We’re in an era where consumer behaviours and preferences change daily. This makes grabbing attention especially in the streaming service marketplace difficult.
With an increasingly saturated market, the journey of a newcomer diving into the subscription economy within the live and on-demand sports and entertainment can be challenging.
New streaming platforms find themselves at crossroads to meet their customers where they are or run the risk of being a problem on the map.
A Deloitte report titled ‘Sports fan insights: The beginning of the immersive sports era’ states that more than 90 per cent of Gen Z fans in the U.S. use social media to consume sports content, including game clips and highlights, live events, athlete interviews and posts from athletes.
The changing patterns of sports consumption and fan behaviour, especially among younger fans who expect more personalised experiences, underscores the need for sports streaming services to integrate engaging and interactive platforms to retain market attention.
The importance of including these new platforms lies in their ability to redefine the sports enthusiast’s experience. They become more than spectators; they have a buy-in, getting unprecedented access to a diverse range of content. It also helps them to actively participate in conversations, promoting the creation of communities where shared passion flourishes.
Achieving different content goals
If tailored content is the need of the hour, then utilising a platform’s ability to identify user preferences goes a long way. Brands can use it to keep fans engaged with highlights, behind-the-scenes moments, and user-generated content, extending their influence beyond the entertainment factor.
TOD, a streaming platform for sports and entertainment, embraced this by using TikTok’s 3R framework – Recut, Remix and Reimagine to navigate the challenges of a crowded market.
With exclusive rights to major league sports, they utilised the ‘Recut’ element in initial campaigns, reshaping premium content into TikTok-friendly formats to create awareness of their newly launched website.
Taking the ‘Remix’ direction, TOD transformed TikTok influencers into trusted TV guides capable of recommending must-watch shows to different audiences. Creator-led campaigns during the expansion phase drove substantial traffic to the website and achieved testing phase success.
Meanwhile, the ‘Reimagine’ route involved a TikTok-first approach for TOD’s diverse content, spanning classics, sports, multilingual series, and children’s shows.
This was particularly successful during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where TOD managed to redirect excitement to its platform through a full-funnel strategy. The targeted offerings and customised outreach helped foster a personal connection with the audience.
Immersive sport experiences
For a streaming service, it isn’t only about surviving but also thriving. The key lies in adopting a holistic approach that accounts for several touch-points where the brand seamlessly engages with its audience.
The benefits of adopting new platforms extends beyond the immediate gains of visibility and engagement as it creates long-term loyalty. Brands need to use these platforms to position themselves as curators of experiences, forging lasting connections with their audiences.TOD found scalable solutions with the TikTok Creative Exchange solution.
The interactive and personalised nature of new platforms has changed sports consumption, helping enthusiasts to shape the narrative and be an integral part of the broader sports ecosystem.
As platforms evolve, creating a robust strategy that adapts to the constantly shifting landscape of sports and entertainment consumption will serve as the challenge test for streaming services.
By Tony Yammine, Head of Telco, Media, Government, Financial Services & Real Estate, Global Business Solution, MENA – TikTok
