The technology tools powering the future of sport

Technology innovation is more commonly associated with Silicon Valley in California, but it is also crucial for the global sport industry and LaLiga is an early adopter.

As with nearly every industry, sports are in the grip of transformation through technology and an understanding of modern tools is essential for leading organisations to remain ahead of the curve. From on-field analytics to back-office functions, the solutions created by LaLiga are moving their own competition, as well as others, into the future. “Technology is essential to be competitive, to grow and to be close to clients and fans,” LaLiga president Javier Tebas recently stated at the Web Summit conference in Lisbon. “You have to start preparing straight away, or else you’ll get left behind.”

When Tebas assumed the presidency of LaLiga in 2013, technology was one of the key components of the strategic plan drawn up by his team. Since then, LaLiga has worked to develop its digital offering in all departments and the creation of the business intelligence & analytics department has been vital in these efforts. By creating pioneering tools in house and by demonstrating how data can be used in the world of sports and entertainment, LaLiga’s work in this field is now being shared across the football world, even reaching the film industry.

Incorporating artificial intelligence

Related to the sunlight broadcast planning tool is the concept of scheduling itself. Calendar Selector is a tool that uses approximately 100 data points and algorithms to select kick-off times that make the most sense for all parties involved. When predicting attendance and audience stats 30 days in advance, there is a margin of error of under 5%. “This level of accuracy is achieved through artificial intelligence,” Tebas stated.

Entering the world of OTT

Continuing its approach to broadcast innovation, LaLiga is the first football league in the world to develop and launch its own over-the-top (OTT) streaming service: LaLigaSportsTV. Through this free service, fans all over the world can watch broadcasts, live or on-demand, of dozens of sports from across Spain. As well as providing a new platform for these sports, the majority of which did not have a broadcast partner previously, the initiative has allowed LaLiga to develop expertise in the emerging world of sports streaming, a vital step as the broadcast landscape continues to change.

Commenting on future viewing habits Tebas commented: “They say Millennials and Generation Z don’t watch 90 minutes of a match, but I disagree. They just don’t take in the 90 minutes like those in our generation have done. They need new ways to interact.”

As broadcast requirements vary around the world, LaLiga has also worked with other unique methods of delivering content, such as streaming matches from LaLiga SmartBank through YouTube or LaLiga Santander games on Facebook on the Indian subcontinent.

Using data for fan engagement

These tools have made a significant impact on LaLiga’s international relationships and the quality of its output, but the league has not lost sight of the long-term objective: better understanding its users. LaLiga’s data lake is a vital resource when it comes to achieving this, as it receives and analyses information from across its various applications, platforms and broadcasts.

As Tebas explained: “I think a big difference we have compared to other industries is that our digital ecosystem is all integrated. All the data goes to one place and this allows us to know about behaviour, if a fan supports multiple teams, when a fan watches matches, if a fan watches matches with others or alone. This allows us to prepare better strategies and share this insight with clubs. Through artificial intelligence, we will soon create these campaigns automatically.”

This segmentation of fan data has already helped LaLiga to send better targeted emails and communications. Email open rates of 20 percent can be achieved for specific and targeted emails, compared to open rates of 0.05% for general emails directed at all registered users.

Going forward, these levels are expected to improve as more tools are created to bring LaLiga’s global fanbase closer to the competition. “This is how you get on the path towards the growth of your industry,” Tebas concluded.