Hang Media Finds Success Connecting Fans, Players During Live Broadcasts Virtual Hangs during ICC World Cup Final, MLB World Series deliver for Gen Z audiences By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Monday, November 20, 2023 - 11:31 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
ESPN's ManningCast has been a very successful virtual watch party for the broadcast media landscape but Hang Media, founded in 2021 by former CNN President Jon Klein, is taking virtual watch parties to another level by giving fans a chance to get even closer to famous athletes who are watching the game.
Says Klein: What could be better than dropping famous people into the palm of their hand to watch the game alongside them? Watching a game with your heroes was the inspiration.
Former Texas Ranger Ivan Pudge Rodriguez recently took place in a World Series Hang along with Roy Oswalt, Dan Wheeler, Ruben Sierra, and more.
That inspiration has led to an experience (click here to see it in action) where athletes are signed up to host a virtual watch party which fans can then register to watch. It isn't a simulcast, ala the ManningCast, but rather a dedicated second-screen experience designed to be watched on a phone, tablet, or laptop alongside a big screen that has the actual game.
Registration for fans is free thanks to the support of sponsors like Toyota, Coca-Cola, Dave & Busters, MolsonCoors, and more. Since launch more than 20 million fans have taken part in the watch parties which require nothing but a Webcam, laptop camera, or phone camera on the part of the athlete. When fans access the Hang, they are then watching a second-screen experience that complements their first screen experience which has the actual game.
Klein says a study by Deloitte that came out earlier this year showed why Hang Media is finding success.
The report said that Gen Z sports fans expect the viewing experience to be communal, he says. They don't want to just sit there alone in their living room. They want to be involved in a group situation. And social media has also made them expect to have authentic connections with famous people. Providing that through Hangs has been a real lure for younger viewers as 60% of our users are 18 to 44.
We've seen plenty of companies come and go who bought rights to incorporate the feed into their experience and they're now out of business because it doesn't hold up, he says. But we do think there's going to come a point where the leagues and the teams will want to have their feeds included in front of our audiences.
Klein says the average session is one hour and 19 minutes and attracts an average of 800,000 viewers.
We are pulling in users and keeping them, says Klein. That is really rewarding and we're just going to continue to keep on learning about what works and what doesn't to continue to drive that number.
Hangs are available as both live streams and as VOD for a week following the event. Klein says that adds additional viewers, driving more value for sponsors and more exposure for the athletes.
The athletes rave about this experience every time as they love the face-to-face contact with their fans as this isn't just a quick hit on a radio show, he adds. It's a shared emotional experience and they also share it with other athletes as we often look to bring teammates together or current players on an off-night or bye week as they tend to attract a younger audience.
The athletes also help promote the Hangs via short videos they run on social media. Those clips have links that take fans straight to the ticketing page and then the fans submit their phone number and email address.
We share all that with sponsors and then on game day we send a text with a link to the fans, and they can even sign up for an on-camera slot which are limited to about 200 per game, says Klein Those are cycled through at around 40 people per quarter, but then unlimited people can access the chat where viewers can post questions.
Hang Media also offers trivia contests which Klein says are fairly simple graphics insertions that add another level of engagement and are often focused on the athletes in the hang. And then the sponsors also make sure to get engaged as well.
Restaurant chain Smokey Bones will deliver food to the athletes, so they'll be there eating ribs, says Klein. Cris Carter was on for an Ohio State game as he went there, and he mentioned how much he liked Smokey Bones donuts and Smokey Bones delivered them during the hang. So, it's all very organic with respect to product integration and endorsement.
The most recent sponsor to sign on with HANG is Toyota. To introduce its first-ever Grand Highlander SUV to targeted Black and Indian expat consumers, Toyota and its agencies, Burrell and InterTrend, have leveraged HANG's unique second-screen experiences to power deep engagement across more than 1 million views during the Toyota HBCU NY Classic football game back in September, and October's India-Pakistan Cricket World Cup match. They also teamed up this past weekend for the Cricket World Cup Final between Australia and India.
This past weekend Toyota sponsored a Hang for the ICC World Cup final between Australia and India that featured Cricket World Finals with Unmukt Chand, Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, Saiyami Kher, hosted by Ridhima Pathaki.
Klein says hangs are also a great way for athletes to showcase their personalities in a more meaningful way than a quick interview.
All athletes are acutely aware of how finite their careers are, and they want to position themselves for the next thing, he adds. We let them promote their podcasts or other products that they may be developing and that makes it a happy relationship.
