The Future Of Entertainment Is Immersive And Interactive
In the early days of my career, we had wrapped up a meeting one day at a very famous actor's luxurious mansion. My colleagues and I prepared to depart when he told us to please sit down and wait—we couldn’t leave yet. Through the glass walls of the house, we watched him walk across his massive yard to the front gate, flanked by armed security guards.
The gates opened, and there stood a sea of fans waiting to catch a glimpse of their idol. He spent the next two minutes waving to the crowd before the gates closed again and the throngs of people slowly dispersed. As it turned out, this fan interaction happened every single evening.
This experience provided an insight that has always stuck with me: Loyal fans crave access and opportunities to engage with their favorite celebrities and each other. Sure, this idea isn’t novel per se, but what is new is our highly digital world. Today’s “front gates” are online chatrooms, platforms and programs. Ironically, as society has become more connected digitally, the gulf between sports stars, actors, recording artists and their fans has in many ways gotten bigger.
However, at the same time, the online universe holds an antidote to this problem.
Adjusting To A New Reality Our digital, screen-based existence hasn’t completely removed in-person fan experiences. Kids still show up each spring to MLB training in hopes they can meet and get their favorite player to sign a ball or jersey. For a price, music fans can sign up for services like VIP Nation to access pre- or post-concert backstage meet-and-greets with their favorite artists.
As digital entertainment continues to grow, there is an opportunity for media and sports companies to provide fan-first experiences. This spans the spectrum to include Disney+ (that owns everything from Star Wars to the streaming rights to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour), to every major league sports team. Media and sports brands that embrace new ways for fans to connect with their favorite athletes and celebrities will be positioned to grow and retain audiences.
Here are several strategies to consider and adopt:
- Explore new channels and opportunities to connect with technology. At the 2024 Brandcast event in New York City, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan declared creators are "the new Hollywood.”
I think this summary from PRWeek captures the future of sports and entertainment perfectly: “Creators and personalities including Kinigra Deon and Shannon Sharpe shared that viewers consume around 70% of their content on CTV. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell joined Sharpe to talk about how YouTube provides behind-the-scenes access to athletes, who are increasingly becoming YouTube creators themselves.”
There is a lot that media and sports organizations can learn from the creator economy. They should invest in technology partnerships and embrace the world of social media, podcasting/vodcasting and live streaming, including YouTube Live, Twitch, TikTok and other platforms that open access to dedicated fans and provide opportunities for dialogue.
- Keep a finger on the pulse of micro-communities. There is no shortage of online communities. For every interest imaginable, an engaged group of like-minded people unite online across various forums and social channels. Micro-communities splice and dice larger communities. For every group of sci-fi fans, there are subgroups focused on genres and specific movies—down to devotees of single characters. For every cricket fan in India, there are groups that follow the Women’s Premier League, specific teams and players.
I suggest media companies carefully watch micro-communities to understand where fan trends emerge and be able to capitalize on them. This includes social media, but also “deeper” into the internet on platforms like Reddit, Discord and Geneva. By understanding the conversations and trends bubbling up in smaller, niche communities, media and sports organizations can have greater influence over fans’ buying decisions.
The Future Of Entertainment Is Immersive And Interactive-
Additionally, I also believe that keeping your content interesting and relevant to a diverse audience requires a deep understanding of audience preferences and using analytics to refine your content strategies, check here. You can also rely on external research and create a delivery cycle for your content before you begin.
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