Fans now stream soccer and other sports via a variety of platforms as well as accessing highlights via social media – often multi-screen – to take in every aspect of the game and every bit of opinion online, on-demand and in real-time. Many are prepared to pay for ‘premium’ access to their club, its players and exclusive insight from their favourite opinion-formers. The net effect is a major disruption of the marketplace, previously dominated by major broadcasters reliant on an outmoded subscription models. The savviest of sports clubs are waking up to this fact and realising that as the growing number of ‘digital natives’ within their fanbase continues to expand exponentially they need to offer a way to interact with them on a 24/7 basis, providing personalised, exclusive content and offers that are focused on their wants and needs.
