Sports fans, particularly younger ones, are tuning into interactive livestreams, also known as watchalongs, featuring alternative commentary either in parallel to (or sometimes even instead of!) the main broadcast.
The Watchalong phenomenon has grown from being an amateur pursuit (like the hugely successful United Stand fan channel) to a professionally produced one, with major broadcasters like TNT Sports, Amazon Prime, and ESPN getting in on the act.
So why should any broadcaster of live sports or entertainment be considering producing their own Watchalong shows? Here are 3 reasons:
1) Expand and Retain Younger Audiences
Watchalongs are already popular, especially among younger audiences, on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. By producing a companion Watchalong, broadcasters can expand their reach on new platforms, attract new viewers to the main live broadcast, and hold their attention for longer. This is a crucial element of a forward-thinking content strategy.
2) Build Loyal Communities and Fan Engagement
Interactivity and conversation are a natural part of any good Watchalong. This gives broadcasters a direct path to building loyal communities around particular sports or entertainment shows, creating “stickiness” and gaining direct insight into their audience. A dynamic, engaging Watchalong show with the right talent is a relatively low-cost way of building strong fan engagement around a particular sport or brand.
3) Open New Revenue Streams (Sponsorship & Live Commerce)
Watchalongs offer more flexibility with monetisation than the main broadcast. Sponsorship/partner integration, use of QR codes, integration of gamification/prediction gaming (perfect for first-party data collection), as well as video advertising, are just some of the ways a successful Watchalong show can generate value and become a profit centre in its own right.
- Tags: Broadcasters, Gaming, Sports
