Takeaways, learnings, and predictions from the first Global Sports Week

#1. What are your key responsibilities at Deltatre?

Juliette: I focus on Account Management within our LIVE Division. My job is to keep my customers happy at all times and develop long-term relationships.

Harry: And my role centers on Business Development within our DIGITAL Division. Our approach aims at direct to consumer engagement and O&O (Owned & Operated) platforms in the sport and entertainment industries.

#2. What were you most looking forward to re Global Sports Week?

Harry: I was eager to connect and catch up with industry peers and was curious to see what the first edition of Global Sports Week in Paris would look like. These events are always a great opportunity to meet new people, learn more about the industry, and generate meaningful business discussions.

Juliette: I’m used to traveling abroad to attend similar events and often meet with prospects, customers, and other sports companies. I didn’t want to miss it, especially as it was held in my town. I also wanted to get an update on the latest trends.

#3. Can you describe what the event was like?

Juliette: The event took place in the prestigious Carrousel du Louvre shopping mall which also hosts some of the best shows during Paris Fashion Week. Attendees were very diverse, which led to interesting discussions.

The organizers explored topics including how sport can have a positive impact on the world. They also discussed themes including climate change, social inequalities, changes in lifestyles, and consumption patterns.

Harry: The event had a very impressive set-up and was held under the high patronage of the French President, Emmanuel Macron. The Minister of Sports, Roxana Maracineanu, was there to introduce the presenters.

There were many different attendees, including government representatives, public organizations, sports rights holders, students, athletes, and private businesses including providers like Deltatre. The event was refreshing as it was not only business/commercially oriented but also promoted key topics such as inclusion, sustainability, younger generations, diversity, and so on. For each panel session, a group of young people interested in sports also took to the stage to ask questions and share their point of view.

#4. What are your three biggest learnings?

• Inclusion in sports is crucial. There’s more to sport than the game itself.

The Minister of Sports explained that the values inherent within sports, such as inclusion, team work, and diversity are also valid for any other fields in the country like healthcare, sustainability, and child protection. It’s essential that key stakeholders in the sport industry do everything to involve and drive participation.

For example, Tony Estanguet from the organizing committee for Paris 2024, which is the marathon to be held in Paris 2024, explained that the route will be open to the public alongside athletes. Sports organizations are also competing against gaming/eSports.

• The industry is leaning towards a wider form of entertainment, rather than exclusively sports.

The term ‘sportainment’ is used in France to define the industry trend for sport leaning towards greater fan engagement, distribution models, enhanced content production, and so on. Tracey Russell from McCourt Global said that their approach for sport follows best practices for the entertainment industries within the US.

Olympique de Marseille, a club owned by McCourt, now positions itself as a media and content factory more than a football club to reach the largest number of eyeballs worldwide.

• New content formats are becoming more and more popular, such as highlights, long or short form, snackable content, and documentaries.

Live remains crucial for major sporting events on TV. Gen Z is consuming content on the go, shorter formats, and leaning towards eGaming and fantasy. There is a wide battle for viewers in the industry.

Ben Schwerin, VP of Partnerships at Snap, the company behind Snapchat and Spectacles, said content is not cannibalizing live broadcast, but complementing it. Instead, new platforms produce incremental value for users, such as user-generated content.

Live sports is still where you can see the emotion, passion, and true value of sports. UEFA’s Director of Marketing, Guy-Laurent Epstein, said: “Live remains the core content, with an ecosystem around you can navigate in.”

#5. What were the greatest predictions around the future of the sport industry more widely?

Harry: Sport will need to factor in education, sustainability, and diversity and inclusion if it is to continue to be consumed and viewed by audiences worldwide. A big effort must still be made by industry stakeholders to include remote populations and younger demographics into sports – with sport competing for participation time against non-physical activity in gaming and other forms of entertainment.

Participation remains essential for any sport. Jesse Lovejoy, from San Francisco 49ers, explained that Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, and other technologies will be driven by students who study these subjects today so it’s important to involve them and factor this into account.

Personalization and localized content will also be key to engage fans in the future. Content created by fans and overall stories told by fans will be essential to engage new audiences.

Juliette: To add to what Harry has said, there’s a need for inclusion. The growth of our sometimes conservative industry relies on showing and celebrating diverse athletes. There is an appetite for women's sport, there are a lot of interesting and complex stories to tell here. Investing permanently in Africa where there is so much talent is also key.

#6. What is your viewpoint on the predictions?

Juliette: I hope that our industry will become more sustainable, more diverse, and more inclusive – and that people won’t be afraid to change the way they work to make a difference.

Harry: It was interesting to take a step back from our daily digital and OTT endeavors, and discuss sport’s core values, including inclusion, diversity, youth, and so on. It will be interesting to see the impact within digital for instance, i.e. how can we become more sustainable and durable as a platforms provider. There were also many interesting takeaways for content, including localization and personalization to propose more tailored experiences to fans.

#7. How will you take your learnings forward within Deltatre?

Harry: The conference resonates with our recent diversity and inclusion approach as a business. This will probably have an impact on our business responsibilities in the long term, by being more aware and reminded of sport’s core values and benefits on society. When it comes to digital, Deltatre understands the need for new formats aimed at millennials and Gen Z. This is why we have developed VISUAL STORIES and also the partnership with LiveLike around widgets, live chats, etc.

Juliette: I will take the opportunity to open discussions with my customers on these fundamental topics and see how it resonates within their organizations. It may lead to innovation.

#8. Anything else?

Harry: There were many interesting discussions around the role of data within sports. Andreas Heyden, CEO of DFL Digital Sports GmbH (DFL DS), emphasized how data should not replace the fan engagement but enhance it. DFL starts with the fan and then deploys the right technology, not the other way round. Technology is the enabler.

Juliette: I’m looking forward to next year to see if a more international audience will be attracted by the event – especially as we draw closer to Paris 2024.

What are your greatest predictions for the future of the sport industry? Let us know your thoughts over on Twitter or LinkedIn.