If there’s one thing we’ve learned from expanding our Techsurveys to other formats is that Sports Radio fans are something special. While they are especially engaged with Twitter, the other critically important reality is that sports fans are highly mobile creatures, accessing information wherever and whenever they like.
This puts unique pressure on Sports Radio stations because while fan interest in all things sports can insatiable, they will go just about anywhere to access information about their favorite game, team, or athlete. Radio plays a huge role in this, to be sure, but only if Sports Radio stations are totally drilled into the desires, interests, and habits of their fans.
As we’ve discussed in this space before, mobile is now at the epicenter of the sports consumption experience. A mobile app that provides great content about key team(s), real time updates, and a reflection of the local sports experience is now table stakes when it comes to satisfying that mobile experience.
And while an “aggregated app” that houses hundreds of different stations may be fine for general streaming access, a branded station app is now a requirement for creating that unique station experience. As we saw in Techsurvey9, nearly seven in ten Sports Radio fans are walking around with a smartphone, while four in ten have a tablet. They love podcasts/on-demand programming, and they’ll go to satellite radio (more than any of the other 11 formats in the study) to satisfy their “sports jones.”
So when major telecommunication carriers and sports content creators acknowledge this obsession with mobile sports and real time access, Sports Radio better be paying attention. DIRECTV is making this happen big time with their new “FOYP” promotion. #FootballOnYourPhone is the next step in the mobilization of sports. Add to that a great music video from a couple of rappers named Peyton and Eli, and you’ve got something special.
>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO WATCH MANNING BROTHERS VIDEO<
The Manning brothers are hilarious and the video is cheesy, but don’t lose sight of the message, Mobile has become the epicenter of sports content and consumption, and it will only grow from here. If you’re a Sports Radio station and you don’t have a mobile strategy, campaigns like this should be a reminder that if you aren’t providing a great mobile experience, you may be letting your audience get away.
Yo Mo!
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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