In today’s digital landscape, both internet personalities and companies are vying for audience attention across various platforms. Influencers leverage social media (SoME) and video content, while businesses use websites and other digital tools to engage with their target audience. With this intense competition, creating a robust monetization strategy for your website is crucial to stand out and generate revenue effectively.
The Rise of Social Media and Video Content
Social media platforms and video content have revolutionized how we consume information. Influencers use platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok to build large followings and engage with their audience in real-time. Companies, too, have embraced these platforms to create compelling content that resonates with their audience, from product launches to customer engagement campaigns.
According to the research Publisher Trends Report, conducted by Echoboxv and published in 2023, the publishing industry claimed that creating video content (47%) is one of their priorities for the next few months, coinciding with a surge of publishers focusing on TikTok (59%).
While social media offers a dynamic way to connect with audiences, it also means that users’ attention is divided across various channels. This fragmentation makes it essential for website owners to implement strategies that not only attract visitors but also convert them into loyal customers or engaged followers.
Developing a Monetization Strategy for Your Website
To successfully monetize your website, consider integrating multiple revenue streams. Here are some effective strategies:
Ad Revenue with Google AdSense: Google AdSense allows you to display ads on your website and earn revenue when visitors interact with them. By integrating Google AdSense, you can take advantage of Google’s extensive ad network, ensuring relevant ads are displayed to your audience, thereby increasing the likelihood of clicks and revenue. Arena’s features also allow you to integrate your Google AdSense with Live Blog, therefore increasing your earnings and maximizing your monetization strategy.
Lead Generation with Conversion Cards:Conversion Cards are tools that help you capture leads directly on your website. By offering valuable content or services in exchange for contact information, you can build a database of potential customers. This strategy is particularly effective for businesses looking to nurture leads through email marketing or other follow-up activities.
Boosting Organic Traffic with SEO: Frequent updates and high-quality content are key to attracting organic traffic from search engines. Implementing a robust SEO strategy ensures your website ranks higher in search results, driving more visitors to your site. High organic traffic not only increases ad revenue but also improves the chances of lead conversion.
Content Marketing and Affiliate Marketing: Creating valuable content that addresses your audience’s needs can establish your website as an authority in your niche. By incorporating affiliate links into your content, you can earn commissions on products or services recommended to your audience. This approach works well for influencers and companies alike, providing a passive income stream while adding value to your readers.
Offering Premium Content or Memberships: If your website provides specialized content, consider offering premium content or membership subscriptions. This model works well for websites that offer exclusive insights, in-depth analyses, or premium tools and resources. By charging a subscription fee, you create a steady revenue stream while providing additional value to your most dedicated users.
Hosting Virtual Events: Virtual events, such as webinars, live Q&A sessions, or online workshops, can attract a large audience and generate revenue through ticket sales or sponsorships. Using tools like Arena’s Live Blog, you can seamlessly integrate live coverage of events on your website, enhancing user engagement and providing real-time updates.
Data Monetization: Collecting and analyzing customer data allows you to tailor your content and marketing strategies more effectively. While ensuring compliance with data protection regulations, you can use this first-party data to offer personalized experiences, improving user satisfaction and engagement, which can lead to increased revenue opportunities.
Combining Strategies for Maximum Impact
To maximize your website’s revenue potential, consider combining several of these strategies. For example, integrating Google AdSense with frequent content updates can boost ad revenue while driving organic traffic. Simultaneously, offering premium content or virtual events can provide additional revenue streams.
By leveraging the right tools and strategies, you can create a comprehensive monetization plan that not only competes effectively in today’s crowded digital space but also provides sustainable growth for your website. Whether you’re an influencer or a company, a well-thought-out monetization strategy is key to turning your digital presence into a profitable venture.
As we approach the 2024 Olympics, it’s clear that live blogging will be a critical tool for engaging audiences and providing real-time updates on the games. With advancements in digital technology and increased demand for instant information, news publishers and media outlets must prepare to deliver comprehensive, engaging, and up-to-the-minute coverage of this global event.
Why Live Blog the Sporting Events Like the Paris 2024 Olympics?
Comprehensive Coverage: Live blogging multiple sports events simultaneously can be challenging. Live blogs offer a streamlined way to manage and deliver diverse content, from breaking news and scores to personal stories and highlights.
Real-Time Engagement: Live blogging allows you to provide real-time updates, ensuring your audience is always in the loop. This keeps readers on your site longer, boosting engagement and driving traffic.
Interactive Features: Use polls, Q&A sessions, and comment sections to interact with your audience, making them feel part of the event. This two-way communication is crucial for building a loyal community.
Building Community: Live blogs create a sense of community among your readers. By enabling comments and discussions, you allow your audience to share their thoughts and emotions in real-time, fostering a stronger connection with your brand.
Best Practices for Live Blogging
1. Prepare to handle the unexpected
Before the event, outline your live blog strategy. Prepare templates, set up multimedia resources, and ensure your technical setup is robust enough to handle high traffic.
2. Timely and Accurate Updates
Consistency is crucial. Ensure your updates are timely and accurate to maintain credibility and keep your audience informed.
3. Engage with Your Audience
Encourage comments and feedback. Make sure you designate a knowledgeable team member to monitor and respond with posts and comments to your readers to build a rapport and make them feel valued.
4. Use Multimedia Effectively
Visual content can significantly enhance the reader’s experience. Use high-quality images, videos, and infographics to complement your text updates. Bring in perspectives from high-value sources like industry leaders and expert commentary.
5. Optimize for SEO
To take advantage of what’s on screen, prepare to incorporate relevant keywords and trending topics to improve your search engine ranking. Use clear and concise headlines to capture attention.
The pinnacle of athletic competition, the Paris Olympics will feature new sports like surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing, alongside traditional favorites. Highlighting these events can attract a diverse audience.
With football being one of the most popular sports worldwide, covering the UEFA Euro 2024 can draw significant attention. Live blogging key matches and providing in-depth analysis can keep football fans engaged.
Cricket enthusiasts will be eagerly following the World Cup. Live blogging matches, player stats, and expert commentary can cater to this dedicated audience.
Politics deeply influence global dynamics. Covering the U.S. Presidential Election with live updates, expert opinions, and real-time results can attract a broad spectrum of readers.
Rugby fans are passionate and loyal. Providing live updates, match insights, and fan interactions can enhance engagement during this event.
