{"id":67006,"date":"2026-07-13T10:59:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T10:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elixirr.com\/en-gb\/?p=67006"},"modified":"2026-07-13T10:59:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T10:59:19","slug":"beyond-an-app-why-the-next-frontier-of-fan-engagement-is-bigger-than-owned-channels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elixirr.com\/en-gb\/beyond-an-app-why-the-next-frontier-of-fan-engagement-is-bigger-than-owned-channels\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond an app: Why the next frontier of fan engagement is bigger than owned channels"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The first article in this series argued that sports organisations need to move beyond broad definitions of the fanbase. The second explored how better audience understanding can reshape the commercial model by designing propositions around what different audiences\u00a0actually need.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This third article looks at where those audiences are choosing to engage today, and where that might move over the next five to ten years.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the last decade, much of the digital conversation in sport has centred on owned\u00a0digital\u00a0channels\u00a0and experiences: websites,\u00a0mobile\u00a0apps,\u00a0membership portals, ticketing journeys, CRM\u00a0programmes\u00a0and content platforms.\u00a0These still matter. Sports organisations need strong digital foundations and direct relationships with their audiences.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But it feels increasingly unlikely that the next frontier of fan engagement will simply be won by\u00a0improving one owned channel, such as a mobile app.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fans are already engaging across a wider set of environments: social and creator platforms, messaging communities, gaming and fantasy products, streaming services, betting and prediction ecosystems, participation\u00a0platforms\u00a0and increasingly AI-enabled interfaces.\u00a0For many audiences, especially younger and more casual audiences, the relationship with a team, league or event may be shaped more by those environments than by the official destination.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sports organisations still need strong owned channels. They also need the intelligence and operating model to stay relevant wherever audiences choose to spend their time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fans may see the key moment in a group chat, watch a player reaction on TikTok, catch a tactical breakdown on YouTube, check a fantasy\u00a0update\u00a0or engage through a prediction market before they ever visit an official channel.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sport is moving beyond spectatorship\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Live sport\u00a0remains\u00a0one of the most valuable forms of entertainment. It creates urgency, emotion,\u00a0jeopardy\u00a0and shared attention in a way few other products can match.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the engagement around\u00a0live sport\u00a0is becoming broader.\u00a0<\/span>IMG\u2019s 2025 digital trends analysis<\/span><\/a>\u00a0argues that sports organisations are seeing\u00a0strong growth\u00a0from vertical video and short-form content across platforms such as TikTok, YouTube\u00a0Shorts\u00a0and Instagram Reels, while the next challenge is turning that consumption into meaningful commercial return.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The same direction shows up in EY\u2019s work on sports engagement, also covered by\u00a0<\/span>Sports Business Journal<\/span><\/a>. EY\u2019s 2026 US Sports Engagement Index found that 86% of US adults engaged with sport in some form over the past year, with engagement increasingly extending beyond professional leagues and broadcast viewing into participation,\u00a0community\u00a0and lifestyle behaviours.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That matters because the route into fandom is changing. A person might discover a sport through social content, try it with friends, join a community, buy equipment, attend an\u00a0event\u00a0and only later become a regular viewer. In some cases, the relationship may not start with the team, the\u00a0league\u00a0or the live product at all.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Formula 1\u2019s 2025 Global Fan Survey<\/span><\/a>\u00a0points in the same direction. Based on more than 100,000 responses across 186 countries, F1 found that Gen Z,\u00a0women\u00a0and US audiences are leading a new era of modern fandom, with fans increasingly drawn in by the breadth of stories and the variety of ways to engage.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The core product still matters. But highlights, reactions, creator content, social debate, behind-the-scenes access,\u00a0participation\u00a0and personalised clips now add to the value of the sport itself. For some audiences, those formats are becoming the main way they follow sport.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The future audience may not arrive through the front door. They may come through content, creators, participation, gaming, fantasy, data,\u00a0markets\u00a0or AI interfaces before they ever become a regular viewer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The next interface may not look like an app<\/h2>\n

AI was always going to come into this conversation. It is the hottest topic across\u00a0almost every\u00a0industry\u00a0at the moment, and sport will be no different.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The more interesting question is whether sports organisations are simply AI-enabled, using AI to improve existing channels and processes, or whether they are becoming genuinely AI-native: building their data, content,\u00a0propositions\u00a0and decision-making around the ability to learn and adapt continuously.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For years, the\u00a0mobile\u00a0app has been treated as the\u00a0primary owned digital channel through which fans engage with organisations.\u00a0But I am not sure we can assume the next fan interaction will always happen there. It could sit inside a third-party AI ecosystem, a social platform, a messaging thread, a creator environment, a gaming platform, a broadcast layer, a venue experience, or somewhere that is not yet obvious today.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A fan may not want to search through menus,\u00a0pages\u00a0or feeds. They may just want to ask a question, get a personalised recap, compare players, understand a tactical shift, find the best clip, plan a matchday or receive a tailored recommendation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

