In the age of social media, research has suggested that our attention spans are getting shorter. Those platforms, such as Twitter or TikTok, have harnessed that and become global success stories in a relatively short period of time.
Our requirement for instant gratification has left sporting governing bodies in a spin. With the younger generation’s attention on multiple devices simultaneously, some of our most popular sports fixtures are now being consumed in bite size chunks rather than being viewed minute by minute.
Examples
Amateur sports are also getting in on the action with the likes of Old Wesley RFC bringing their #GameIn5 highlights to their social media followers. YouTube has become another invaluable resource with teams and major corporations regularly adding short videos for consumption. Even the BBC got into the act for the Olympics, and the number of views speaks volumes on its success.
These short-format sports are perfectly satisfying the present market requirement.
There has been much development recently by some sports to appeal to the modern consumer e.g. 100 ball or T20 Cricket, RugbyX, 3×3 Basketball, F1 sprint races or Fast5 Netball to name just a few. Designed primarily to be high-action/high-scoring, often with a simplified version of complex rules, these short-format sports are perfectly satisfying the present market requirement as they harness the trilogy of sport, entertainment and online media.
Short-Form Evolution
Businesses and brands too have had to react. With falling attendances at live games and the recent COVID restrictions, companies were getting concerned about the impact their sponsorship was having. The short-form evolution is just the ticket. These new formats, by in large, are boosting participation and post-COVID spectator attendance, because of their relaxed atmosphere. There is also evidence that they are attracting new audiences which gives different brands the opportunity to get involved. Our advice is to conduct your key criteria research and act sooner rather than later.
Sponsor Connect provides all variations of sport the opportunity to optimise their sponsorship potential by providing, not only, an incredible sports marketing platform but also the tools to ensure that everyone involved is benefiting from a potential partnership.
