#42 Why you should prioritize OTT as part of your sports marketing strategy

Today we are focusing on why you should prioritize Over the top streaming (OTT) platform as part of your sports marketing strategy. This is the 5th component out of the ten that we will be deep diving into as part of our “10 components you need to include in your sports marketing strategy today”. If you missed the first five, be sure to listen to those as well.

Unlike traditional TV, an OTT platform allows sports organizations to offer streaming content to their supporters via their preferred devices, such as mobile phones or tablets. According to Nielsen’s 2022 global sports marketing report, “as connected devices gain momentum as the great amplifier of content, access to content continues to expand, with 40.7% of global fans now opting to stream live sports events through digital platforms.” This simply means that the usage of OTT will only keep on growing.

OTT is a compelling component to include in your sports marketing strategy especially if you are:

1. A women’s sports organization - We have often spoken about the lack of visibility for women in sports here on this blog. Thanks to the advent of digital platforms such as social media and over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms, women's sports were estimated to gain a 96% increase in visibility. Here are a few examples: The UEFA, YouTube, and DAZN deal that aimed to "bring fans all over the world closer to the action than ever before". Eleven securing global rights for the Thai women's league and working with the Football Association of Thailand "to champion the competition to fans across the region and globally". Somyot Poompanmoung, president of the Football Association of Thailand was quoted saying:  “We’re excited to work with Eleven on a new chapter for Thai women’s football, and this agreement will give fans unprecedented access to the Thai Women’s League domestically, across South East Asia, and worldwide. Over the next three years, we have a great opportunity to increase the visibility of the women’s game, including the ability to engage new fans via a free-to-watch game every matchday.” OTT is a perfect example of how technology can become an important way of making innovation inclusive. It solves the real issue of the lack of visibility of women's sports.
2. A smaller sports organization with great ambition but not necessarily great resources such as high negotiating power with TV stations.

The benefits of using an OTT platform are many, but to name a few, using OTT can help sports organizations:

1. reach a younger and wealthier audience – generation Z
2. target your audience with hyper-personalized content and ads – and if you own the platform, you will also gain better data
3. Retarget your supporters – OTT is a great channel to use for retargeting your supporters with ads that are relevant to them.

So if you want to create a sports marketing strategy that is successful and sustainable, as well as leverage your marketing campaigns and deliver hyper-personalized supporter experiences, then you should make your OTT platform a priority.

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