Conclusion
The Paris 2024 Olympics present an incredible opportunity to build a Live Blog to engage and grow your audience. By providing real-time updates, interactive content, and fostering a sense of community, you can enhance the viewer experience and boost your digital presence. Prepare now, and get ready to capture the world’s attention in 2024 and beyond.
Learn more about some of Arena’s solutions for sports publishers and discover how you can elevate fan experience this Olympic season.
Keeping your news audience engaged is increasingly challenging. The Washington Post recently appointed a new CEO, highlighting concerns as its digital audience has declined by 28% since 2021, with digital subscriptions also falling by 15%. The struggle to maintain audience engagement is not unique to the Washington Post; many digital news publishers face similar challenges.
To address these issues, experimenting with innovative content experiences is crucial. For example, the New York Times has heavily invested in sports and games to boost engagement.
One effective strategy to enhance engagement is integrating a live blog into your website. The live blog benefits are substantial, as it offers a dynamic content mix, including videos, brief Twitter-style posts, articles, audio clips, and more. This diverse content approach can significantly extend the time your audience spends on your site and improve overall engagement.
14 Live Blog Benefits To Grow Digital News Audiences
With the right execution, retaining and growing your digital audience today is more than possible. Here are some ways a live blog can keep your audience returning for more.
1. Deepen audience engagement multiple times a day
A person who visits your website for minutes is much more valuable than someone who reads a few headlines and disappears in seconds. Live blogging solves this problem by giving your audience a reason to keep coming back for more.
Imagine there is a breaking news story like an election. You can cover that event with a live blog and provide hourly updates. Those frequent updates give your audience a reason to visit in the morning, at lunch, and later in the day to get the latest developments.
2. Grow search traffic
In July 2023, many news publishers noticed a drop in Google traffic. The drop was later attributed to a bug in Google’s software. That disheartening experience reminds us that keeping a close eye on the latest search trends is vital.
It’s been established that providing up-to-date content is a proven way to attract search traffic. A live blog is one of the best ways to provide a steady stream of new content like analysis, new facts, commentary, video, and more. Feeding the search engines with new content – especially on trending news items – is one of the best SEO (search engine optimization) search strategies.
3. Grow the bond with your audience with a human touch
The rise of AI and misinformation makes it harder for your audiences to know who to trust. In 2022, the Pew Research Center reported, “ Adults under 30 are now almost as likely to trust information from social media sites as they are to trust information from national news outlets.”
Rebuilding trust with your audience takes several strategies, including recommitting to high standards of journalistic behavior. You likely have one or more highly trusted news personalities within your current team. Those trusted individuals can help you to grow audience trust.
Invite one of your top trusted journalists to use a live blog to cover a breaking news story. Shaping the live blog around a specific journalist’s reputation and expertise can deepen audience engagement and trust.
4. Increase referrals with viral content
Receiving content from a friend is one of the best ways to grow your audience. This is another area where a live blog can help. For example, you and a few friends might eagerly follow the new NBA drafts each year. A live blog that follows all draft announcements is tailor-made for audiences to share.
You can supercharge this viral effect by using Arena’s interaction elements like polls, responding to comments on your page, and hosting chat experiences.
5. Provide exclusive content for paying subscribers
Paying subscribers are the coin of the realm. Keeping them happy and engaged is crucial for the future of a publishing business. A live blog can help you to win here by offering an exclusive experience.
For example, invite a few experts to share their thoughts on a breaking news story to make contributions alongside your in-house staff. Sharing a broader perspective on the news makes the experience more valuable for your subscribers and keeps them returning for more.
6. Use team reporting for more stories
When a big story breaks, it’s tough for anyone to research and cover it thoroughly. Bringing together a team – even a small two-person team – with a live blog is a great solution. Each team member can submit updates and keep your audience engaged.
7. Accelerate your urgent news coverage
When an urgent story breaks, the digital news publisher with the fastest and best coverage is positioned to win. A live blog is a good option for rapidly developing stories. You can share updates every minute, every hour, or however, you often make sense for your audience.
8. Distribute your online content faster
High-quality content is the foundation of online success as a digital news publisher. Yet, the best content in the world isn’t worth much if your audience can’t find it in their preferred format.
A live blog is flexible: it can be updated on a desktop browser or a mobile device. That means you can keep your reporters in the field engaged.
9. Enrich traditional written articles
Today’s digital audiences are conditioned to expect engaging images and videos. You will struggle to keep your audience if your online content doesn’t meet those social media expectations.
Enhancing your written content with comments, videos, GIFS, and social reactions helps your content to compete effectively with the big social media sites. Think of it this way. One way or another, your audience will want to discuss your content. If you make it easy for your audience to connect and discuss with you on your website, they’ll have a reason to stay there longer.
10. Innovate faster than your competitors
Live blogs – sometimes known as live updates – have been around for years. However, many digital news publishers have yet to use them. Adding a live blog to your website will make you one step ahead of other news publishers.
11. Get closer to your audience’s real interests
Traditional digital analytics only tell you so much about your audience’s interests. You can get basic demographic information and see what content gets likes and views. That information helps, but it doesn’t go very deep.
Offering a live blog where your audience can comment deepens your understanding of your audience. Instead of guessing which kinds of content your audience wants, you can check the comments section and see which updates are driving engagement.
12. Offer a branded experience to your audience
Your audience should have a consistent experience when interacting with your content. Arena Live Blog is designed to be customized. Creating your live blog theme and customizing icons will give your blog the same look and feel as the rest of your website.
13. Connect your coverage to the social media conversation
You may have mixed feelings about social media as a digital news publisher. On the one hand, you love how much traffic social media sites can send you. On the other hand, you don’t like how social media sites compete against publishers for your audience’s attention.
A live blog can offer your audience the best of both worlds. Start by creating your content and updates. Then, track the social media conversation (e.g., tracking specific hashtags and keywords) and curate the best content for your audience.
14. Make the news helpful for your audience
A live blog is an interactive and flexible way to share your content. Rather than simply posting a static article, a live blog invites conversation.
In Brazil, Arena delivered a live blog to keep readers updated about the COVID-19 pandemic. It contained daily statistics about the virus and other sources of information to give a broad perspective on the situation.
Even more importantly, as health measures decreased social interaction, the live chat provided a much-needed social outlook for people to interact with each other.
Discover the Live Blog Benefits for your Website
The best way to find out if Arena Live Blog is suitable for your audience is to try it out. Try our live blog tool for free!
