call at work.

There’s probably little to no difference between each; every event and experience has begun to feel the same, creating a need to enrich production value and differentiate experiences. What we’ll see moving forward is that digital production partners will become more like broadcasters, and traditional broadcasters will seek to reskill their teams to deliver high-caliber digital viewing experiences—creating a new hybrid offering.

It’s unlikely that you would see a traditional broadcaster bring sports or an event like the Grammys to a platform like Twitch, where content thrives on user interaction—most simply aren’t that tapped into these platforms’ communities and features. Not to mention how tech progression is changing the game: speaking with TechCrunch alongside RYOT, MediaMonks SVP of Growth Eric Shamlin discussed how 5G is set to revolutionize production. But traditional skillsets still have value—pair together these skills with a digital partner who’s adept at infusing emotional resonance and interactivity into cultural events online, and you’ll begin to see some fascinating results.

Anticipating a Future of Immersive Sports Experiences

 2020 has exposed a lack of digital experiences that connect with consumers beyond traditional, filmic storytelling. Sports spectatorship is an act of active consumption: fans get together and cheer on their favorite teams and players. Digital experiences should enable the same level of interaction—or go beyond it.

Creating these memorable moments through a live, shared experience should be the goal. A sense of placeness and immersion can enhance the memory-making process. Studies have shown that VR platforms are incredibly effective in education and workplace training compared to traditional digital methods.

Digital broadcasts can likewise enhance memory by instilling meaning in the experience. There’s little difference in the experience of watching one game on TV versus another, but through delivering distinct digital experiences that enhance the spectatorship experience in novel ways, you can help viewers encapsulate that moment and create meaningful experiences.

Through local shelter-in-place policies and the cancellation of entire professional sporting seasons, COVID-19 has disrupted athletics to the dismay of fans and gym-goers. This is because sports and athletics revolve around community; whether it’s a fitness class you attend regularly or a regional sports team you root for, athletics are as much about gathering and competing with others in addition to one’s own personal development.

With a sudden shift from the field to digital platforms, consumers are craving that sense of connection—and looking for inspiration to get moving while staying at home, often without equipment they’d find at a gym. Below, we look at a couple of ways that sports-focused brands can fill the void and continue to support restless audiences.

Get People Moving Without Leaving the Home

With consumers staying home, it can be difficult to keep active and get proper exercise. Realizing this opportunity, gyms and fitness influencers have retained connection with audiences through fitness-focused livestreams (kind of like the good old days of Richard Simmons workout tapes—who’s also putting workout routines online). Such broadcasts offer a relatively simple way to keep connected with audiences by supporting their need to keep moving.

One brand with a digital advantage here is Nike; the brand had capped off Q4 in APAC with impressive numbers—only about a 5% decrease in sales during the worst of China’s COVID-19 crisis, with 75% of its retail stores closed—thanks to its strong digital ecosystem and network of elite trainers. As part of its “Play Inside” campaign, which offers content, gear and workouts to keep healthy at home, MediaMonks partnered with Nike and Wieden+Kennedy to livestream weekly community workout sessions via YouTube, bringing viewers and fitness fans together.

The livestreams—which are intentionally lo-fi, informal and broadcast from trainers’ homes—make Nike’s existing network of trainers more accessible to audiences, than ever giving them a chance to interact directly. “It’s about people tuning in together. The chat is wild, and there’s a Q&A at the end of each workout,” says Ciaran Woods, EP Experiential & Virtual Solutions at MediaMonks. “There is a sense of community, that we’re in this together and people just want to make it work.”

There’s also value in having a weekly routine for audiences to stick to. “In many conversations, we’re asking ourselves: what does it mean to have an experience online?” says Travis Craw, Executive Producer at MediaMonks. “One of the interesting things about livestreams is having something to put on your calendar and look forward to.”

