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COVID-19 Impact: Live Sports COVID-19’s Impact on Live Sports and How Marketers Can Engage With Fans at Home While Preparing for the Rebound Live sports is one industry that is feeling some of the worst effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. All major sporting events – from March Madness to the Olympics – were either canceled or postponed throughout March, April and May to try to slow the spread of COVID-19. While fans may be disappointed, they are funneling their newfound free time into other channels – increasing their time spent watching sports documentaries and engaging with sports news and content about playoff plans and season changes that might occur postpandemic.

After months of sheltering in place, many expect a big rebound at sports stadiums and sports bars once stay-athome mandates are lifted. However, smart brands aren’t sitting on the sidelines waiting. They are preparing now for the greatest impact when sports are able to return.

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Where to Focus Today for the Greatest Impact Later While it may not seem like there is much the sports sector can do to help mitigate the economic impact of widespread cancellations right now, there are ways to keep fans engaged. Consumers have not lost interest just because live action is not taking place. Marketers can play an impactful role by helping to fill this void for consumers and foster an even deeper connection with these consumers. Some sports organizations have been filling the space with replays of the most buzzworthy games and matches. However, this strategy will only keep the momentum going for so long. What else can marketers do right now to stay relevant and best prepare for the future?

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Content is Key: Passionate sports fans are incredibly loyal to their sports teams and brands associated with those sports teams, as well as with the sport overall. Marketers should take time to understand how the live sports void is affecting their consumers and adjust their content strategy to help alleviate fan frustration. For example, NASCAR introduced iRacing, additional sports news segments, a rebirth of archived content, live social media Q&As with sports celebrities, and more to provide fans with content they can look forward to regularly during the pandemic.

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Focus on Data Enrichment: Use this time to learn more about your consumers’ consumption habits outside of sports. Collect data on what they binge-watch, which video chat services they use, how often they are cooking at home, etc. Consider how you can play an impactful role in these new routines. For example, recommending play-by-play audio from the classic games to listen to while cooking.

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Review Data Collection Processes: It is the ideal time to review your first-party data processes – both your data collection and your strategy on putting it to use. Modeling audiences and gaining insight into your customers’ purchase patters and interests outside of sports will help guide your data strategy through the slow transition to normal spending and activities once the virus starts to decline.

Goodway Group is the digital partner advertisers trust to drive campaign performance and media efficiency. Proud to be completely independently owned and operated, Goodway provides trustworthy expertise that meets its clients’ needs — and no one else’s. Using predictive intelligence, Goodway helps advertisers get the most value out of every impression across all paid digital media. Through the combination of employing the smartest technology and the most experienced people in the industry, Goodway delivers authentic results.

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