The digital horizon of 2024 beckons with promises of innovation, and within the world of SaaS, events play a pivotal role. As leaders in our industries, mastering this event landscape is vital for continued growth and relevance. This guide will enlighten you on the top events that are redefining the SaaS narrative.
Spotlight: Top 5 SaaS events of 2024
From the intricacies of Adobe applications to the strategic maneuvers of SaaS in Europe, 2022’s event calendar is a trove of opportunities. Here’s the pick of the lot:
Preconference (only available in-person): Monday, March 25, 2024
In-person conference: Tuesday, March 26 through Thursday, March 28
For: Adobe Summit is a one-stop event for customers who use Adobe’s digital experience tools. You could be using Adobe for design creatives, marketing, commerce, or operations. If you are into any of them, Adobe Summit 2024 has loads of thought leadership content, insights, and inspirations on offer.
Price: Early bird through Oct 31 – $1695
Location: Las Vegas – On site and online
Highlight: Notable keynotes from Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Airlines; Shantanu Narayen, Chairman and CEO of Adobe; Mary T. Barra, Chair and CEO of GM.
Purpose: It’s a unique opportunity to learn, get inspired, connect with peers and experts from around the world, explore the future of generative AI, and get ready for experience-led growth.
For: Independent startup founders in the SaaS space.
Price: General admission at $1099
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Highlight: Keynotes by Rand Fishkin, Co-Founder of SparkToro; Rob Walling Co-Founder of MicroConf + TinySeed.
Purpose: MicroConf is the original conference for bootstrapped founders, bringing the tactics, frameworks, and stories you need to build level up your business to 6-, 7-, and 8-figure valuations. We avoid the tropes of standard tech conferences by leaning away from the “virtues” of raising boatloads of cash through Venture Capital and introduce you to some of the brightest minds in entrepreneurship from our speakers to your fellow attendees in our hallway track.
For: This conference is aimed for Founders, CXOs, and emerging leaders in software and SaaS companies from around the world.
Price: Starting at $745.
Location: Cambridge, UK.
Highlight: Not only is there ample time for Q&A after each session. Speakers stay for the conference – meaning you can grab them for a chat afterwards. You’re as likely to sit next to a speaker at lunch than anyone else.
Purpose: BoS is about sharing openly and honestly the challenges and triumphs that come with building great software and great software companies.
Highlight: Unique networking meetings, AMAs, mentoring sessions, 1-on-1s, and roundtables.
Purpose: Full days with 100+ tactical sessions from world-known founders, new voices, and up & comers. SaaStr-style actionable advice and learnings to help grow your business from $0 to $100M ARR with less stress and more success.
For: Entrepreneurs who are in the first stages of growing their company, have built a product but don’t know how to monetize, or who might have an idea but aren’t sure where to find the resources to turn it into a viable business.
Price: To be announced.
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Purpose: At this one-day founder summit, you’ll get actionable advice and takeaways from top experts, meet other entrepreneurs taking similar journeys, share your own experiences and build the confidence to take the next steps towards growing your business.
Navigating the Digital Event Landscape
With the globalized nature of today’s events, incorporating virtual elements can greatly amplify your outreach. Yet, leaving a lasting imprint digitally demands mastery.
Arena’s live blogs can be your catalyst in creating memorable virtual engagements and hybrid events. Curious? Dive into our ‘Improve Your Live Events’ ebook, brimming with insights on maintaining and elevating attendee involvement.
Embrace these opportunities, intertwine them with pioneering tools like Arena’s live blogs, and watch your marketing aspirations take flight. Your SaaS journey, redefined.
Publishers have long earned most of their revenue from paying subscribers and advertising. Publishers have innovated new technologies to lift advertising revenue and entice subscribers. Despite these efforts, publishers have lost tremendous revenue to digital advertising platforms. Below are some winning strategies publishers have taken to evolve their revenue streams.
Start With Maximizing Advertising Revenue
In the short term, publishers can earn more advertising revenue because dollars are shifting away from social media. Twitter’s much-publicized difficulties under Elon Musk’s leadership – chaotic layoffs, increased inappropriate content, and more – have advertisers seeking new opportunities. For publishers committed to quality content and long-term audience engagement, there is a tremendous opportunity to win advertisers to your platforms, especially if you can offer brand-safe environments.
While significant, winning advertising dollars from other platforms will only take you so far. It’s also essential to take a hard look at the publishing business model.
Why Now Is The Right Time To Invest In Revenue Diversification
There are four reasons publishers need to invest resources into revenue diversification.
1. Generative AI Opens New Threats And Opportunities
The boom in generative AI technology poses many challenges. Governments and companies are concerned about AI safety. However, publishers are uniquely positioned to succeed with AI for a few reasons. First, publishers know their audiences deeply to direct generative AI tools effectively. Second, publishers have robust quality control mechanisms to verify sources and maintain high standards.
To discover more about how generative AI can lift publisher revenue, see our post: 5 Use Cases for Generative AI in Publishing Right Now. With editorial oversight, generative AI can dramatically increase your output and boost your ad revenue stream.
2. Economic Worries May Hurt Traditional Revenue Sources
While fears of a 2023 recession are easing, elevated inflation and interest rates continue to pressure many consumers and companies.
These economic concerns are already starting to impact the media industry. According to a June 2023 CNBC article: “Over the last six months, higher prices have led nearly 80% of consumers to cut spending on nonessential goods, like entertainment, home decor, clothing, appliances and more.” That reduced spending will likely cause advertisers to rethink and reduce their advertising budgets.
Many consumers are already thinking about cutting back on their spending. A National Research Group study found that 28% of consumers plan to decrease their subscriptions in the next six months. While the NRG report is focused on digital media subscriptions like Netflix, consumer cost-cutting measures may spread to publishers.
In addition to consumers, advertiser spending is expected to decline in several categories next year. MarketingProfs points out that advertising spending is forecasted to decline in automation, financial services, alcoholic drinks, and tourism in 2023.
3. Social Media Companies Retain Significant Audience Share
Large social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have had a challenging 2022. Even Google, which earns most of its revenue from advertising, is looking for ways to improve efficiency. For creative publishers with valuable audiences, there is an opportunity to grow as ad budgets shift.
It would be foolish to write off social media companies and platforms entirely. TikTok, for example, has over 1.6 billion users (86 million in the US). The potential collapse of Twitter and troubles at Facebook don’t mean social media is over, just that the landscape will likely undergo massive shifts.
4. Generation Z and Millenials Are The Future of Audience Growth
Taken together, millennials and Generation Z represent the publishing industry’s future. As of 2022, these two generations represent approximately 42% of the US population (source: Statista). In other words, engaging Gen Z and Millennials is non-negotiable for publishers.
