Digital Darwinism in Sport: Lose the Analogue Mindset and Wake Up to Monetising Gen Z and Alpha Fans

27/03/2025|TIAKI

The digital juggernaut is re-imagining the sports viewing experience

The nail-biting tension in the crowd in the final few minutes of a tied, live game – these are the visceral experiences that have captivated sports fans for generations. But the way these moments are consumed is undergoing a seismic shift, driven by the digitally native Gen Z and Alpha generations.

These young fans, raised in a world of instant gratification and hyper-personalization, are demanding a fundamentally different sports viewing experience. For sports broadcasters, clinging to the traditional, analogue mindset in this fragmented digital landscape is a recipe for irrelevance. The future lies in embracing personalized, short-form content, and understanding the unique demands of these new audiences.

The Analogue Mindset in a Digital Era: A Fatal Flaw

For decades, sports broadcasting has operated on a linear, one-size-fits-all model. A live game, stretched over hours, presented as a single, uninterrupted stream. This approach, while effective for older generations, fails to resonate with Gen Z and Alpha crowd. These digital natives are accustomed to consuming content on their own terms, in short bursts, and tailored to their specific interests. They don’t have the patience or the attention span for hours of uninterrupted play. They want the highlights, the key moments, and the ability to control their viewing experience. And are willing to pay for it if it’s on their terms.

The traditional ‘analogue approach’ is akin to trying to sell a vinyl record to someone who only listens to Spotify playlists. It simply doesn’t align with their consumption habits. The “digital fragmentation” era demands a shift from broadcasting to “narrowcasting,” where content is tailored to specific segments of the audience.

The Personalised Viewing Revolution: Catering to Gen Z & Alpha

Gen Z and Alpha are not passive consumers; they are active participants in the content creation and consumption process. They crave:

  • Short-Form, Personalized Summaries: They want to condense hours of gameplay into digestible chunks. A 5-minute highlight reel, a 15-minute recap with specific player focus, or a 30-minute deep dive into tactical analysis – all customizable to their desired length and focus. This allows them to catch up on games they missed or relive the most exciting moments without committing to hours of viewing.
  • Real-Time, High-Impact Moments: While they may not watch the entire game, they don’t want to miss the crucial final minutes. Real-time notifications reminders to watch a bundled summary and the remaining live last 5 minutes of a game, coupled with seamless live streaming, are essential. This allows them to experience the tension and excitement of the game climax, share it with their friends, and participate in the social media conversation.
  • Interactive and Immersive Experiences: They expect more than just passive viewing. They want interactive elements, such as polls, quizzes, behind-the-scenes content, and augmented reality (AR) overlays. They want to feel like they are part of the action, not just spectators.
  • Authenticity and Relatability: They value authenticity and relatability in their content creators. They want to see athletes and broadcasters who are genuine and passionate about the sport. They want to connect with them on a personal level, not just as distant figures on a screen.
  • Multi-Platform Engagement: They consume content across a multitude of platforms, from TikTok and Instagram to YouTube and Twitch. Broadcasters must adapt to this fragmented landscape and create content that is optimized for each platform.

The Personalised Viewing Revolution: Catering to Gen Z & Alpha

Short-form content creation has exploded in popularity globally in the last 3 years. Active users on video platforms have increased exponentially creating huge opportunities for monetisation potential.

TikTok is forecast to grow to 2.14 billion active users in 2025.1

TikTok advertising revenue grew 19% in 2024 reaching $23bn with a forecast projection of $34.8bn in 2026.2

However, for sports broadcasters, sports stars, sports properties and sports leagues value realisation ‘at scale’ has not yet materialised.

This unfulfilled dynamic is likely to change in sport in 2025. The winners will recognise the need to deliver short-form and non-live authentic content in a highly personalised engagement on terms driven by the sports fan. Content duration, theme, attitude, distribution platform, timing of distribution and overlap with immersive experience will be dictated by the sports fan as the consumer, not by the sports broadcaster or sports property.

This will only be achieved with a shift away from old-school, analogue mindsets. It will demand market best practice adoption of data, AI and cybersecurity strategies.

Revenues will start to flow back to IP rights owners. Sports broadcasters, sports stars, sports properties and leagues will need to leverage resilient data, AI and cybersecurity postures to drive profitable brand partnerships with platforms and sponsors based on short form content and digital immersive fan experience offerings. New sponsorship revenue opportunities will accelerate with the ability to automatically distribute short format and immersive content directly to brand partners. Similarly, sports broadcasters, sports properties and athletes will be able to monetise direct to consumer (DTC) content for short-format, non-live and digital immersive fan experiences. Sports broadcasters can shift beyond a 1 dimensional monthly fee subscription to grow their revenues.

Short-form content, non-live rights and digital immersive experiences are no longer a teaser or a side-show, they are becoming the main event for many young sport fans. This has huge revenue potential if content creators correctly invest focus on their data, AI, cybersecurity and content creation ecosystems. They must adapt to value creation from the evolving fan experiences demands beyond the live game event.

New revenue opportunities include:

  • Targeted Advertising: Short-form content allows for highly targeted advertising, based on viewer demographics, interests, and viewing habits. This is far more effective than traditional broadcast advertising, which reaches a broad, undifferentiated audience.
  • Sponsorship Opportunities: Brands are increasingly interested in sponsoring short-form content that aligns with their target audience. This allows them to reach younger demographics in a more engaging and authentic way.
  • Subscription Models: Offering premium short-form content, such as exclusive highlights, behind-the-scenes footage, and in-depth analysis, can drive subscriptions and generate recurring revenue.
  • Microtransactions: Offering in-app purchases, such as virtual merchandise or access to exclusive content, can generate additional revenue.
  • Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Platforms: Sports properties and athletes can leverage DTC platforms to distribute their own short-form content and build direct relationships with their fans.

