Live streamed events are not the only way sports fans can keep engaged with their teams during the ongoing pandemic. Tech innovations keep pushing the envelope when it comes to groundbreaking interactions, especially for Gen Z and millennial consumers who demand a constant and personalized online experience. 

What’s more: recent reports* show that an engaged audience increases the possibility of fans purchasing a ticket for a live event in the future or buying merchandise of their favorite teams.

So, what are the top trends to seize the opportunity to boost fan engagement in sports?

1. Gamified interactions

Users can be kept engaged throughout the length of any event with interactive widgets with gamification mechanics. Fans can play and earn points with trivia and fun facts, rank in leaderboards that measure their engagement, predict results, participate in polls to measure sentiment or cheer for their team, and unlock badges or rewards. All of these gamified interactions increase user retention, provide deeper user insights and, most importantly, offer valuable sponsorship opportunities. 

2. Social engagement

Go beyond social media and create exclusive chat rooms for engaged fans. A Public chat can allow all users to post comments and share reactions after each play. An Influencer chat, where celebrities or other talent participate, can be unlocked by highly engaged fans. Private Group chats, can also be created for specific targets, or even offered as an extra perk for in-app purchases or subscription plans. 

3. Widgets, stickers, and reactions

You know what is said in social media: if an event doesn’t yield any gif, sticker, or meme, then it didn’t happen. Chats can allow uploading original stickers and reactions, as well as publishing widgets with the best timing to drive interaction. This way, participants receive a much more personalized and constantly updated experience thanks to notifications, deals, tweets and even curated statistics.

4. In-stadium fan engagement

For live events taking place in arenas or field tracks that allow spectators, tech can allow fans to vote on interactions with their smartphones through an app or a website. They can play one of the gamified experiences, engage socially or just see results from live polls as a way to interact with their physical surroundings.