How will over-the-top (OTT) media transform the future of sports consumption? It’s a big question. There’s no doubt that digital media is changing how, when, and where we watch live and on-demand sport. But how it impacts the fan relationship in the long term will depend on how quickly and effectively sport digitises its product today.
This is particularly true for major sporting events, which are now able to connect with fans in previously underserved territories via direct and “non-traditional” media outlets, including popular social media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.
Many teams and organisations have gone one step further by launching their own OTT platforms. With user data at their fingertips, this allows them to expand and personalise the fan experience in local markets and to carve out new online revenue streams.
This is a pivotal moment, not only for the Olympics’ legacy, but how broadcasters go about their business beyond the Games
Christiaan Page, Legacy Sport co-founder
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is also harnessing this opportunity ahead of Tokyo 2020. While this year’s delayed Games will be without overseas spectators, the federation’s broadcast arm will serve rights holders on a scale never seen before and with the help of its dedicated OBS Cloud content distribution service.
This is a pivotal moment, not only for the Olympics’ legacy, but how broadcasters go about their business beyond the Games too, with more media partners preparing to broadcast the event remotely due to travel restrictions and adapting their roadmap to meet heightened demand for digital content.
In return, Tokyo 2020 is set to grow its content delivery by 30 per cent compared to Rio 2016, while also decreasing its broadcast footprint by the same percentage. Therefore, how broadcasters enhance their operations, in time for the Olympics, is directly impacting the shift towards digital and the speed of OTT adoption worldwide.
Words by Christiaan Page, with the collaboration of Steven Impey. Image courtesy of Imago.
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