Over the last years, live content broadcasting has established itself in almost all areas, particularly in the world of sports. The meteoric rise of the social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) that we know all too well has played a major role in this. Live videos have gained tremendous popularity and have become indispensable tools used by sports leagues/clubs to communicate with their fans and increase the reach of their messages around the world. The health crisis only helped fuel this need to maintain strong ties between teams and their fans. As such, live streaming is currently considered to be the key solution in order to safely interact in these unprecedented times of social distancing!

This being said, which live format should be used by sports club? How do you integrate live broadcasting in a long-term communication strategy? This article covers all of this and provides you with advice and tips to find the solution that best suits your needs, as well as the best ways to maintain a strong link with your community!

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1- Press conferences

By live broadcasting your press conferences, you provide your fans with an exclusive moment in which you share the latest important news as well as the reactions of the players and coaches to journalists’ questions in real-time  This is a great way to generate engagement on your networks! For clubs/leagues, this can also serve to follow the trends and opinions of the fans who comment on each new revelation (are the coach's decisions popular or not? Is the next game’s line-up popular?, etc.). This serves as a great live opinion poll.

A tip from easylive.io: thanks to our solutions and those of our partners, you have the option to translate your press conferences in real-time in all languages. You will also be able to simultaneously broadcast your stream on several platforms.

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2- Recording player training session

By choosing this live format and live broadcasting the players’ training sessions, you provide your fans with an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience with their favorite sports team. This allows you to create a close relationship and an immersive experience for your fans without them being present in the stadium. It also serves as a glimpse into the popular “off-the-field” moments that showcase the team’s daily routine and the coach's drills.

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3- The live game: at the heart of the action with the commentator

In order to immerse your fans in the game’s excitement you can offer them a virtual front-row seat in the commentator's booth, where they can watch the reactions to each play in real-time. This is a fun moment of sharing between the commentator and the fan community. With the passing of episodes, a unique and genuine bond between the two will be created.

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4- FANWALL: a “must-have” in fan experience

Even more immersive than the live game, a FanWall offers your fans the opportunity to attend a game as if they were present in the stadium even though they are at home, in their living room. Displayed on stadium jumbotrons or on TV, your fans can react to every action in real-time! This is not only a unique opportunity during the pandemic, but also beyond the health crisis, as clubs could provide a new digital offer (virtual fans) to all those who cannot make it out to the stadium.

A tip from easylive.io : easylive.io has developed a unique FanWall technology that is both customizable and virtually instant. You can therefore provide your fans with a new experience that reflects your image and includes your corporate colors and sponsors, also allowing you to post fan reactions in just 150 ms! Would you like to know more? Reach out to us at: contact@easylive.io.

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5- BEFORE & AFTER: Live pre- and post-game broadcasts

Wouldn’t it be great to generate excitement among your fans before the game, or to prolong the show beyond the final whistle? This can be achieved by creating live pre- and post-game sessions. The goal: to offer exclusive interactive moments in which your fans have a voice!

> During live pre-game sessions, you can generate a buzz by sharing your and your fans’ predictions on various social networks (quizzes, surveys, comment readings, etc.). This will allow you to create a live shared moment that is genuine, and thus strengthen interactions with your fans who will feel fully immersed alongside experts/commentators. An excellent method to generate enthusiasm for the game. #warmupartist

> A live post-game session allows you to brief your community on the game performance by inviting a commentator, player, coach or even a fan remotely. You will also be able to collect the opinions and reactions of the fans by uploading their tweets to your live stream.

A tip from easylive.io: thanks to our all-in-one solution, you can invite guests to join you from anywhere. Our “remote guest” module, which is both easy to use and efficient, allows you to include them in your live video on all your broadcasting platforms in just one click! You can even create a FanWall in which several people can participate in real-time on your digital talk-show. On top of this, thanks to our trimming and media playlist tools, it is also possible to include VODs or game highlights in your stream.

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6- Live player interviews

Publishing live interviews with your players on your networks or private media players will provide your fan community with more intimate content. Unlike an interview that is pre-recorded or broadcast on TV, you can offer your community exclusive content and information while allowing them to react with comments (active viewing). This is a good way to establish a direct relationship without any third parties between you and the fans, who will, in turn, closely follow your news. It is also the ideal format to capture authentic and in-the-moment reactions of the players (sometimes before and after a game).

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7- Q&A sessions

In order to get even closer to your fans and establish an exclusive relationship with them, live Q&A sessions with the players or coach are always a good idea. They allow your fans to find out all they have ever wanted to know on their favorite clubs/players in real-time. This makes for exclusive and powerful content which will be shared, as the fans take on an active role in the show, and are therefore more committed! Guaranteed to generate visibility.

A tip from easylive.io: with our studio, you have the option of including text on your live stream in order to highlight questions directed to your fans. You can also highlight certain answers in your live stream.

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8- Live replay of previous games

What if we told you that your old content is extremely valuable?  Legendary games, historical moments, unforgettable goals, highlights of the greatest players, etc. Do not underestimate your archives; they are often highly-appreciated by your fans who enjoy re-immersing themselves in glorious or legendary moments. Make the most of these, and replay them live through weekly flash-back moments.

A tip from easylive.io: Thanks to our studio, you can create VOD sequences in the form of media playlists that you can then live broadcast on several platforms at once. As a bonus, you can even add the voice of one or several commentators who will review highlights and share exclusive anecdotes on old games/moments.

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9- Create live flash sales for your products

Tie-in products are not only sold in stadiums; live videos are also an excellent opportunity for online flash sales (live shopping). T-shirts, jerseys, knit caps, etc. You can offer a 24-hour live sale on your networks by highlighting several product videos thanks to our playlists. Give live viewers the option to purchase articles on your e-commerce site by adding a link in your post description.

A tip from easylive.io : thanks to our studio, monetizing your events is both quick and easy. Would you like to know more? Take a look at our article on monetizing live videos: https://easylive.io/en/blog/tips/how-monetize-your-live-stream-v/

The simple fact is that, over the last years, live videos have become indispensable in the world of sports, allowing clubs to strengthen their bonds with their fans. This has only gained traction since the health crisis, seeing as stadiums have had to restrict public access. Thanks to live videos, sports leagues and institutions have been able to diversify their content and offer a more meaningful and intimate experience to their fans, who now take on an active role in the show (press conference, FanWall, exclusive interview with players, etc.)

Today, live videos have proven to be much more than a trend or a replacement, and are now a cornerstone of long-term communication strategies for clubs. The live format continues to develop and has established itself as the leading means of generating engagement and loyalty among fans all over the world!

Do you want to perfect your live streaming skills? Contact us and request your DEMO: contact@easylive.io

Join us on our social networks for all the latest news on live videos. ;)

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