Social media are arguably the most prominent form of digital media in the world today. Statistics show that internet and social media users continue to rise every year. Furthermore, it is clear that social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter continue to bring new users every day.
One area that social media are making a huge impact is in the world of sport. Before they became so prominent, sports marketing and discussions were largely held through the TV, radio, and other forms of traditional media. This is now changing and we are seeing an increasing shift towards social media for the promotion, viewing, and discussion of sport. This article and infographic look at this subject in greater detail.
Players, Coaches and Fans Voicing Opinions Through Social Media
One particular area that social media are impacting sports is as a medium for discussion. Millions of fans can now share their opinions on favourite teams and sporting events through social media. Twitter in particular is awash with sports discussions.
What makes this even more interesting and prevalent is the fact that we now have a multitude of professional athletes and sports personalities using social media to voice their opinions and promote themselves too!
Never before has the public had such great access to their sporting heroes, and never before has there been a medium that has allowed sporting events to be discussed live as they are unfolding.
If you had looked at Twitter during the recent UEFA Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid, for example, you would have seen hundreds of tweets from supporters and pundits.
Social media have effectively given sports fans, pundits, and athletes a medium through which they can communicate and share their love of the game.
Live Sports Transitioning from TV to Social Media and Streaming
Aside from an improvement in communication and discussion, social media are also being used as a broadcasting medium. We can now watch favourite sporting events and related analytical shows live through Twitter and Facebook. Bettingsites.me.uk briefly mentions the partnership Twitter initiated with NFL, paying a whopping $10 million dollars just for the permission to livestream 10 games, so it’s definitely a market worth investing in.
For example, Fox has actually partnered with Twitter and is hosting a daily 30-minute show showcasing the FIFA World Cup in Russia. This is having an indirect impact on broadcasting companies as they are actually seeing a downturn in viewers since more people use social media and the internet to watch sports.
Players, Teams, and Sporting Bodies Are Promoting Themselves Through Social Media
Finally, we are seeing social media being used as a promotional tool. The marketing power of social media has long been known, but sports teams and athletes are now catching onto this fact too.
Sporting clubs now have huge armies of followers and they are using this to their advantage to increase ticket sales and online store revenue. Furthermore, individual sports personalities and athletes are using social media to show their marketing potential to appeal to big-name sponsors such as Nike and Adidas.
As you can see, social media truly has a huge impact on the world of sport and the infographic below will reinforce this notion:
