Cricket in the Digital Age: How Technology is Transforming Fan Engagement
Since sports became a booming industry, improving the fan experience at sporting events has been a frequently discussed subject. Tickets, retail sales, and television viewership were previously used to gauge a sports team’s and fans’ level of engagement. While these factors still play a significant role, the modern digital world is driving year-round engagement and revenue potential for teams.
Besides, in the last couple of years, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a major change in the way things operate in and around the world. Businesses have begun experimenting with technology when it seemed as though crowds at cricket or football stadiums might never return. Beyond the playing field, court, rink or stadium, digital fan engagement offers audiences new chances to increase their reach. By installing hundreds of HD cameras and more screens everywhere, stadiums are attempting to transform the way that spectators experience sports.
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What’s more is that holograms can virtually transport the players into your homes, and smartphone apps will provide a completely new level of interaction and tracking. In fact, a few, more progressive sports organisations have understood the importance of fan involvement in their growth plan and that it encompasses much more than just what happens on match days. Teams, stadiums, and sports entertainment organisations have a greater opportunity to build relationships with their most devoted fans when they offer a 360-degree, 365-day fan experience.
Keep reading on to learn how technology is transforming fan engagement in the digital age.
How Technology is Transforming Fan Engagement?
1. Stadium’s no-contact environment
Many people craved the shared stadium experience even as stadiums had to be closed by governments around the world in order to safeguard the populace from COVID-19. The reality is that being near the action is what sports fans seek. We might have been required to show a ticket at the entry door before the outbreak of the pandemic to gain entry. Fans can now, however, experience being in a stadium without any physical contact at all. Physical tickets and facial recognition software are no longer necessary to authenticate the identity of stadium patrons thanks to digital tickets. The entrance to the stadium may be as automatic as possible thanks to barcode scanners placed at the entry point, which allow you to enter with just a wave of your smartphone.
2. Ability to connect fans online
Sports enthusiasts care about interacting with one another almost as much as they do with the team. And a good fan engagement strategy involves facilitating those connections. Virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), 360-degree video, and behind-the-scenes experiences are excellent examples of fan and team connectivity. Today, fantasy sports like fantasy cricket or football are fantastic ways for bringing together fans.
3. A futuristic stadium
Fans’ engagement will be raised to a new level by witnessing high-definition games that are captured by 200 cameras that cover practically every inch of the stadium. The holographic images of the players created by these cameras will be sent simultaneously to stadiums all over the world. Some stadiums have microphones built right into the ground or into the wickets themselves to capture all of the sounds made by the players, the ball being kicked, or the wickets being stumped. Unlike any previous stadium experience, we can hear the crunch of a bone as a player tackles another player who is on the ground and is completely immersed in the sensation of realism.
4. Providing a different experience
Businesses have made significant attempts to boost audience involvement at home and in the stadium. Fans may, for instance, need to use the loo but don’t want to miss the action. Smartphone apps are being used in this instance, to connect to the stadium Wi-Fi and deliver real-time updates to your phones wherever you are. There are also spectators that are seated, sometimes, too far away from the on-field action. To view real-time, interactive graphics of the game, fans can use stadium screens or connect to the stadium using their smartphone. On-going updates on specific data points, such as player stats, rankings, and other performance indicators, are available to fans. Fans may experience the game from the comfort of their homes thanks to virtual reality (VR) technology. So, even if they don’t go to watch the match at the stadium, they can utilise apps such as fantasy cricket apps at home to improve their experience and play the real cricket game.
To Conclude
It is virtually impossible to maintain track of and offer any coherent fan experience given the astonishing volume of sports content accessible as well as the countless channels where fans may communicate with their teams. Here, technology will give viewers unprecedented control over their viewing experience. Smart stadium navigation will enhance live events by reducing the need for physical touch and enhancing security at the same time. This digital experience is slowly altering the entire sporting aspect, and all of this will revolutionise fan engagement in the world of sports.
