How Technology Helped Us Watch Sports Events Worldwide
From watching the Olympics to checking premier league fixtures, technology has seeped into every sector in the sports industry without any exception. That’s because while the rules of various sports may differ, the way fans watch games, consume and interpret the content has drastically improved thanks to different innovations.
With technological advancements, the days when television was the only source of live sports entertainment are long gone. These advancements have also allowed marketers to boost their marketing efforts and influence sports fans by allowing them to browse now on the internet to see even the smallest details. Here are different ways that technology has changed the way people watch sports.
Live Streaming through Over the Top (OTP) Platforms
An over-the-top platform refers to a content distribution channel that gives fans sports content through the internet. That usually describes a large subscription-based service that offers videos on demand, such as Hulu and Netflix, completely disrupting broadcast content providers.
In the past, most sports fans have relied on television broadcasting or live radio commentary to catch live matches of their favorite league matches. Others had to rely on match highlights if they missed the matches. However, all that has changed in the current sports market with the rise of OTT platforms like Hotstar, as fans can enjoy sports content through the internet from anywhere.
OTT streaming has changed the sports streaming landscape, bringing in a new source of revenue and viewership. Fortunately, OTT sports streaming platforms have proven sustainable as they bring better analytics than traditional broadcasting.
Tech Upgrade For Replays and Reviews
While reviewing and replay systems have existed for years, the ever-advancing technology has given them a significant improvement. In the earlier years, umpires and referees could only review sports footage through a single footage and decide based on that. However, the current technology has provided many other options to allow referees to view the content from different angles and use slow-motion cameras to make critical decisions.
At times, there might be some errors in judgment by referees/umpires, which might affect the entire game outcome. However, the advanced reviewing systems present in today’s sports industry have almost eliminated the error margin. Instant replays also allow players to access the opponents’ performance almost instantly and change their game accordingly.
Real-Time Updates
Today, lots of sports franchises, players, teams, and fans enjoy sharing real-time updates about their favorite live matches on Instagram pages, Twitter feeds, and Facebook stories. That also helps in better engagements with the fans. That’s why many teams run social media contests when playing in different competitions to ensure that fans stay hooked to the game.
Lots of news portals also engage fans with real-time content of what’s happening in different games. That helps the fans to know what happens in matches, even when they’re not in a position to watch them. That also explains why major broadcasters display real-time infographics and statistics of team performances, individual players, and match outcomes, adding to the overall viewing experience.
Advanced Sound and Video Technology
Today, when sports fans watch matches online or on television, the audio and picture quality is far much better than it was a decade ago. That’s because the cameras used in capturing the sports action offer superior video quality and audio clarity. These cameras are also capable of capturing the minutes of every detail. The high-end microphones paired with them help reduce the environmental noise, thereby eliminating unwanted sound to provide good sound clarity.
Virtual Reality
The use of 360-degree cameras in recording and streaming sports content is something that’s becoming more popular than ever, thanks to the rise of virtual reality. This trend is becoming quite popular among fans who can’t afford to fly halfway across the world to enjoy the action of their favorite athletes and sports teams in stadiums.
In most cases, sports fans only need an app and virtual reality headsets to have a hyper-realistic experience at the comfort of your home, similar to being at the center of a game. For instance, the 2016 RIO Summer Olympic games offered fans solid VR coverage through broadcasting networks like BBC and NBC through VR headsets, giving fans the most realistic experience of the games.
The NBA has also made significant progress adopting virtual reality, and other leagues aren’t far behind. For instance, Spanish Startup FirstV1sion started testing out smart wearables in 2015, hoping to give fans video feeds from the player’s perspective on different sports events, including the Euroleague basketball game.
Bottom Line
The sports industry has witnessed numerous changes in terms of content consumption, advertising, and betting. That’s all thanks to the technological revolution, which has always focused on strengthening the relationship between the players, teams, sports teams, and different stakeholders in the industry. That has helped to grow the sports audience at a tremendous rate, as the games are more accessible and immersive.