PwC argues that data analytics and AI are helping sports organisations understand and\u00a0<\/span>anticipate what fans want before they ask<\/span><\/a>, including personalised highlight reels, real-time\u00a0offers\u00a0and attendance prediction.\u00a0<\/span>Deloitte\u2019s 2026 sports industry outlook<\/span><\/a>\u00a0also points to AI bringing fans closer through real-time analytics in live broadcasts, personalised and AI-generated highlight reels, near-immediate responses to fan questions and improved accessibility and safety inside stadiums.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For sports organisations, the point is not to bet everything on one interface. The\u00a0real challenge\u00a0is building the capability to move as the technology moves. That means better data, better content architecture, better technology\u00a0integration\u00a0and a clearer view of what different audiences\u00a0actually need. Otherwise,\u00a0every engagement channel \u2013 whether a mobile\u00a0app,\u00a0website\u00a0or AI\u00a0interface \u2013\u00a0risks becoming another generic channel, rather than something that genuinely improves the fan experience.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From owned channels to adaptive engagement<\/h2>\n

The next phase of fan engagement is not about choosing between owned and third-party channels. Sports organisations will need both.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Owned channels matter because they create direct relationships, first-party data, commercial\u00a0control\u00a0and brand consistency. Third-party environments matter because they are where much of the audience\u2019s attention, culture and behaviour already sits.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The stronger model connects the two. Use owned channels where they add value. Use platform and partner environments where they create reach,\u00a0relevance\u00a0or cultural participation. Use data and insight to understand which audience needs which experience. Use AI carefully to reduce friction, personalise interaction and make content more useful.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For sports organisations, engagement\u00a0has to\u00a0be designed into the product, the proposition, the content model, the partnership\u00a0strategy\u00a0and the operating rhythm of the organisation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Elixirr\u2019s\u00a0view<\/h2>\n

For sports organisations, the next frontier is not about predicting\u00a0which engagement channel or interface\u00a0ultimately dominates\u00a0\u2013 whether\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0a mobile\u00a0app\u00a0social platform, creator ecosystem\u00a0AI\u00a0assistant\u00a0or prediction market wins. It is about building the commercial engine that lets them understand where audiences are moving, decide where to show up and adapt propositions as tastes and technology evolve.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We see this through three connected capabilities: understand value, decide where to play and build capability. That means helping sports organisations understand who creates value and why, prioritise the audiences and propositions that matter most,\u00a0and build the data, AI and operating foundations needed to keep learning over time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The organisations that get this right will not just have better channels. They will build stronger relationships: more personal, more useful, more commercially\u00a0valuable\u00a0and more resilient as the way audiences engage with sport continues to change.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/www.elixirr.com\/en-gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Article-Feature-Image-1-1640x984.jpg 1640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/> <div class=\"wp-component-card__preview-icon\">\n <span class='edwp-svg '><svg width=\"47\" height=\"47\" viewBox=\"0 0 47 47\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<g>\n<path d=\"M23.4141 0.539062C36.1232 0.539183 46.4258 10.8416 46.4258 23.5508C46.4257 36.2599 36.1231 46.5624 23.4141 46.5625C10.7049 46.5625 0.402465 36.2599 0.402344 23.5508C0.402344 10.8415 10.7048 0.539062 23.4141 0.539062ZM23.4141 1.68945C11.3606 1.68945 1.55273 11.4974 1.55273 23.5508C1.55286 35.6041 11.3607 45.4111 23.4141 45.4111C35.4673 45.411 45.2743 35.604 45.2744 23.5508C45.2744 11.4974 35.4674 1.68957 23.4141 1.68945Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<path d=\"M19.2841 33.6992C18.9579 33.6986 18.6374 33.6111 18.3543 33.4454C17.7167 33.0759 17.3203 32.3585 17.3203 31.5797V15.8189C17.3203 15.0379 17.7167 14.3227 18.3543 13.9531C18.6442 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class=\"wp-component-tags edwp-component\">\n <div class=\"wp-component-tags__tag\">\n Sports <\/div>\n <div class=\"wp-component-tags__tag\">\n AI & Machine Learning <\/div>\n <div class=\"wp-component-tags__tag\">\n Customer Understanding <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <div class=\"wp-component-card__button-wrapper\">\n <button class=\"btn btn--link arrow wp-component-card__button\">\n Read more <span class='edwp-svg '><svg width=\"20\" height=\"20\" viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<g id=\"Lg\">\n<path id=\"Vector\" d=\"M1.12509 9.50162H15.8648L9.43259 3.06941C9.374 3.0113 9.3275 2.94216 9.29576 2.86599C9.26403 2.78981 9.24769 2.70811 9.24769 2.62559C9.24769 2.54307 9.26403 2.46137 9.29576 2.38519C9.3275 2.30902 9.374 2.23988 9.43259 2.18177C9.54971 2.06535 9.70814 2 9.87328 2C10.0384 2 10.1969 2.06535 10.314 2.18177L17.8151 9.6829C17.8737 9.74101 17.9202 9.81014 17.9519 9.88632C17.9837 9.96249 18 10.0442 18 10.1267C18 10.2092 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