Despite the casual feel of the livestream, the production remains professional: disinfected equipment including a camera, tripod, lighting and a LiveU (a live video transmitter) are packaged in cardboard, delivered to trainers with zero contact. Because COVID-19 can only survive on a cardboard surface for 24 hours, the trainers set up the equipment the following day.

With foolproof diagrams and stickers added to equipment to show what goes where, this process enables anyone to build a professional livestreaming setup—and during the stream itself, a remote crew enables production by serving questions from the live chat, mixing audio and more. “With live switching and live editing, we’ll see these livestreams look more like how a news or sports broadcast works,” says Craw.

Fuel Competition Through Digital Alternatives

Getting people moving is just one side of tackling sports and athletics within a world of social distancing. Over the past few weeks, there have been a number of interesting ways that sports organizations and resourceful fans have adapted to the new normal: Formula 1 is launching a Virtual Grand Prix series to entertain audiences as they wait for postponed races, and some NBA players have joined fans in NBA 2K20 video game tournaments. Basically, esports is extending outside of its niche—and viewership on Twitch, a livestreaming site that focuses primarily on videogame content, has risen since stay-at-home orders were put in place throughout different regions around the world.

While these digitized competitions offer an interesting alternative now, there’s no permanent replacement for the excitement of entering a stadium, being surrounded by fans and watching a game played right before your eyes. How might sports organizations experiment with emerging digital behaviors today and pay those learnings forward into a post-COVID-19 world?

The Red Bull 3×3 Online Basketball Contest serves as a possible example. We built an arcade-style browser game that lets fans compete in a virtual 3×3 basketball contest, learning about the game format and racking up high scores. The game leans into the fast-paced excitement of 3×3 basketball and fuels a sense of competition online, building excitement for the eventual live tournament.

“A while back, LeBron James said he didn’t want to play without fans present,” says Olivier Koelemij, Managing Director at MediaMonks LA, noting that the reality has changed in the global pandemic. “Whether you fight or embrace that outlook, be creative by leveraging the power of digital platforms.” Koelemij suggests diving head-first into the unique offerings of a given digital platform, and aligning content with user behaviors there.

“Another interesting aspect is the ability to combine channels and platforms to make content more relevant,” he adds. “You want to consider the whole experience journey: from buying a ticket to the lead-up, to the experience itself and the aftercare.”

Critical to tailoring such an experience is having the data needed to engage at the right place and time, as well as an understanding of what makes a given platform unique. By considering what sets one digital medium apart from another and why fans gather there, brands can apply those learnings and discover new ways to engage with customers through value-added experiences.

A focus on customer obsession is key to delivering assistive digital experiences.

While an exciting game and sports-stars-turned-celebrities alone were once enough to raise an audience for broadcast sports, today’s leading brands strive to provide premier, engaging digital experiences that reach users through personalization and emerging tech. And we know, because MediaMonks recently went for the gold and made it onto the Hashtag Sports Engage 150 list, which features the top partners engaging consumers through sports and fan culture today.

Through our sports-related work—encompassing platforms, creative content and technical innovation—we’ve formulated a game plan for brands to better engage and deliver upon the needs of fans through sports. This includes more effective utilization of user data and investing in emerging tech solutions, allowing brands to bring their A-game to enhance spectatorship for fans both near and far away from the game.

Transform Spectators into Active Participants with Emerging Tech

We all know the joke of those who buy the biggest TV screen available before an important game, only to return it after hosting a viewing party. But today’s digital media allows brands to do more than just provide a larger-than-life picture; through emerging tech, they can provide entirely new experiences that significantly improve spectatorship through heightened immersion.

A premier platform achieving this is the 2018 Webby Award-winning Red Bull Air Race for Google Daydream, which takes users on a thrilling ride aboard a virtual airplane that follows actual flight paths from real races. Giving users full control to look wherever they please, the experience makes them feel as if they’re really there.