Many publishers are struggling to earn attention from these growing groups. The American Press Institute (API) found that one-third (31%) of Gen Z never check local news outlets, and 33% never check national news outlets. Further, Americans aged 16-40 overwhelmingly rely on social media to discover news. This suggests that engagement and loyalty to social media platforms may be higher than traditional news outlets, or it could suggest that social media platforms simply offer the interactivity and community that younger generations expect.
Evolving your digital presence to offer more interactive and social experiences is necessary. This innovation involves adding technology like Arena Live Chat to your website so that your audience can interact with each other. It also means making editorial changes, like creating more video content, including short-form videos.
To show what’s possible when revenue diversification is done well, let’s look at the New York Times.
Publisher Revenue Diversification Success: The New York Times
The New York Times has transformed itself into a digital media success story in the past few years. The news organization has pursued several revenue diversification strategies to succeed and is reporting that it has already surpassed its 2025 goal of 10M subscribers and total revenue greater than $2 billion. As of 2022, 80% of the company’s 10.98 million subscribers were digital-only.
The company’s digital success is supported by a robust diversification strategy that includes publishing, app, and game space acquisitions. Over the past few years, the company has acquired the following properties:
The Athletic. The New York Times acquired this sports-focused publisher in 2022, which had 1.2 million at the end of 2021. The sports-focused publication covers over 200 clubs and teams as of 2022.
Wordle. In 2022, the New York Times acquired Wordle, a word puzzle game website, for at least $1 million. Wordle, which launched in October 2021, had over a million users by January 20202, according to The Street.
Audm. In March 2020, the New York Times acquired Audm, an app that offers long-form reporting and stories in audio format.
Wirecutter. Founded in 2011, the shopping recommendations website was bought by the New York Times for $30 million in 2016. In 2021, a standalone Wirecutter subscription was priced at $5 per month or $40 per year.
These moves have added new capabilities, audiences, and revenue sources to the company that goes far beyond traditional news.
Revenue Diversification Options For Publishers
The following strategies represent new ways to offer value and generate revenue. These revenue streams are the lifeblood of niche digital properties. Adding one or more of these strategies to your strategy can be a game-changer.
1. Use Live Chat And Live Blog Experiences
Keeping your audience engaged on your digital platforms is vital. Audiences expect a fast and social experience thanks to the popularity of social media. Adding a live chat (or a live blog) to your website is a great way to meet those expectations.
These content experiences offer high rewards for the effort invested. You can create a live chat experience that creates additional advertising space on your website in less than an hour. Likewise, a live blog providing coverage on a trending topic can feature a mix of original content and social media updates. Live chat and live blog experiences keep audiences engaged longer, which means more advertising revenue.
2. Affiliate Marketing With Generative AI
Affiliate marketing means earning a commission when a person makes a purchase based on your recommendation. The Amazon affiliate program is the largest and best-known affiliate program on the market, but it is far from the only one. The industry is set to grow $14.3 billion in 2023 and generated $14.3 billion globally (over $5 billion in the US), according to Influencer Marketing Hub.
The Wirecutter, best known for publishing detailed reviews of products like kitchen appliances, electronics, and apparel, has most of its revenue from affiliate marketing.
3. Offer More Pricing Options With “Choose Your Own Price”
The rise of streaming services and losing interest in cable TV points to an opportunity for publishers: unbundling. Instead of offering a single paid subscription, look for ways to sell different tiers at different price points. Each option also unlocks new ways to increase the publishers’ advertising revenue. For example, some advertisers may be interested in digital-only, while others prefer omnichannel campaigns.
National Geographic. This classic magazine is highly popular with Millennials (one-third of its subscribers are Millennials). National Geographic is also ranked number #1 among MRI-measured magazines for its Generation Z reach1. The publisher revenue stream comes from four distinct offerings: National Geographic Premium, Nat Geo History, and two child-oriented offerings. In addition, the publisher continues to offer print-only options as well.
Single Website Subscription. Take the New York Times, for example. Subscribers can choose to subscribe to a single website like The WireCutter for $5 per month or access this publisher as part of the “All Access” subscription at a higher price.
Ad Supported Pricing Tier. Streaming video services like Netflix, HBO, and Disney have positioned ad-supporting pricing as an option. These more affordable options are a way to grow your content revenue stream for consumers looking to cut costs. According to The Verge, Netflix’s ad-supported tier has 5 million subscribers as of 2023.
4. Ecommerce
Direct product sales beyond a subscription are becoming more common for news publishers. For publishers with a passionate fan base, putting your logo on an everyday item is appealing. Let’s look at a few ways publications leverage ecommerce to supplement their content revenue stream.
UFC. According to Gen Z’s Favorite Brands report, UFC is one of the most popular sports brands for Gen Z. It is viewed more positively than the NBA and NFL brands. The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is a media property with a significant online ecommerce presence. UFC’s ecommerce offerings include merchandise inspired by its best-known participants like Connor McGregor, Izzy Adesanya, Alexa Grasso, and Holly Holm.
Morning Brew. The Morning Brew, a news email newsletter, offers playful apparel (e.g., Future Rich Girl onesie) and professionally oriented products (e.g., Microsoft Excel function guides and other MBA-style business education offerings).
Sports Illustrated. The SI Shop offers a wide range of products, including Sports Illustrated products and a fan shop (i.e., products for pro football, pro baseball, college sports, and pro hockey).
Directly selling products may not be a good fit for every publisher. Recommending products (i.e., affiliate marketing) to your audience is another way to diversify your reliance on an ad revenue stream.
5. Digital Audio
Podcasts like Serial, This American Life, and The Daily built significant listener audiences. Recording and producing a podcast requires relatively minimal equipment ($500 or less on equipment). Some publishers, like the BBC and NPR, repurpose existing media to podcast form. That is an intelligent way to increase the publishers’ advertising revenue from your existing content.
Instead, the key draw to a podcast is the quality of the content. The content doesn’t have to be scripted in advance to succeed, either. Many of the most successful business podcasts, like Mixergy and Entrepreneurs on Fire, are interview based.
Creating a podcast creates a new revenue stream for publishers. Podcasting ad revenue was up 26% year over year, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), in 2022. From a revenue viewpoint, the most successful podcast genres include comedy, sports, and society & culture.
