Capgemini Research Institute

Emerging technologies in sports

Reimagining the fan experience

Redefining the future of sports

People have always had a passion for sports and now, emerging digital technologies are offering exciting new ways to enjoy them, transforming the fan experience, driving fans to the stadiums, and converting more and more online viewers. So what can organizations do to get a head start on this significant opportunity for growth and increasing brand value?

The fan experience will never be the same

For the latest report from the Capgemini Research Institute – Emerging technologies in sports: reimagining the fan experience – we talked to over 10,000 sports fans from nine countries and conducted in-depth interviews with over 20 industry experts, sports athletes, and startup executives. We found that:

  • Technology is now an integral part of the way fans consume sports – Nearly 70% say emerging technologies have enhanced their overall viewing experience, both inside and outside the stadium
  • The digitization of sport and the fan experience can strengthen engagement, building brand value and driving new avenues of growth. For example, if they enjoy their tech experience, a majority (56%) of fans would attend more matches while 92% would spend more on online subscriptions.
  • To adopt and optimize emerging technologies in sports, organizations should reassure fans about how their personal data is used to build trust, identify the needs and expectations of fans and users before deploying new technologies, convert more casual fans into avid fans, and enhance the value of the out-of-stadium experience to tap into the huge audience that consumes sports outside of the stadium.

Thinking about the future

Emerging technologies are undoubtedly the future of sports and organizations need to think about which technologies to invest in to get the most out of the increasing consumer appetite for their use.

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Featured Testimonials

Tom Mitchell, team captain, England Rugby Sevens

Esports are a way of allowing more people to be involved in a sport because traditional sport, especially something like Rugby Sevens, is limited on certain physical factors. So, esports take that barrier to entry out and you are allowing people who otherwise wouldn’t be involved in sports to be involved. However, with the rise of esports, the question of what values are there beyond winning and losing would also arise. And there is also the threat that young people will pull people away from traditional sports.

Ben Gollings, team coach, England Rugby Sevens

There would be crossover between esports and traditional sports. One of the biggest things about team sport is group cohesion, group dynamic, and the ability to work well together under pressure in different environments. With esports, you could put a team in an esports environment, where they can try and hone their ability to work together as a unit and be tested in a pressurized environment.

Amanda Ouedraogo, athlete

In athletics, the use of tech has been very useful. Earlier, a coach would tell you what you were supposed to do on the basis of your age or ability. Through the use of tech, a system can run advanced tests, analyze, and share increasingly accurate outputs about what you can and cannot do. Athletes can trust this more because this is more factual.

Key Takeaways

69%

The share of fans that report that the use of emerging technologies has enhanced their viewing experience – both inside and outside the stadium

50%

Share of fans who have experienced regular match updates on mobile apps while watching the match live in-stadium

74%

Share of Asian fans that have experienced the use of emerging technology in stadium

About the Capgemini Research Institute

Capgemini Research Institute

Capgemini’s #1 ranked in-house think tank on all things digital

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Expert in Digital Transformation & Strategy, Strategy & Transformation

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