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
Europe Stories
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
25/11/2025
Tracy Bonareri Onchoke, an investigative journalist from Kenya is the winner of the Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist Award 2025.
The 26-year-old-sele...
25/11/2025
The best playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks bring a little extra magic to your daily routine. With new features and offerings, Spotify Premium delivers even mo...
25/11/2025
Comprehensive new research confirms what we already knew: Australian music fans love the quality, quantity, and access they have to new and local music on strea...
25/11/2025
Applicable Products
Objectives The purpose of this application note is to give a brief background on 5G (NR) wireless communication an explain the reason a SN...
25/11/2025
25. November 2025 Cecilia Pierron
Last week, we took part in OnDAM 2025, an educational conference fully dedicated to DAM, hosted by Activo Consulting. The ...
25/11/2025
25 Nov 2025
VEON's QazCode and MeetKai Sign Agreement to Power National LLM...
25/11/2025
UKTV has acquired a high-profile slate of US dramas from Paramount Global Conten...
25/11/2025
A symphony of genius, rivalry and vengeance, boldly reimagined from Peter Shaffe...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Cinematography World
Read the article
FilmLight has finalised the prestigious 2025 FilmLight Colour Awards jury and welcomed award-winning...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Prensario
Read the article
La serie fue dirigida por Juli n de Tavira, Rodrigo Santos, y David Leche Ruiz, con direcci n de fotograf a a...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter
Read the article
The awards, celebr...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Televisual
Read the article
Already live in Los Angeles and rolling out in New York and London, Nara gives producers, colourists, conform ...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Digital Media World
Read the article
ARTONE post-house in Tokyo is the first facility in Japan to integrate Baselight M, choosing its prec...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter
Read the article
Once hidden in post-production suites, the artists who make movies and TV shows look the way they ...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Deadline
Read the article
The Brutalist' & Bad Bunny's Nuevayol' Music Video Among 2025 FilmLight Colour Award Winners - Cam...
24/11/2025
Robyn made her long-awaited return to the stage this week, as Spotify and Acne Studios brought friends and top fans together for an unforgettable evening at the...
24/11/2025
After more than two years of redevelopment, FC Barcelona returned to its spiritual home on November 22, hosting Athletic Club in the first La Liga match at the ...
24/11/2025
24 Nov 2025
Kyivstar Launches Starlink Direct to Cell Satellite Connectivity in Ukraine Today's Launch Makes Ukraine the First Country in Europe Where Star...
24/11/2025
Ahead of the new ninth series of Dancing with the Stars, kicking off in January 2026, RT and Shinawil have announced the arrival of three new faces to the hit ...
21/11/2025
Fans have been counting down the days until the final theatrical chapter of Wicked is revealed. To celebrate the highly anticipated release of Wicked: For Good ...
21/11/2025
Last week, Spotify turned up the volume in Seoul with the return of Spotify Hous...
21/11/2025
Wiesbaden, November 21, 2025. The SGL Carbon site in Meitingen has reason to celebrate as one of its trainees received a special award. Elias Stemmer was honore...
21/11/2025
Sky Media's £2m award-winning sustainability initiative crowns its first charity as this year's standout changemakerFriday 21 November 2025
GoodGym nam...
21/11/2025
As COP30 draws to a close, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), ...
20/11/2025
Your playlists are personal. They're the soundtracks to your road trips, your quiet mornings, and your biggest celebrations; collections of memories and dis...
20/11/2025
Spotify, uzun s redir zerine al t T rk m zik k lt r n n ikon haline gelmi ...
20/11/2025
For the first time, Spotify has teamed up with The Hollywood Reporter to cohost ...
20/11/2025
This year's ARIA Awards marked a turning point for Australian music, and Spotify was right at the heart of it. For the first time in the awards' nearly ...
20/11/2025
15 March 2012
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Cinegy and Vericom are pleased to announce the recent deployment of Cinegy Archive for production and as...
20/11/2025
6 September 2012
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
FIC Turkey supplies media content to Pay TV under Fox TV Channel brands in Turkey.
At the start of s...
20/11/2025
25 June 2014
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Last month VIVA finalized its Cinegy installation in order to produce and broadcast the World Cup Brazil ...
20/11/2025
1 October 2014
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
With 5 locations spread out around Baden-W rttemberg, Schw bisch Media required a scalable end to end s...
20/11/2025
27 April 2015
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Cinegy, which develops and produces media asset management products that are used in flagship production...
20/11/2025
12 August 2015
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 26 October 2015 - Cinegy, which develops and produces software technology for digital ...
20/11/2025
5 November 2015
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany 3 November 2015 - Cinegy, which develops and produces software technology for digital ...
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.
