As a major media company with billions in annual profits and key sports rights, it's impossible to avoid criticism of your journalism.
ESPN journalists have not escaped scrutiny, and on occasion ESPN has caused public embarrassment by not making necessary corrections promptly. That needs to change immediately.
1. Rethinking the TV Experience
Sports broadcasting is an exhilarating career that marries passion with professionalism. Not only can this role be exciting and challenging, but it can also be lucrative with opportunities to work alongside celebrities such as athletes. As demand for announcers is high it is important to get an education and internship with a broadcasting company to increase your odds of being hired as soon as possible.
The Covid-19 pandemic forced sports federations, leagues, and clubs to reconsider their strategy for providing content to fans. Live sport was nearly eliminated within weeks of its outbreak; many games had to be cancelled or postponed prior to their original time slot. Sports organizations no longer had an iconic player to represent them or promote their brand; thus prompting an urgent need for change.
One major challenge facing sports broadcasting today is cord-cutting, or the practice of consumers discontinuing cable or satellite subscriptions and moving instead to streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu. This has presented broadcasters with difficulty when trying to attract young viewers who don't subscribe to traditional cable or satellite services such as cable.
Sports broadcasters are taking steps to address this trend by adapting how they deliver live and on-demand content, developing a more holistic strategy than simply providing platforms for viewing sports videos - in an attempt to make the television experience more social and engaging for audiences.
First step of this process should be considering how viewers interact with their TVs and media apps they download on them. Remember that people aren't just passively watching sports on phones - they actively share and interact with it - hence why many broadcasters now offer their own media apps alongside major streaming services as well as integrate content into social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
As negotiations over sports rights begin again, it will be fascinating to observe their effects. Amazon, Facebook and possibly Google could start competing more aggressively for premium rights packages than ever before, adding further pressure on traditional broadcasters such as ESPN.
2. Live Streaming
Sports businesses have historically relied on broadcasting rights as their primary source of revenue, but streaming services are revolutionizing how people watch and consume sport. Instead of watching highlights only via TV broadcast, fans now watch live events through social media platforms and OTT video apps - an evolution which has changed how fans consume sport and affected the sports industry in many ways.
First and foremost, live streaming has led to a resurgence in popularity for sports leagues, teams and individual players. Live streaming provides more interaction and engagement between viewer and sport compared to traditional television shows; therefore making it ideal for reaching younger demographics. Unfortunately, streaming has also presented sports broadcasters with challenges due to unauthorised rebroadcasts which reduce profits generated from exclusive sales of sporting broadcasting rights.
While some streaming services have taken a cautious approach to live streaming, others are fully embracing it - particularly those focused on producing and distributing live content such as OTT sports channels that produce and distribute it live. This is especially true of channels dedicated to producing live sports programming since these channels can generate advertising-supported, subscription-based and transactional video on demand (SVOD/TVOD) revenue streams.
Sports broadcasters that provide multiple monetization models can attract and retain viewers in an increasingly competitive media landscape, which is especially crucial given the drop-off in viewership across traditional platforms.
Streaming services have been instrumental to the sports industry's embrace of digital-first strategies. Tech giants such as Apple and Amazon have played key roles in negotiating media rights of major sports leagues, unlocking revenue opportunities while expanding audience reach.
Streaming technology has allowed sports leagues and teams to establish exclusive sports video channels with behind the scenes footage, teasers, highlights, vintage content and interviews that help their entities compete with OTT video services that provide sports highlights. Furthermore, these channels serve as additional revenue sources when ticket sales at stadiums continue their decline.
3. In-Game Streaming
As digital technology transforms consumer habits and media landscapes, sports broadcasters have begun adapting. Sports are often seen as one of the last remaining bastions of linear TV, so many view sports as an indicator of its future. Yet with streaming wars taking place every season it has become clear that fans want more than traditional broadcasts: They desire short clips, teasers and highlights that help them connect to teams and players that cannot be provided through traditional means.
Broadcasters are increasingly turning to live streaming as an additional means of engaging fans during sporting events. This helps broadcasters reach more people, diversify revenue streams and forge deeper bonds with fans while giving sports organizations an opportunity to test the waters before making any firm commitments with broadcasters.
Example: during the 2020 NFL Playoffs, one game was broadcast simultaneously on Nickelodeon to attract a younger demographic and create an appealing presentation style tailored specifically to young children. The event proved that younger demographics are engaging with watching sports on nontraditional platforms.
Sports broadcasters have also begun offering more behind-the-scenes and extra content via streaming services, such as interviews and vintage material that caters to consumers looking for something beyond just live broadcasts.
Though streaming will continue to play an increasingly significant role, its complete switch is unlikely any time soon due to long sports rights contracts that range from three to ten years long and traditional broadcasters' increasing market share of live sports rights purchases.
However, changes to sports broadcasting are only just starting and could quickly accelerate in coming years. With technology constantly improving and becoming more affordable than ever, one could imagine live streaming being the go-to option for watching sports and entertainment content in future.
4. Social Media
Sports teams and leagues have begun using social media as another form of broadcasting to reach fans in new ways, from streaming live events via their own OTT services to partnering with streaming companies in order to broadcast games directly over-the-top (OTT). These changes are altering the sport media landscape by turning sports organizations into media entities while expanding how fans access their content.
Traditional television, radio and newspapers remain part of the media landscape; however, newer platforms like Instagram and TikTok have blurred the distinction between traditional media and social media. Users on these platforms can post information, comment on it, and share it with followers - providing fans with a way to connect on an intimate level through sharing team news or photos as well as banter with one another more directly.
Social media has revolutionized how sports journalists work. While traditional journalists previously spent most of their days sitting in press boxes at games, now many work directly from either on the field with players, stadium/arena press boxes, home or studios - creating an increasingly competitive atmosphere among journalists as they vie for readers/attention online.
Twitter has quickly become the go-to platform for sports fans who wish to follow their favorite teams and players, offering fans a convenient way to stay informed with what's going on within each sport while engaging directly with athletes and coaches via direct messages or video chats - creating greater fan loyalty, engagement and a sense of community among followers.
Though social media poses its own set of unique challenges to the sports industry, its influence could revolutionise it in significant ways. As more fans opt for over-the-top services or streaming alternatives like Netflix instead of cable television subscriptions, the industry must adapt quickly or risk losing out on a significant portion of its audience.
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