Just a few years ago, watching sports would have everyone parked in their living rooms. Weekend plans were kept to accommodate the broadcast timings of a big game, while ESPN & Star Sports grew to become popular household names. Fast forward to the present day and we can easily witness how digitalization and technology are changing the entire outlook of sports consumption.
Since our lives have become more fast-paced and edgy, sports consumption has also gone mobile. Owing to the advent of OTT platforms, the big games are now streaming live, easy to be consumed during transits, while commuting or across any remote location. Sports content on OTT platforms has proven to be a hit; streaming the ninth season of IPL, Hotstar had more than doubled its reach, registering 80 million unique views. Additionally, the micro-blogging site, Twitter streamed Thursday night NFL games, scoring 2.7 million views each game. Now, with Amazon Firestick, the advent of Smart TVs, better-equipped Smartphones and an expected 5G-rollout by the next year, sports consumption would only get further digitalised.
In addition to sports consumption, technology is also reshaping the way conversations have traditionally transpired around sports. No longer limited to the dinner tables or office lunches, the entire sporting conversation now transpires over tech-enabled, social platforms. Facebook trends, group messages on WhatsApp etc have created a platform for users to interact. Furthermore, technology has been summoned to provide a seamless mix of gaming, conversations and Live Scores, such as in Rooter.
Rooter is the World’s first sports social gaming platform that connects sports fans and engages them during Live sports matches. Enabling users with a shared passion for a particular sport or team to mingle, Rooter engages its audiences with Live match prediction game across 7 sports, Live chat forum where fans interact during Live matches and further savor the rush and the action.
The recent shift in the broadcasting ecosystem is giving traditional TV a break and is more in tune with the digital audiences of today. Taking a cue from the disruptions in the music industry, digitalization of sports consumption is shaped by the fans and promises a bright future in the long-term.