Second-screen experiences – watching TV with your smartphone as a second screen – has fast become the new way to experience TV. Research shows that most Millennials and Gen Z audiences experience Gen Z this way. If you don’t offer a second-screen experience to your audience, your audience is at risk of disengaging.
The Second Screen Decision: Build or Buy?
Rolling out a second-screen experience to your audience is an important organizational decision. Like other transformational changes, there are a few ways to pursue this objective. Broadly speaking, you can build a solution using your technical talent or buy an existing solution and configure it for your needs.
There’s no single ideal choice in the buy vs. build debate. Instead, it’s important to think through the options to select the best choice for your circumstances.
Creating your second-screen solution from scratch is a good idea in some situations. Discuss these issues with your team to see if this route fits.
1. Available development resources
Creating a new technology is resource-intensive. The first step is checking the availability of development or engineering resources. You may need multiple specialists to cover back-end development, front-end development, and the user experience (UI/UX). If you have staff available, creating a bespoke solution is powerful because you have a blank canvas to create your solution.
2. Priority on technological innovation
Building a second-screen solution may also be a good option if your organization emphasizes technical innovation. Once upon a time, this consideration applied mainly to technology companies with deep pockets. However, some media companies are increasingly establishing significant apps and other technologies. Building from the ground up is a good pick if this is the case.
3. Maximizing broadcast rights
Broadcast rights and similar arrangements give an organization a unique asset, mainly when these rights come with exclusivity. In this case, your organization has a substantial staff dedicated to video production, editing, and related disciplines. With that level of talent and unique content, creating your second-screen solution may be a good choice.
4. High levels of fan engagement
For organizations with exceptionally high fan engagement levels, building a custom second-screen solution might be a good fit. If you already have millions of fans on your website and apps every month, developing a custom experience makes sense. You already have a significant amount of first-party data to draw upon to inform your solution.
Buying a second screen solution
There are a few situations where buying a second-screen technology off the shelf and customizing it for your needs is wise.
1. Limited development resources
What can you do if your organization’s technical and engineering talent is fully booked? The answer lies in using a low-code or no-code solution. Arena Live Chat may be a good pick in this situation. You can install Arena in less than 10 minutes and launch your first session in less than an hour.
Arena is designed with a non-technical end user in mind, so that marketers, content teams, and producers can quickly get up and running on their own.
2. Fan engagement challenges
Do you need help to hit your fan engagement goals? If so, you are far from alone. Earning and retaining Gen Z engagement can be difficult because of their digital preferences.
Gen Z are social natives, so focusing solely on TV isn’t common for them. Many Gen Z (and Millenials, for that matter) frequently use their smartphone to check email, social media, chat with friends, and look up information while watching TV. To keep them engaged, offering a compelling second-screen experience on your website is vital.
Buying a second screen solution for your website is crucial when fan engagement levels are low or falling because of the speed it provides. For example, you can add Arena Live Chat to a website in less than an hour. Your audience already knows how to use online chat, so there’s a minimal learning curve for your audience.
3. Limited or no access to TV or equivalent streaming content
Creating a second-screen experience when you don’t have rights or access to TV or streaming content takes creativity. It may not be possible to create short video content like highlight clips or clips from TV shows. In this case, your brand has to offer something highly engaging and easy to access for your audience on their second screen.
Let’s give an example. Your online audience includes a large number of music fans. You’ve found out that many of them also enjoy the annual Grammy awards show. There’s just one problem – you don’t have the rights to broadcast the show. Don’t worry – you can still keep your audience engaged on their smartphones while watching TV.
In this situation, a live blog on your website is a great option. Before the event airs, your team can post interviews and speculation about the upcoming awards. As the awards show airs, post reactions, context, and short interviews about the performances and surprises in the show. You can win your audience’s second-screen attention by regularly posting new updates as the Grammy Awards are given out.
To increase audience engagement even further, offer a live chat experience on your website to discuss the broadcast live. Your live chat will compete against social media, email, and other digital activities for your audience’s attention. Make your live chat unique by inviting exciting guests and experts to share their thoughts and answer questions to stand out and win.
Two Second-Screen Solutions To Take For a Test Drive
Choosing the right second-screen technology for your needs takes time. Testing a tool with your audience is one of the best ways to find out if the solution is right for your needs. Arena’s leading second-screen solutions – Live Blog and Live Chat – offer a free trial to see how they work for your audience.
Keeping Gen Z and Millennials engaged with sports requires new strategies. Relying on a traditional TV broadcast to connect with fans is no longer enough. Find out new ways to reengage your younger audiences. The solution starts with understanding the rise of second-screen behaviors.
What Is The Second Screen Experience?
The data on TV and digital habits is clear. The majority of Gen Z (born 1997 to 2012) and Millenial (born 1981 to 1996) viewers are switching back and forth between their TV and other devices while watching. The smartphone is the primary second-screen device for most Gen Z and Millennials.
Switching back and forth between the TV and their phone is the new reality. You can either fight this tendency by insisting that audiences put down their phones, or you can adapt. There are only a few situations where asking people to switch off their phones is feasible, like live theater or movie theater. The best bet for sports is assuming your audience will check their phones during a game. The question is this: will they find your content or not?
For sports teams, increasing fan engagement is critically important for a few reasons. Sports teams earn billions of dollars from ticket sales: an estimated $20 billion in 2019. There are also merchandise and other product sales to consider. Unfortunately, many in Gen Z – 47% – have never attended a pro sports game. That low attendance figure puts the industry’s future in question.
Adapting to changing viewing patterns starts with giving fans more opportunities to engage with your brand.
Leverage your athletes are creators
Start by looking for ways to involve your athletes in the creative process. Sports fans love understanding their favorite athletes’ daily life, training, and lifestyle. Take a look at Neymar Jr, a well-known Brazilian football player. His social media accounts have over 200 million followers. Some of his most popular online content includes a training video (over 250,000 views) and a video about his family story (1 million views).
While individual star athletes likely have the greatest name recognition, you don’t have to restrict yourself to those parts of your team. Clips and interviews with your team’s coaches, trainers, mascots, and others can create content. For example, check out Gritty – the official mascot of the Philadelphia Flyers – who has 1 million TikTok followers.
Host an ask me anything (AMA) for your fans
The chance to ask questions and connect with your athletes is another way to connect with your fans. Use live chat on your website to organize an ask-me-anything with fans – a great way to grow fan engagement right before your next game.
Second Screen Strategies for Publishers
Your approach to second-screen content and experiences depends on your assets. For publishers with broadcast rights or another onsite reporting presence, your second-screen experience should support the TV experience. For other publishers, you can create a few different kinds of coverage like reaction videos, or AMAs as described above.
1. Improve your short video experience
Short-form video content – think TikTok videos – are one of the most popular forms of media with Gen Z. According to a 2022 survey, Gen Z uses YouTube and TikTok more than any other social platform. Meet this preference by creating more short videos like short interviews, reactions, and highlights.
For inspiration, take a look at the NBA’s TikTok channel. The channel’s videos include classic content like highlights from games. Other videos include “Celeb Row In Miami,” – featuring the celebrity guests attending a Miami game.
To grow engagement further, use a mix of scheduled posts (i.e., explainer videos explaining the free agent process) and live posts (e.g., comment on a record-breaking game).
2. Explore the intersection of tech and sports
Innovations are coming to sports, and fans want to know more about it. For example, some sports coverage has recently looked at the impact of artificial intelligence (e.g., robot-umpires). There are other angles to explore, like advances in sports medicine to improve training and performance results.
Offering coverage on brand-new technologies – or including new technology directly – is a powerful way to make your coverage fresh and engaging. For example, Stats Perform offers performance analysis of more than 500 sports teams worldwide. This kind of data-driven sports coverage offers a new perspective.
3. Use a live blog to cover games
Most Gen Z and millennials watch TV with smartphones in their hand or nearby. The most popular second-screen behaviors include checking email, browsing social media, online shopping, chatting, and searching for information.
With these behaviors in mind, you can succeed online by giving your audience a timely mobile experience. A live blog is a great fit for a second-screen experience. Your audience can quickly look up the latest post, skim it for additional information, and then go back to watching TV.
A live blog is a great venue to invite sports influencers to participate in your coverage. One approach is to ask outside contributors to create content on a specific theme.
Take inspiration from the NFL, which invited Lisa Nguyen and Katie Feeney to create content related to the NFL draft in 2023. Working with influencers with millions of followers may be outside your budget. Fortunately, tools like Upfluence and Storyclash make it easy to search for influencers by audience size and other filters.
Inviting influencers to contribute to your coverage is a great way to augment your in-house talent. Even better, working with Gen Z influencers goes a long way to unlocking Gen Z audience engagement.
How To Launch Your Second-Screen Experience Quickly
Designing a detailed strategy for second-screen engagement may be wise if you’re working on a high-profile event like the Super Bowl. In other situations, there’s significant value in just getting started, launching a second-screen experience fast, and seeing what kinds of experiences resonate with your audience.
The growing popularity of second-screen behavior while watching TV is here to stay. It’s vital to understand these new habits to win in keeping your audience engaged, especially if Millenials and Gen Z matter to you. Together, they make up 41% of the US population and are the future.
Second Screen Habits: What The Data Tells Us
Once upon a time, second-screen behavior was described negatively as multitasking. The world has changed – these habits are how today’s audiences engage with TV programming and online information.
Let’s examine how common second-screen behaviors have become with Millenials and Gen Z audiences. The following data is based on a 2021 survey of 1000 adults.
1. Three Quarters of Millenials and Gen Z Are Heavy Second-Screen Users
A recent survey found that the overwhelming majority of Gen Z (76.5%) and Millennials (76.4%) state that they “often” or “always” browse the internet on a separate device while watching TV. In contrast, the same measure for overall US adults is 62%.
2. The Smartphone Is The Default Second-Screen
Not surprisingly, smartphones are the second-screen device of choice for Millennials and Gen Z. Surveys estimate that 96-98% of Gen Z own smartphones, while about 95% of Millennials own a smart phone. In comparison, 85% of the US population as a whole owns a smartphone.
3. These 5 Types of TV Shows Have The Highest Second Screen Usage
The story starts to get more nuanced when discussing the specific TV shows associated with second-screen behaviors. The top five TV genres with high second-screen usage include reality shows, talk shows, game shows, live sports, and children’s shows.
While second-screen usage is widespread in these genres, it is still common elsewhere. For example, the sitcom genre has 50% second screen usage.
If you’re unclear where to focus your second-screen resources, start with the top 5 genres first. You’re likely to get the greatest payoff for your efforts there.
4. What Second-Screen Activities Are Most Popular?
The most popular second-screen activities include the following:
Check email
Social media
Texting/message
Playing games
Shopping
Looking up information
Only a tiny fraction (10% of the population is engaged in professional work while watching TV. For the most part, second-screen behaviors are leisure-oriented.
5. What About Second Screen Social Media Usage?
Social media platforms are not equal regarding the second-screen context. For Gen Z, Instagram is the most popular second-screen platform. Millennials prefer Facebook while watching TV.
What The Rise of Second Screen Behavior Means For You
There are a few significant implications for second-screen behaviors. Your audience’s attention will drift away toward their smartphone regularly while watching TV. Given that tendency, the next question is: how can you offer a compelling digital experience that keeps your audience engaged?
Start by checking that you have the right building blocks for second-screen success. The following checklist will ensure you have everything you need to start.
1. Have You Participated In A Second-Screen Experience Recently?
There’s nothing like direct experience to understand the second-screen experience. This is one of those rare times when you can watch TV and call it work!
Pick a show and pull out your smartphone while you watch. Go through the most common second-screen activities like checking email, social media, and texting with friends.
Reflect on your second-screen experience. What did you like most? Did you find your attention wandering from the TV? Did you connect online with other people watching the same show?
2. Are Digital and TV Teams Aligned?
For broadcasters, aligning your TV and digital teams is a powerful way to deliver a second-screen experience. For instance, if your new season launches on Thursday night, then your online team should have content prepared to build anticipation in advance.
3. Is Your Social Media Prepared For Engagement?
Social media is one of the most popular second-screen activities. Given that reality, getting your social media staff ready for engagement is vital. You can start by creating and scheduling content to align with the TV show. Aligning is easiest with traditional TV broadcast schedules. With streaming, there is usually some online buzz when a popular series is about to become available.
There’s an even better way to engage your audience socially: set up a live blog right on your website. All the social features your audience expects – liking, commenting and sharing – will be there. Even better, you can curate a brandsafe experience, so that your audience doesn’t get turned off by inappropriate or off topic content.
4. Have You Tested Your Website For Mobile Lately?
Searching for information about what they’re viewing is one of the most common second-screen experiences. With that behavior in mind, taking a few minutes to test your website on an actual smartphone is smart. Smartphone simulators are helpful for testing but don’t capture the experiential side.