The hang experience is focused on authenticity, fun, and being freewheelin
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/07/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) has announced the appointment of Kathy Samuels ...
01/07/2026
Shade has announced Custom Objects and Automations, a platform expansion releasing June 29, 2026, that adds database and workflow automation capabilities direct...
01/07/2026
FOR-A America has announced the addition of Jaz Wray and Fernando Cruz to its U.S. sales team. Both report to Ernie Leon, Senior VP and Head of Sales and Strate...
01/07/2026
NBC Sports will air all 15 MLB games nationally on Sunday, July 5, across NBC, P...
01/07/2026
Clear-Com has announced a wireless communications upgrade for Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, deploying FreeSpeak II and FreeSpeak Icon systems across both prod...
01/07/2026
England's performance team will use Sony's STATSports APEX GPS tracking system to monitor player physical data in real time during FIFA World Cup 2026 m...
01/07/2026
Adder Technology has announced the appointment of Neil Hillier as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Hillier succeeds Adrian Dickens, who transiti...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. has announced a strategic transaction creating two separate companies. The Production and Playout business will continue as Bitcentral, now own...
01/07/2026
DAZN has announced results from DAZN48, its creator initiative for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Launched in April 2026, the program received thousands of applicatio...
01/07/2026
Sarah Rose, VP, global services, Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT), will be inducted into the Information Display and Entertainment Association (IDEA) Hall of Fame at t...
01/07/2026
Gravity Media and the World Economic Forum's production team provided broadc...
01/07/2026
Insight Productions has announced the launch of Insight Storm, a 53-foot mobile broadcast unit built for esports production. The truck is built around a Ross Vi...
01/07/2026
ESPN has announced several content initiatives marking America's 250th anniversary, as part of The Walt Disney Company's Disney Celebrates America pro...
01/07/2026
Eleven production kits, REMI workflows, and cloud distribution bring 40 World Cu...
01/07/2026
The conference also discussed the opportunities offered an industry that is endu...
01/07/2026
The Mountain West Conference has announced the launch of MW , a direct-to-consumer streaming platform powered by Kiswe. The platform will carry live Mountain We...
01/07/2026
New AI Assistant, Multi-channel Audio, ARA2 improvements & more
Tracktion's DAW software has just received its latest major update, gaining a selection ...
01/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
01/07/2026
Exclusive run of limited-edition modelling pedals
Sweetwater and Andertons M...
01/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Manfrotto Introduces UNCOVER, the new premium camera bag collection for modern h...
01/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Powers Houston Tamil Sangam Literacy Competition
Brie Clayton July 1, 2026
0 Comments
Volunteers use ATEM Mini Pro, Blackmagic Desig...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
PlayBox Technology has published State of Broadcast Infrastructure 2026, an in-depth industry research report examining the technologies, operational challenges...
01/07/2026
LONDON, UK, 1 JULY Jigsaw24 has appointed Alan Henry as Head of Sales for Media and Entertainment, reinforcing its continued investment in helping broadcaster...
01/07/2026
Content Vault, the patent-pending secure content distribution platform protecting high-value media from disclosures, theft and unauthorised access, today announ...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. a leading provider of enterprise software and digital media solutions for news, sports and entertainment broadcasters, as well as streaming pla...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Groundbreaking First Nations Screen Business Accelerator launched through nation...
01/07/2026
Chyron Launches the All-New Chyron Academy: A Reimagined, Hands-On Learning Expe...
01/07/2026
Amplium Captures Kawasaki Brave Thunders Game with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersiv...
01/07/2026
Boris FX Optics Expands Plugin Support to Apple Photos, Capture One, and Affinit...
01/07/2026
UKTV has today announced the appointment of Matt Berry to the newly created role of General Manager - Marketing, effective 1 July.
Matt will take on this senio...
01/07/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign featuring Deborah Meaden challenges consumers to rethink everyday bathroom wasteWednesday 1 July 2026
Fussy asks Bri...
01/07/2026
Constituency-level analysis reveals where girls miss out most on sport - and where targeted action could unlock more than £640 million in economic and health be...
01/07/2026
Wuppertal July 1, 2026
Riedel and SKAARHOJ Expand Collaboration With SimplyLive IntegrationRiedel Communications today announced an expanded collaboration wit...
01/07/2026
Apple today introduced power-packed updates to Apple Creator Studio, a groundbre...
Hang Media Finds Success Connecting Fans, Players During Live Broadcasts Virtual Hangs during ICC World Cup Final, MLB World Series deliver for Gen Z audiences By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
