Partner Article

Sochi, digital media and the commercial opportunities from digital engagement

We saw the first “truly digital” Olympic Games in London 2012. Data was consumed in vast quantities and social engagement set new records.

Usain Bolt alone managed to generate such interest that Twitter reported not far off 100,000 tweets per minute about him at one point.

The approaching Winter Games in Sochi 2014 will see further increases in mobile and tablet viewing and other digital engagement, as the various platforms have developed further and become even more prevalent. Appetite for digital media consumption has grown apace, too.

Digital media is inherently “social”, given the network effects associated with it, but it is true that in some ways it delivers a more isolated experience. Certainly, in the near future, TV will be difficult to topple as the primary platform for mainstream sports coverage (remember, particularly, those iconic events in 2012 experienced together with friends and family, for example).

But that’s not the objective. Digital media currently supports and enhances more traditional viewing experiences in sport, as well as, for some, turning their phone or their tablet into their “first screen” when consuming content.

Sochi will be particularly interesting because of the nature of the sports at the Winter Olympics and the demographic breakdown of those interested in them. There is good correlation between these consumers and those who consume digital products (and who are, generally, are interested in forward-looking technologies).

This results in demonstrable niches, which in turn result in valuable commercial opportunities.

Again, sport meets digital and together they operate in a neat and ever-growing partnership with business.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Davenport Lyons .