Calling all Fans Born in the "2Ks"
Why the NBA and NFL are banking on the gaming world to usher in Gen-Z fans to the live window
“You can tell that something is happening….but it’s new so I’m not really sure what the hell is going on.” - Damian Lillard.
This was Milwaukee Bucks superstar point guard Damian Lillards humorous response to a post-game interviewer when asked about what it was like to get his first win of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament last year.
Truthfully, when the tournament kicked off last season, I think many of us fans shared a similar sentiment to Dame’s.
We understood that what was happening was different (the jerseys, the courts, national TV games, etc.), but the significance of the games was still a bit unclear.
With rising concern over superstars sitting out regular season games due to load management, the play to add some boosted value to the regular season was obvious.
And despite the initial confusion the added tournament was a success by all accounts in its first year.
The championship game between the Indiana Pacers and the Los Angeles Lakers averaged 4.58 million viewers, making it the most-watched non-Christmas regular season game since 2018, and the average audience for the other games was up an average of 46% from the comparable previous year ABC primetime window.
Entering its second year, the now-rebranded Emirates NBA Cup, is off to the races, beginning its knockout stage tonight on TNT, as the Milwaukee Bucks face the Orlando Magic in the East and the Dallas Mavericks battle it out with the OKC Thunder on the Western side of the bracket.
And while the two contests will attract plenty of attention on their own, TNT Sports announced recently that through a collaboration with NBA 2K and Genius Sports, fans will also have the opportunity to watch the NBA 2K25 DataCast a video game-themed live alternative broadcast of the game that will be shown simultaneously on TruTv and Max.
According to TNT Sports, the alternate stream aims to “blur the lines between the video game and the real NBA experience”. Here's what it should look like:
The 2K Experience: The Broadcast will have features/overlays from the highly popular video game such as the iconic Shot Meter and Badges as well as popular video game camera angles.
Data-Drive Experience: Fans will be able to see data tidbits and analysis such as shot probability and distance implanted directly into the broadcast and shown in real time.
Stacked Cast: fans will hear commentary from the likes of former players such as Vince Carter and Candace Parker, as well as sports analytics legend Kirk Goldsberry
Gamer Incentivized: 2K games that tune into all of the Datacast broadcasts throughout the tournament can redeem six NBA 2K25 Locker Codes to give users access to superstar players for their own lineup.
At the same time, the NFL was cooking up something similar.
Almost in lockstep with the NBA, NBC Sports (will be on Peacock) announced an almost identical plan to partner with the NFL and EA Sports to create an EA Sports Madden NFL Cast, that is set to debut on Peacock during the Cowboys vs Texans matchup on Dec. 21.
Like the 2K stream, it will also feature popular game features such as Madden route trees, play cards, and player ratings, while also including some of the video game’s most popular gamers and content creators such as Pro Madden player Henry Leverette and YouTuber Kurt Benkert for live commentary and reactions.
But…Why? Unpacking the Gen-Z Viewership Problem
These types of moves are not the first of their kind nor will they likely be the last.
In recent years we've seen a growing trend in major leagues working with broadcasters to create alternative viewing options that fuse live coverage with integrated interactive features from content ranging from popular video games like 2K and Madden to animated TV shows like the epic NFL <> Simpsons collab we saw during last night’s Monday Night Football game.
The goal here is clear: Do anything you can to bring a Gen-Z audience that is constantly shifting the paradigm around fandom into the live window.
Here are a few key data points to highlight this growing challenge:
Just 31% of Gen-Z fans watch live sports (compared with 75% for those 55 and over) with only 19% of Gen-Z fans saying they watch the entire game
Of those tuning in, only 40% of Gen Zers say they watch live sports on cable TV while 80% are reaching for their phones as their first screen experience
With Gen-Z fans increasingly opting out of the live window, the responsibility lies on rights holders and broadcast companies to work together to rethink the playbook to usher in young audiences.
And it turns out that when they need a new play to run, like the rest of us, they turn to Madden to pick the right route.
Gaming as the Perfect Launchpad into Gen-Z Fandom
The Video Gaming market in the US is massive. Particularly amongst Gen-Z:
According to the media company Visual Capitalist:
The global size of the video game market is expected to reach 3.6 billion gamers and generate $211 billion in revenue by 2025.
88% of Gen Z’ers play video games, compared to 55% of older generations,
And with a projected market volume of $6.28 billion by 2029, as well as accounting for 13.3% of video game sales in the US in 2024 according to a recent Statista market report, the Sports Video Game sector has particularly performed well.
But there’s a reason that both the NBA and the NFL are betting on Gaming and it isn’t just the size of the market.
According to market research firm Newzoo U.S. Gen Z consumers spend 12.2 hours per week playing games! That’s more than they do engaging with alternative media and entertainment outlets like broadcast TV, subscription services, news, and podcasts.
But perhaps what is even more interesting is how that prolonged engagement is affecting young fans’ decision-making and preferences.
Visual Capitalist found that young fans who play EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA) were 18% more likely to buy a global football match ticket and 21% more likely to pay for a TV subscription to watch the games live.
What we therefore notice is that not only is this audience spending a tremendous amount of time gaming, but the platform has also proven to serve as an effective gateway to engaging with the core sports content as well.
With advancements in technology constantly influencing every corner of the sports world this opportunity to bridge the gap between gaming and live sports is becoming increasingly apparent.
As Genius North America president Steve Bernstein concisely put it:
“Video games are coming closer to broadcast television, and broadcast television is going closer to video games, Ultimately, I don’t believe you’ll be able to tell the difference.”
Therefore, creating gaming-inspired content, like an alt-cast, is an awesome opportunity for leagues to pull together different parts of an increasingly fragmented sports fan experience, bringing in potentially new fans to the game, and perhaps revolutionizing what the viewership experience could look like for years to come.
I’m excited to check it out.
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