While viewing your website on your smartphone, take note of the following:
Speed
In a second screen context, the speed of your mobile website is critically important. Your audience might check their phone for a few seconds, and if your website is too slow, you’ll lose engagement.
Navigation
Is your website navigation easy to use on a mobile device? Plenty of websites streamline navigation for mobile, but it is easy to go too far with this.
Sharing Features
The most common second-screen activities are using social media and looking up information. To grow your audience, your website needs to make it easy to share pages, articles, videos, and more on social media. Check if your sharing functionality runs smoothly on a smartphone.
5. Offer A Chat Experience
Chatting and texting are one of the most common second-screen experiences. That’s an opportunity to increase audience engagement on your website! With Arena Live Chat, you can plan and launch a live chat experience in minutes.
Arena Live Chat includes both manual and automation moderation features which means you can offer a brand-safe experience to your audience, on your own properties, while collecting first party data.
Our research has shown that Gen Z prefers curated social experiences – think Discord – versus older feed based platforms with less relevant content. Arena makes it easy to meet these expectations right on your website.
The Next Step To Launch Your Second-Screen Experience
Second-screen behavior is very popular with Gen Z and Millennial TV audiences. Your audience is going to pick up their smartphone while watching TV. The only question is whether or not they will pay attention to your brand at those moments. Offering an online community experience on your website is one of the best ways to grow audience engagement. Find out more about Arena’s community experiences.
Second-screen experiences are the default way that Gen Z experiences television. Keeping Gen Z engaged means adopting second-screen thinking. The first step to meeting Gen Z’s expectations is understanding their current habits.
What The Gen Z Second-Screen Experience Looks Like
Surveys find that the majority of Gen Z Internet users – between 85% to 89% – use a mobile device while watching TV. That raises the question: what are Gen Z TV viewers using the second screen for?
1. Social Media
Gen Z audiences are often described as social natives. They’ve never known a time without social media. Their favorite social platforms include YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Facebook.
Keeping Gen Z engaged with TV starts with aligning your TV and social media presence. Start by aligning your TV schedule with social media. As Gen Z watches your TV show, your social media accounts should release new information, quotes, images, clips, and more to keep Gen Z engaged.
2. Chat and Messaging
Gen Z also loves chatting and messaging with their friends and family. Texting and chatting with companies for support is a popular way for Gen Z to engage. Almost half (44%) of Gen Z check text messages within a minute of receiving them.
Gen Z’s passion for chat is starting to carry over to the workplace. Wipro, an IT company, recently revealed that 10% of its 260,000-person workforce doesn’t check email “even once a month.” The Gen Z preference for chat over email isn’t absolute, so email still has a place. However, shifting more resources to chat and messaging experiences is a vital part of connecting with Gen Z.
Adding live chat to your website is a great option to meet Gen Z’s chat preferences. Arena Live Chat is fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to set up. Choose a live chat solution that lets you quickly set up and launch a chat session to capture Gen Z viewers.
Want to go even deeper with your fans? Host a special event with celebrity guests! Actors, athletes, and other notable people are showing up for online interviews, Reddit sessions, and more. Offering a moderated chat session with a special guest right the same day as a TV event is a powerful way to keep Gen Z focused on your brand.
While watching TV, many Gen Z audiences love to pick up a mobile game.
Like TV, gaming comes in multiple genres which appeal to different people. Gen Z’s top 10 most popular games include several action titles like Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, Red Dead, and Halo). However, Minecraft is the number one most popular title for Gen Z.
From a second-screen perspective, it’s essential to know that most (86%) of Gen Z use their mobile devices to play games. The most popular mobile game genres include action-adventure, puzzles, and role-playing.
Your approach to adapting to Gen Z’s passion for gaming will depend on your goals and capabilities. One option is exploring partnerships with successful games – like Gucci in Roblox and Balenciaga in Fortnite.
If direct involvement in gaming isn’t a good option, there are other options. Get educated about the most popular games, the trending memes and look for ways to include those themes in your online experiences.
You also can create gaming experiences through chat. For example, host a trivia contest in the lead-up to a finale of a buzzy series like “Last of Us.” That kind of experience combines two digital activities that Gen Z loves – gaming and chatting!
4. Online Shopping
The pandemic was a formative experience for Gen Z, accelerating the generation’s passion for online purchases. Newer technologies like flexible payments (e.g., Buy Now Pay Later) and mobile wallets are also popular with Gen Z.
An easy online purchase experience is essential to connecting with Gen Z buyers. A smooth online purchase experience is required to have a chance. To be truly competitive with Gen Z, more is required. Sustainability resonates: the majority (73%) will pay a premium of 10% for sustainable products (source). Influencer product recommendations on social media are also an essential driver of purchases.
In a second-screen context, the online shopping experience needs to be fast and tailored to Gen Z. Plan ahead to spotlight products related to the TV experience, like the technology used by actors, apparel, and more.
Anticipating all of Gen Z’s potential shopping interests is difficult. That’s why a new generation of chat tools is coming. Arena is creating a solution that makes offering an AI-powered “Chat Concierge” that will recommend your brand’s products (and content) easier.
5. Search For Information Related To What’s On TV
Another popular Gen Z activity is seeking out information directly related to what they see on TV. This type of second screen behavior takes multiple forms, including:
Viewing influencer or reviewer feedback
Passionate Gen Z viewers enjoy following influencer commentary, analysis and reviews online. For example, online influencers published episode-by-episode commentary for HBO’s “House of the Dragon” series. Sponsorships and partnerships with these relationships with these influencers are a proven strategy.
Finding additional information on people shown on screen
Does a show have a surprise cameo appearance? Or perhaps a lesser-known actor breaking out for the first time? Gen Z audiences will likely search for those details online on their second screen.
These searches can lead your audience to social media or entertainment websites like IMDB. Or you can leverage this opportunity with a live chat or live blog. Pay attention to trending comments on social media and use those comments to inspire your content.
6. Consuming the News
A 2022 survey of Gen Z audiences found that the top three sources of daily news information were social media, streaming services, and online-only news sites. Podcasts, cable news, and newspapers are still drawing engagement but less often. Providing an engaging second-screen experience is vital to keeping your Gen Z engaged and returning for more coverage.
There are a few ways to offer a second-screen experience for Gen Z interested in news coverage. Start by looking for a breaking news event, such as elections or a high-profile court decision.
Once you have your theme, use the right tools to keep your audience engaged on your website.
