The social media has had a profound impact
on practically all facets of human endeavor since its inception more than 10
years ago. The sports industry is not excluded from this
influence.
Social media channels like Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram have given fans and athletes alike a means to
connect which was previously not available. Based on reports from Statista,
there are around 2 billion internet users who use social networks, and in the
coming years, this figure is expected to rise mainly because of the increase in mobile device
usage.
Before significant advancements were made in
the field of technology, sports lovers could only select between a few channels
to catch a game, and missing a big game would mean they’ll have to wait
anxiously till the next morning before getting match results from neighbors or
newspapers.
But now, sports coverage is more extensive
affording fans the opportunity to choose from a wide array of options at their
convenience. Presently, sports enthusiasts can receive live updates on their
smart devices in real time.
Traditional media organizations are affected
negatively by the rise of social media. For example, ESPN lost about 621,000
subscribers in 2016, amounting to a loss of $52 million in revenue. In the same
year, Sky Sports subscribers reduced by 19%.
Below are ways that social media has
influenced the sports industry.
-
Live
Streaming:
thanks to social media, some of the biggest matches, races, and games in the
world can be streamed live. In 2017, Yahoo’s first live stream of NFL generated
about 33.6 million video views, while Twitter partnered with NFL to show 10
games at a total cost of $10 million. -
Brand
Ambassadors:
Popular brands have begun to use sports stars as brand ambassadors because of a
large number of people that have access to their personal posts, photos, videos,
and news updates. Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, has over 130 million followers
on Instagram, and his social media channels were worth about $500 million to
Nike in 2016. -
Club
Pages:
sports fans can now follow their favorite clubs or teams on their social media
platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay abreast of the latest
happenings. Good examples are Real Madrid Football Club which has the highest
amount of fans on Facebook (more than 109 million), while Barcelona Football
Club follows closely with around 103 million fans. -
Sports
Campaigns:
the rate at which information can be disseminated on social media is
frightening. Many popular brands have begun to incorporate social media in their
sports campaigns. An example is the #ThisGirlCan campaign done by the English
Sports Council in 2015 to encourage women to increase their participation in
sporting activities. The campaign went viral as it generated close to 8 million
views.
An era is coming whereby matches would be
streamed freely as a result of the existence of digital sports media and social
media outlets. This would warrant traditional organizations and media to find an
alternative revenue source in broadcasting and distributing games. According to
Betting Sites and their infographic, sports and social media is a match made
in heaven, and only a win-win outcome for both sides is to be
expected.