Watching live sport creates an experience unlike anything else. Whether fans are watching via traditional TV, digital stream or attending an event in person, they're showing that they're some of the most passionate audiences out there.
With sports continuing the dominate trending conversation on social media, there are great opportunities to reward loyalty and capitalise on the engagement.
Research by Katz highlights that live specials and sporting events have the power to generate an audience far above and beyond regular viewing, bringing people together to watch and comment on the action (and the advertisements) in real-time.
Double the excitement, double the ratings! The Power of Live is taking over...#PowerOfLive #BrandRecognition #GetNoticedhttps://t.co/Uadh81NbAX pic.twitter.com/cMPAi7JPVA
- Katz Media Group (@katzmediagrp) March 19, 2019
We take a look at some of the ways broadcasters, brands and organisations are employing strategies to make social interactivity a key aspect of their sporting event and how it's leading to increased viewership, loyalty and revenue.
Stadium Interactivity There is enormous potential to celebrate the buzz from fans by displaying messages, photos, videos as well as running interactive polls and competitions within the stadium. UEFA used our platform STORY to gather, moderate and display posts from fans, VIPs and celebrities during the Champions League Final.
We encourage clients to bring a brand onboard to sponsor the format, for example by encouraging fans to use a branded hashtag to take part.
Social Commentary Including messages of support from viewers is a great way to involve them in the broadcast.
Channel 4 used STORY to include Tweets from the audience as well as athletes and people at the stadium in their coverage of the World Para Athletics Championships.
Second Screen Polls and Quizzes With growing numbers of viewers now using a second screen device while watching TV, networks are looking more and more to facilitate participation via the second screen whether that's social media or an organisation's own app. Running interactive elements such as quizzes and polls gives fans at home the opportunity to participate alongside the main event.
Social Q&A Viewers watching the Tour de France could ask questions using the dedicated ITV hashtag and have them answered on-air by commentators in a live Q&A. Fans were enthusiastic about Tweeting their questions during the broadcast and loved being able to interact with the hosts and cycling professionals. Some viewers even shared photos of their message on air back to their own social networks.
Thank you for answering my question #itvtour pic.twitter.com/pNLpzHs2Tc
- Aaron Chahal (@AaronChahal) July 5, 2017
Commercialise Social Engagement Sponsored segments could include a branded poll or competition, or something completely unique. We worked with Turner Sports on a Sprint-sponsored segment to power a real-time Twitter race, the first of its kind. The 60-second race, billed as the shortest race in NASCAR history , ran during the live Wide Open coverage of the last 30 laps of the race. Fans were asked to Tweet their favourite driver's car number, along with the hashtag #Sprint60 with the volume of Tweets determining the speed of the cars.
In-Studio Participation We know that people appreciate getting the opportunity to have their voices heard or have their few seconds of fame. We've also seen that social engagement can drive viewership - for example, Irish broadcaster RTE asked the audience to help them decide on Ireland's Greatest Sporting Moment. The format was driven by votes and comments shared live across social platforms and resulted in the show trending on social media and an increase in viewing share.
Put Social Reactions in the Presenter's Hands never.no's Prompter tool gives sports presenters the ability to access team and player info, read out comments from viewers and discuss poll results live during a game.
Competitions Social competitions give audiences an added incentive to tune-in or participate. Competitions can be run on-air, on outdoor screens, via digital or on social via Facebook Live. See how Channel 4 ran an interactive competition for PlayStation which led to the hashtag trending across Europe that evening.
Digital and Streaming The same formats used by traditional broadcasters can now easily be extended to live streaming and digital signage. This is great news for those using streaming services such as Facebook Live, Twitch and YouTube who can now benefit by integrating live engagement from their audience in to their broadcasts.
Hashtag United, a team founded on YouTube who have 7 million fans globally used our HTML5 social graphics for their football match live stream to include reactions from viewers.
At never.no we believe in the importance of celebrating fan engagement and making audiences feel valued. We're seeing clients use the power of traditional TV, digital, social and events to connect with fans and innovative and exciting ways. Get in touch to learn more.
Related: 8 Reasons to Include Viewer-Generated Social Content in your Broadcasts
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
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...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
08/05/2026
For the second straight year, Miri Technologies Inc. has been honored with a pair of coveted awards at the broadcast, media and entertainment industry's pre...
08/05/2026
Nine Alumni Nominated for Tony Awards More than 20 alumni contributed to this year's Tony-nominated productions.
May 7, 2026
By
Tori Donahue
Boston Co...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Liberty University on why broadcast technology isn't just a technical invest...
08/05/2026
COW Jobs: UGC, On-Camera Video Content
Brie Clayton May 7, 2026
0 Comments
UGC, On-Camera Video Content
April 17, 2026Documentary Editor - US,......
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...
07/05/2026
From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production
In the ...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...
07/05/2026
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...
07/05/2026
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...
07/05/2026
Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...
07/05/2026
Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...
07/05/2026
Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...
07/05/2026
The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...
07/05/2026
Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...
07/05/2026
SES and ARD, Germany's largest public broadcasting network, have announced a long-term extension of their satellite distribution partnership through 2039. U...
07/05/2026
UpLight Technologies delivers a flexible video and lighting system for a new televised sportLaunching the Pro Cheer League required more than creating a compell...
07/05/2026
Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide have announced Spikes Under the Lights, a...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and SK...
07/05/2026
L3Harris will be developing key features of a secure and resilient digital infra...
07/05/2026
Alysa Liu and Shohei Ohtani Help Drive Viewership as 91 of the Top 100 Broadcast...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show
Manufacturer Recognized by TV Tech and TVBEurope for Innovation in signal processing
Cobal...
07/05/2026
Software and hardware platforms, AI power and user-friendliness on show...
07/05/2026
Intinor will demonstrate its latest technical enhancements for the Direkt series at BroadcastAsia 2026. With a continued focus on reliable contribution and remo...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI has chosen Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner, replacing MUBI's legacy on premises encoding setup to improve scalab...
07/05/2026
Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next.
...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
Watching live sport creates an experience unlike anything else. Whether fans are watching via traditional TV, digital stream or attending an event in person, they're showing that they're some of the most passionate audiences out there.