A live blog to share updates every hour (or more frequently). A live blog is an excellent choice for publishers, sports teams & media companies, mainly because your staff can quickly rewrite some content, like explainers, context, and background posts, to keep audiences engaged.
Organizing a live chat experience on your website is another powerful way to keep your audience engaged. Take an election, for example. They may see the updated voting totals on their TV. But what does the election mean for Gen Z voters? That’s a rich question to explore with a few panelists in a live chat session.
The Simple Way To Create A Second Screen Experience For Gen Z
Speed matters when attracting and engaging Gen Z audiences. Waiting weeks or months to get your mobile experience ready means losing engagement to the competition. Arena has engagement tools that can be installed on your website in less than an hour. Find out more about Arena’s solutions.
The professional sports industry has a Gen Z problem. Gen Z ticket purchases are falling – 47% and many have never seen a professional sports event in person (source).
That’s not all – Gen Z viewership of major sports events is lower than other generations. Ignoring this problem will cripple future growth. Improving Gen Z sports engagement starts with understanding what Gen Z likes.
Trend 1: Sports Clips Are Growing In Popularity
Sports highlight clips have been around for years. However, Altman Solon’s 2022 Global Sports Survey found that nearly one-third (27%) of US sports fans prefer clips to watch a full-length sports broadcast.
The popularity of short video content is no surprise when you look at the success of short videos on social media. TikTok – famous for its 60-second videos – is pulling in impressive viewership numbers. TechCrunch reported that teens are spending 91 minutes a day on TikTok in 2021, compared to 56 minutes spent on YouTube.
The success of sports clips can take a few forms depending on your content access. For broadcasters and publishers with broadcast rights, it’s easy to create short highlight clips that show significant moments, like a star player performing at their best or a controversial foul call. If you don’t, then hosting a reaction video, or AMA with an expert or athlete can be a great way to create clips that resonate with Gen Z.
There’s still an opportunity to succeed in this sports short video content. The 2022 Global Sports Survey uses the term “snackable content” to describe short-form videos. Think of ways to highlight sports in short video formats.
Short video creation is one way to connect more effectively with Gen Z audiences.
Trend 2: Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Are Drawing Interest
The appeal of sitting back on a couch and watching sports on a TV alone is falling for today’s sports fans. Industry research shows that AR and VR technologies continue to grow in popularity. AR technology is particularly significant because using many smartphones already support this capability.
AR technology presents an exciting opportunity to drive revenue. Retail Dive reports that 92% of Gen Z shoppers want to use AR in shopping. AR can help lift sales of apparel, collectibles, and beyond for sports.
VR technology is at an earlier stage of adoption. Twenty-six percent of US teens own a VR device as of 2022, according to a Piper Sandle survey, but only 5% currently use the devices daily. That gap between VR ownership and usage suggests a need for more engaging VR experiences. Filling that gap may unlock higher engagement with Gen Z audiences.
There are a few different ways to use VR to boost engagement. Altman Solon’s research suggests using VR to simulate the in-arena viewing experience. That could mean allowing people to view the action from prime seats near the 50-yard line in a football stadium.
Further, VR technology may allow Gen Z to connect more deeply with their favorite players. Picture your star players wearing helmet cams to share their perspectives on the action. That experience is better suited to sports like ice hockey and football, where players wear protective helmets.
Trend 3: Second-Screen Experiences Are Growing
A growing number of Gen Z viewers experience television as a second screen experience where the TV is a primary screen, and a mobile device is the second screen.
Given that behavior, publishers and brands have two choices. They can create integrated second-screen offerings that pair well with TV – the most powerful way to sustain engagement. Or they can ignore the second-screen opportunity and hope that Gen Z doesn’t tune out…
Creating engaging second-screen experiences can take a few different forms.
Mobile Communities
As we talked about in our recent blog “Gen Z Wants Something Different From Social Media: Are you Ready?” The majority of Gen Z prefer community based, vs feed based, social experiences. Creating your own community, specially optimized for mobile, is a great way to get Gen Z to engage. And with options like Arena, you can set one up in minutes, on your own brad properties.
Social Media Feeds
While community based wins over feed-based with Gen Z, part of the reason might be because most feed based platforms come packaged with a lot of public noise. By contrast, creating your own, curated feed – complete with reactions, comments – is a great way to give your fan base the relevant content the crave in a brand safe environment. Arena’s live blog is perfect for this, and comes mobile optimized right out to the box.
Trend 4: Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Are Popular
Cryptocurrencies are popular with Gen Z. According to a 2021 estimate, “Gen Z [cryptocurrency] buyers outnumber Gen X buyers by 3.5x and Boomer buyers by 14.3x.”
While popular with Gen Z, launching a cryptocurrency may not make sense for a broadcaster or sports brand.
Another way to leverage Gen Z’s enthusiasm for crypto is to offer non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Sports NFTs are digital collectibles. Unlike traditional items, it’s easy to create variations and limit supply. The cryptographic aspect of NFTs is tricky.
Multiple sports brands and athletes have already launched and sold NFTs. NBA Top Shot is particularly interesting since it aligns with the first trend. When a person buys an NBA Sop Shot token, you own an official NBA video clip. Many well-known athletes like Serna Williams, Tom Brady, and Shaquille O’Neal have also bought NFTs.
Trend 5: Reimagine The Stadium Experience For Gen Z
Drawing Gen Z audiences into the sports stadium is challenging. It is estimated that nearly half (47%) of Gen Z have never watched a sports event in person. That behavior is a significant concern for sports teams and others in the arena space. In the United States alone, ticket sales generate over $13 billion in annual revenue (source).
Affordability is one reason that may be holding Gen Z from attending live events. Team Marketing Report estimated the cost for a family of four to attend an MLB event at $256 and NFL games at $590.
There are a few ways to solve the affordability issue. First, look for ways to offer more ticket options, including low-priced tickets or special prices based on age. Second, make the live sports experience more appealing by offering more Gen Z-friendly amenities like better connectivity.
High-performance digital connectivity is critical to engaging Gen Z. Wi-Fi 6 technology, launched in 2019 because Gen Z loves to use bandwidth-intensive video. In addition, Network World points out that implementing “private 5G” services is becoming more popular. Verizon has already started working on dedicated connectivity services for stadiums.
Now Is The Time To Engage Gen Z Audiences
Most of the Gen Z audience are in their 20s and younger. Now is the perfect time to create experiences that inspire loyalty and engagement for the long term. Act on one or more of these trends fast to succeed with Gen Z.
