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WED 16 JUN 2021 | PRESIDENTS
Tebas and Atlético Madrid: Technology is ensuring a bright future for sports
Tebas and Atlético Madrid: Technology is ensuring a bright future for sports
  • Javier Tebas and Miguel Ángel Gil Marín spoke at the PRO sports industry conference about the valuable insights data can provide and the creation of new technologies.
  • Competitions like LaLiga make data-driven strategic decisions, avoiding the pitfalls of anecdotal evidence.  

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted all business sectors, including the football industry, but advancements in digitalisation and in business intelligence and analytics mean there are limitless growth opportunities for those who invest in these areas. LaLiga is among the leaders in the sports and entertainment sector when it comes to data-driven strategies, with approximately 200 million euros having been invested in its digitalisation since 2014. 

The future of the industry was discussed in depth at the recent PRO sports industry conference, where LaLiga President Javier Tebas and Atlético Madrid CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín shared their thoughts on how technology will give sports entities an edge in the coming years. 

Analysis of data: young viewers remain engaged
Underlying LaLiga’s technology services, from its OTT platform to its competition management apps and smart venue software, is a single data ecosystem that captures all user data and analyses it collectively, allowing the business to make informed decisions and understand its audiences better.

“Through our digital ecosystem we can understand the behaviour of fans from across all of our digital platforms, like our fantasy football game, our OTT platform or our website,” Tebas explained.

This data allows LaLiga to make decisions and observations based on clear evidence rather than anecdotes. “It’s very dangerous to look at the example of what happens in your house and use that to discuss what happens generally,” Tebas said. “We need to review the data of who is watching and who isn’t and on how they’re watching and on how they’re not. We would be making a mistake if we were to make an analysis based on what happens in our own homes. You need to look at the data.” 

Giving a specific data-led insight, Tebas challenged the recent claims that young people aren’t watching football as much as older generations. “People have suggested that young people aren’t watching football but that’s not true,” he said. “We have the data. The interest in football among those between 15 and 24 years of age is the same as the percentage for those between 24 and 50. They just watch it in a different way.”

This understanding has led LaLiga to work with popular influencers such as Ibai Llanos and DjMaRiiO, broadcasting their unique match commentary on Twitch through the LaLiga Casters initiative. 

When data is used in this way to make strategic decisions, leagues and clubs can gain an edge that increases audience engagement and brand profile. 

How Atlético Madrid uses data to segment its audience and achieve millions of views
At club level, Atlético Madrid is working to apply this same logic to its operations. The club’s CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín echoed Tebas’ argument for good data analysis saying: “It’s essential to know who we’re talking to and to segment users well to offer something bespoke and exclusive. Through our club app, we’re gradually creating our segmented database, which I think will be key to providing what each user needs and wants.” 

By embracing data, Atlético Madrid is already managing to reach a broader audience. In the week of the club’s 2020/21 LaLiga Santander triumph, according to Gil, the club generated around 70 million views for an episode of its #ATMInsider behind-the-scenes content and 410 million total accumulated views for the content it shared the week after the title was won. 

“It’s striking for us to see how we’re reaching more and more people through data,” Gil added. “Thanks to technology, we can make more and better content and, above all, we reach more people.” 

Future innovations to improve the fan experience
During the PRO conference, Tebas also highlighted the potential for technology to transform the experience inside stadiums and create new commercial opportunities. This is something LaLiga and clubs have dedicated resources to over the past few years, making venues more comfortable for fans and bringing in technology that improves the quality of broadcasts, such as cameras that can capture volumetric video for LaLiga’s unique 360° replays and the aerial cameras that provide unique views of the action. 

Atlético Madrid is among the many clubs to be exploring the new possibilities that these technologies can bring. “I think this is the future,” Gil said. “I think we will soon be able to watch matches in 3D from your home. You can be in any part of the world and watch a match live.”

Other technology advancements that will enable smart venues include the installation of fast WiFi, cashless systems, information sharing to mobile phones to increase fan engagement and facial recognition software to improve access control. 

Gil also discussed the possibilities of camera angle selection, a new idea that LaLiga is exploring as part of its expanded global partnership with Microsoft. “You will have multiple camera angles as options that you can conduct yourself, picking which camera you want. As your team attacks, you can watch from the camera behind the goal to see the view that the goalkeeper has, for example.” 

As LaLiga continues its development of cutting-edge technologies for the sector, clubs of the competition will continue to have the opportunity to apply all these innovations to their own business, ensuring that their businesses develop at the same speed.

“We work with LaLiga in this and LaLiga is doing magnificent work, especially in the audiovisual elements,” Gil concluded. “They are always innovating.” 

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