New concepts for an interactive and immersive sporting experience

12 May 2022 – The third and final part of the SportsInnovation 2022 conference programme, entitled “Broadcast and Content”, was dominated by a series of panel discussions exploring new possibilities for the production of content and how this can be tailored to specific target audiences.

In one discussion, Haruka Gruber (Senior Vice-President of Media at DAZN), Steve Hellmuth (Executive Vice-President of Media Operations & Technology for the NBA), Dr Steffen Merkel (Executive Vice-President of the Audiovisual Rights Division of the DFL), Laurent Petit (Senior Vice-President of Products and Solutions at EVS Broadcast Equipment) and Michael Reinartz (Director of Innovation at Vodafone GmbH) talked about innovations in broadcasting and production technology and their potential to revolutionise the live production of content.

Potential for the future and emotional fan loyalty

Immersive and interactive streaming as well as a special form of sports betting were among the issues covered in a talk by Patrick Mostboeck, Global Director for Video and Streaming Products at Sportradar. The subsequent panel discussion on next-generation video content and future fan loyalty also highlighted the increased importance of personalised offerings. Stefano Deantoni (Marketing Director for Infront Italy), Nils Franck (General Manager of Little Dot Studios Germany), Peer Naubert (Vice-President of Marketing for the DFL) and Dennis Papirowski (Head of Partnerships and Community for DACH at TikTok) discussed different platforms for posting videos, their suitability for group-specific interaction and opportunities for fans to gain insight into the personal lives of sportspeople via social media.

Mario Reis (Director of Telecommunications, Olympic Broadcasting Services) talked about subjects including the use of camera drones at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and stressed the emotional aspect of sporting events, which has to be conveyed through media production. Charly Classen (Executive Vice-President of Sports at Sky Germany GmbH) underscored the importance of the right form of storytelling during interaction with recipients, including the younger generation in particular. He also stressed the potential for greater sustainability in future media production processes.