Revitalizing Traditional Sports: Cricket and Baseball’s Gen Z and Alpha Makeover

Two sports that have historically struggled to capture the attention of younger audiences are cricket and baseball. Their long, drawn-out formats have been a major deterrent for Gen Z and Alpha. However, by embracing personalized, short-form content and immersive fan experiences, sports broadcasters, sports franchises and sports stars can shift to digital value creation and rapidly realise new revenue streams.

Cricket:

  • The T20 and The Hundred formats have already shown how short form cricket can capture the younger audience. But broadcasters need to go further.
  • Highlight Reels: Create dynamic highlight reels that focus on the most exciting moments of the match, such as sixes, wickets, and spectacular fielding plays.
  • Player-Focused Content: Produce short-form content that showcases the personalities and skills of individual players, such as behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and training videos.
  • Tactical Analysis: Create short, engaging videos that explain the intricacies of the game, such as bowling variations, batting techniques, and fielding strategies.
  • Interactive Content: Utilize polls, quizzes, and AR overlays to engage viewers and make them feel like they are part of the action.
  • Final Over Notifications: Send out notifications when the final over starts, and provide a seamless live stream of the climax.

Baseball:

  • “Quick Cuts”: Create short, fast-paced highlight reels that showcase the most exciting plays of the game, such as home runs, diving catches, and strikeouts.
  • Player Profiles: Produce short-form content that tells the stories of individual players, highlighting their personalities, skills, and journeys.
  • “Inside the Dugout”: Create behind-the-scenes content that gives viewers a glimpse into the lives of players and coaches.
  • “Stat Attack”: Produce short, visually appealing videos that break down complex baseball statistics and make them easy to understand.
  • “Walk-Off Alerts”: Send out notifications when a potential walk-off is imminent and provide a live view of the at bat.

By embracing these strategies, cricket and baseball can shed their image as slow, boring sports and appeal to a new generation of global fans that are willing to pay for personalised content on their terms.

In our separate Insights Report, Connecting with the Cricket Crowd: AI-Powered Immersive Experiences for the Hundred – TIAKI, we highlight the potential digital immersive revenues that could be realised by the 8 cricket franchises in The Hundred in 2025.

Overall digital immersive revenues consolidated, from The Hundred 8 cricket franchises, could deliver a total revenue growth of £18.3 million in 2025, compared to digital online jersey sales at only £4.9 million..

However, for monetisation to be realised, the 1st party data must be resiliently secure against the AI-powered cybercriminal.

The Future of Sports Broadcasting: A Personalized, Interactive, and Engaging Experience

The future of sports broadcasting lies in embracing the personalized viewing demands of Gen Z and Alpha. By shifting from an analogue mindset to a digital-first approach, broadcasters can unlock new revenue streams, engage with younger audiences, and ensure the long-term sustainability of their businesses.

The key is to remember that these young fans are not just passive viewers; they are active participants in the content creation and consumption process. They want to be entertained, engaged, and empowered. By providing them with personalized, short-form content, interactive and immersive experiences, and authentic storytelling, broadcasters can create a new era of sports fandom.

The revolution has already begun. Those who adapt will thrive. Those who cling to the past will be left behind. The future of sports broadcasting is personalized, interactive, immersive and engaging – and it’s here to stay.

1 TikTok Growth Rate (2019–2029) [Jul 2024 Update] | Oberlo
2 TikTok global ad revenue to reach $34.8bn in 2026 | WARC

About the Authors:

Johan Bolin
Chief Research & Innovation Officer
www.ateliere.com
[email protected]

Johan is the Chief Research & Innovation Officer at Ateliere Creative Technologies.

Johan has 20 years of experience from various management and executive positions in Telecoms and Media.

He has worked with both fixed, mobile and TV products both on the vendor (Ericsson, Edgeware, Agile, Ateliere) and operator (Tele2) with responsibilities spanning from content licencing to technology strategy, standardization and development. With a passion for technology Johan has a wide and deep experience from live production to streaming and user experience including AR/VR, advanced video coding and mobile technology.

David Andrew
Founder & Managing Partner
www.tiaki.ai
[email protected]

David is the Founder & Managing Partner at TIAKI, a niche consulting practice helping executive leadership in sport make confident, informed decisions on their risks, investments and business outcomes powered by secure ‘data-at-scale’. He collaborates with bold and determined leaders in the sports ecosystem to define their data, AI and cybersecurity strategies to deliver sustainable value.

David’s vision for TIAKI is to empower sports franchise CEOs, leadership teams, sports media broadcasters and investors in the global sports industry with strategic advisory frameworks to deliver secure, pioneering digital fan experiences and new ecosystem business models to achieve breakthrough returns.

David has over 20 years of strategy and technology enabled business transformation experience, providing consulting expertise in cloud native technologies, data strategy, digital business enablement and cybersecurity strategy. He is passionate about helping talented leadership teams succeed in securely growing their differentiated business models in the data-driven, digital sports economy.

Based in Stockholm, David previously worked for IBM Consulting, EY, Accenture Strategy and Orange Business. He studied Chemistry at Durham University and holds an MBA from Trinity College, Dublin Business School.

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