COVID-19 has been throwing curveballs at everyone, every business and every marketer since early March. Marketers have had to learn how to be incredibly flexible and nimble in adjusting to the unknown environments that have come with this pandemic.
One area that has been hit extremely hard is sports venues and competitions. ALL sports worldwide came to a screeching halt in mid-March. Within the one week, the NBA, NHL & MLS paused their seasons, along with high profile international professional Soccer leagues such as the English Premier League. But probably the biggest shock happened when the NCAA cancelled their multi-billion-dollar March Madness spectacle.
Where Did the Marketing Dollars Go?
Fast forward through April, May and into mid-June, there was nearly a 12-week span where there were no live sports for fans to attend or to watch on television. Not only were sports fans starving for live content, brands were, too. Many large national brands along with smaller local and regional brands have sizeable annual investments with these sports organizations. Budgets were planned, allocated and in some cases spent when everything came screeching to a halt.
Marketers were faced with difficult questions. How long should they stand by their team partners in hopes that seasons resume? Would fans be allowed back in the stands? What impact would that have on in-venue contracts? Should they reallocate budgets, negotiate their way out of commitments, negotiate deferred payments to future years? There were no easy answers.
One fact that has become clear: when play does resume, there won’t be ANY fans in the stands. Arenas, stadiums and ballparks will be limited to players, coaches, a minimal support staff… and broadcasters. Even in desperate times, opportunity knocks.
Who Has Their Eyes on The Ball?
Television advertising is one good way for brands to reach the fan bases of these teams. These broadcasts will not only attract fans that have been craving sports on TV, they will also attract many of the fans who would normally attend the games. Smart retail brands will be able to adjust their budgets and plans to be where the fans are… watching across various screens.
Just how bad were fans missing live sports? On Sunday, April 19th ESPN did an early release of their 10-part documentary series, The Last Dance, about Michael Jordan’s last season with the Chicago Bulls. The documentary series in conjunction with Netflix aired two new episodes every Sunday night during primetime for 5 weeks through May 17. Average viewership was nearly 6 Million per episode, making it the most watched television documentary ever aired. And most fans already knew the outcome!
The thirst for live sports-related content was extremely strong, too. On Thursday, April 23rd the 2020 NFL Draft shattered television viewing records with over 15.6 Million viewers — a 37% increase over the 2019 Draft telecast.
The Long-Awaited Return of Live Sports
May 16th marked the return of the German Bundesliga Professional Soccer League, with matches broadcast in the United States on FS1 and other FOX Sports properties. This also marked the first case of live competition in large stadiums with no fans in the stands. TV viewership in Germany and across all of Europe were at all-time highs. The U.S. followed suit. Viewership of the first German league matches doubled the average viewership of 2019 MLS matches in many U.S. markets.
NASCAR also returned to the track without fans in the stands. The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington racetrack attracted 6.8 Million viewers, which was the highest rated non-Daytona 500 race since the start of the 2017 season. That was a 38% increase over the last race prior to the COVID lockdown on March 8th.
Other sporting events have started to slowly come back throughout June and July with solid viewership showing growth over prior year levels. These include the English Premier League (Soccer), Major League Soccer’s MLS is Back Tournament, and the first leg (this year) of the Triple Crown of Horse Racing – The Belmont Stakes.
Now, two of the biggest sports draws in the United States are returning with Major League Baseball’s opening day on July 23rd, followed by the NBA tipping off on July 30th. Neither will have any fans present in the stands. But both are primed to set viewership records. Television, cable, streaming platforms, etc. are the only way to watch and marketers are salivating over the captive audience.
Major League Baseball will play 60 regular season games between July 23rd – September 27th followed by their normal post season structure. The NBA will play all remaining regular season games in Orlando, followed by the 2020 Playoffs. All games are expected to draw extraordinary viewership across multiple screens.
In the sports world, 2020 will no doubt be remembered for its unprecedented cancellations. But media geeks like me, will also remember the record-setting viewership levels. As live sports return to empty stadiums and arenas, the best way for brands to reach fans is through video platforms – television, cable, streaming, etc. The real winners will be marketers and brands that are nimble enough to rework their budgets and investments to capitalize on this colossal shift in consumer behavior. It’s time to play ball!
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