Sport Future Rendez-Vous 2017 – meet the keynote speakers! Claude Ruibal answers 4 questions on the digital revolution

Ahead of tomorrow’s sold-out “Sport Future Rendez-Vous 2017”, ThinkSport has been interviewing some of the top-level speakers scheduled to appear at the event to get an idea of what new insights they plan to discuss. The focus of this year’s edition will be the pressing topics of the digital revolution’s impact on sport and integrity in sport, making it an attractive event for anyone looking to stay tuned into the industry.

Claude Ruibal, Infront Sports & Media Executive Director of Digital Production, will be the keynote speaker on sport and the digital revolution. In a sneak preview of his talk, Ruibal reveals the latest trends and considers what impact the digital revolution will have on the future of sport.

ThinkSport: How has the digital revolution changed sport and sport consumption?

Claude Ruibal: The digital revolution has provided sports with new ways to deliver content to their fans. In the past, traditional TV channels had limited capacity.  Nowadays there are unlimited options to show sports content on IP platforms. For example, fans now expect and can get: a tunnel-camera view of their sports heroes walking out onto the pitch from the locker room; they can watch a live event on Facebook and share it with their friends; they can interact in a Google Hangout with athletes and ask them questions; they can chose what camera angle to use to watch a sporting event, for example,  via a GoPro camera mounted on a referee or an athlete; and they can receive integrated live data and statistics in parallel to the competition. To sum it up: There is a lot more content available and being consumed because it is much more accessible (anywhere, anytime), personalised (tailored to individual interests) and portable (on the go).  In addition, digital has also changed the rights holder’s potential array of sellable rights, delivering new ways to monetise sport. This money can be re-invested into making the specific sport more attractive for consumers and drive its growth. 

ThinkSport:  What are the latest digital trends in sport?

Claude Ruibal: If I had to choose three, I’d go for, first, Virtual Reality (VR) and 360 viewing, which is currently a big driver of distributor interest to showcase their innovation. I think we still have a lot to learn about how sports fans will adopt and use these VR offerings. Second, “Direct to Consumer” offerings by sports rights holders are booming. Aimed at creating more personal relationships with the fans, they provide them with more of the content they love on the devices and platforms they use most. Third, Social Sports Platforms or Connected Fitness offered by providers like Strava, Map my Run/Ride and Endomondo are a hit among many sports fans who lead an active lifestyle. Such platforms allow you to monitor your physical activity, track your progress and share or compare your data with your friends.

ThinkSport: Is there anything sport organisations absolutely must not neglect while working in the digital revolution?

Claude Ruibal: Sport organisations should build a direct relationship with their fans so they can provide them with more personalised offerings they will be interested in. The more a sport organisation can tailor its messaging to an individual’s core interests and reinforce it consistently, the more likely that person will become a frequent consumer of the respective sport. However, to get there, sport organisations first need to gain the fans’ trust and get them to register. Only then can they discover the things consumers care about most and consistently deliver those experiences to them.

ThinkSport: How do you see the fan experience in 10 years’ time?

Claude Ruibal: I think we will see the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning and natural language, which will process efficient and scalable hyper-personalised, hyper-niche sport offerings. Video, data, news and other relevant content accessible on the Web will be leveraged and provided to the consumer in a meaningful way, every day. Rights holders will customise their services for a number of different fan types, which will also benefit sponsors by providing them with a specific audience with identified attributes so that their brands get a more valuable set of impressions against a known, pre-identified audience.

Learn more about Claude Ruibal here.

Check out the programme of Sport Future Rendez-Vous 2017 here.