But VR lets you do more than let users feel present in the moment. “The benefit something like AR has over 360-degree video is that it’s a platform,” says Robert-Jan Blonk, Senior Interactive Producer at MediaMonks, noting the amount of on-screen data present to the user. “In this case, we built a platform with pilot info, race standings and different locations where races are held, which users can go back and replay.”

This added level of autonomy is powerful for fans who want to be part of the action. “Sports fans want to feel like they have a role in the game and aren’t just bystanders,” says Emily Veraart, Senior Digital Strategist at MediaMonks. While Red Bull Air Race users don’t influence the race directly, interactive toggling of the camera lets them experience the event in their preferred way—whether it be the middle of the fray or at a safe, omniscient distance.

For MediaMonks Operations Manager Donny Hofman, this level of interactivity is integral to the experience.  “The most interesting thing about an experience like this is the freedom you can give to users,” he says. “You can potentially get anywhere in the action that you want—and where you can’t place a camera in real life, you can in VR.” That latter point describes how emerging tech can enhance sports spectatorship through entirely new perspectives: “It’s a rediscovery of something you’re familiar with,” says Hofman.

Reach Fans with Targeted Content and Personalization

The sports industry encompasses several different parties, each of whom has their own fans and content: teams, federations, individual players and industry-adjacent influencers. This makes the industry ripe for producing always-on content.

During the Rio Olympics, we produced with Google Zoo a platform to deliver content to sports fans throughout the Games. Designed for both online fans and those visiting Rio de Janeiro to attend in-person, the platform integrated various forms of content (like timely updates and summaries from some of the region’s most influential YouTube content creators, the Castro brothers) onto a map of the city. In addition to providing relevant spatial information in this way, the platform surfaces up personalized content responsive to how they interact with the platform, like recommending content based off behavioral habits and viewing preferences.

The benefits to better understand fans are measurable. According to MightyHive’s Data Confident Marketer report, data-confident marketers’ success “is attributed to becoming more customer-centric: they’re able to apply first-party data in ways that help them understand who their customers are, what motivates them, and how digital advertising plays a role in their purchasing decisions.” Such confidence in their data allows brands to identify which information fans seek, where and when—and which partners make the best sense for engaging with fans through supplementary content.

This level of personalization, paired with forging partnerships with content creators and influencers, is ideal for delivering upon changing user expectations for how to consume sports. “With sports, there’s a bigger generational divide in user behavior,” says Veraart. “Baby boomers and millennials are used to watching sports with their family, but Gen Z doesn’t have that relationship with how they watch sports.” According to Veraart, much of this shift is informed by the constant discussion happening on social media, as well as an abundance of statistics and data available for the most avid fans to track. Brands can meet this need with a content strategy that offers a sliding scale of data and content tailored to fans’ individual preferences.

Engage User Needs through Contextual Design

When developing a digital platform for sports consumption, carefully consider the context in which users will interact. Consider micro-moments that prompt users to engage in the first place: the sports tourist attending a big gaming event in town, the stats-obsessed fan, the user who simply wants to see what games are playing at the height of the season. “How you guide the user through a schedule is a key example of the types of challenges a sporting federation may face,” says Joeri Lambert, Business Monk at MediaMonks. “Another is how you apply the data that you have to alert the user of games or information that they want to see.”

One crucial consideration in how to best support user context is whether the platform is accessed via mobile or desktop. With the All of Brazil Plays platform, for example, the mobile experience was tailored more toward location-based information for those attending the Games who needed to know where to go, and when. On desktop, meanwhile, users were treated to their personalized newsfeed of recap content, perfect for those catching up on a day’s many events.

Marrying data with digital creative—whether it be a digital content platform or emerging tech—is a smart strategy for brands to reach sports-obsessed and average fans alike. From helping users keep up with their favorite team to placing them right into the action with immersive tech, digital content transforms spectatorship from a passive experience to an active one, letting everyone revel in a good sporting victory.