Sports and broadcasting have a partnership that goes back a century. Much has been learned in all that time, but new tools and distribution methods continually change how broadcasters deliver winning programming to eager consumers.
Sports and broadcasting are the topics of NAB Show’s Sports Summit: The Future of Fan Engagement, which runs in Theater 1 of the Sports Business Hub on April 6 and the morning of April 7 and in Rooms W224-225 from the afternoon of April 7 through April 8. (Sessions in W224-225 require a Premium Conference/All Access Pass.)
Gotham Chopra, co-founder of Religion of Sports, the sports documentary studio he co-founded with NFL stars Tom Brady and Michael Strahan, will kick off the Sports Summit with his keynote presentation, “Peak Human,” Sunday at 10:45 a.m.
Delivering Monday’s keynote at 2:45 p.m. in W224-225 will be Portia Archer, CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association, whose fireside chat is titled “Breaking Barriers — Lessons from the Rise of Women’s Tennis and the Future of Women’s Sports.”
The Sunday session, “Beyond the Game: Original Content Driving Viewership Off the Field of Play,” will be addressed by Lauren Fisher, vice president and creative director at Religion of Sports, which has produced content for platforms including ESPN and Netflix.
Fisher is an Emmy-winning filmmaker and animator who takes a unique view of sports.
“My work has spanned platforms and formats — from in-venue activations to streaming docuseries — giving viewers a 360-degree view of how content builds deeper fan engagement,” she said. “My work in animation proves that innovation in visual storytelling matters in shaping the way fans see athletes, legends and narratives.”
What is it about sports that so captures our imagination?
“Sports storytelling is inherently cinematic, with real-life drama unfolding in every game — but fans crave ways to see and feel the humanity behind those moments,” Fisher said.
“Beyond competition, sport is a cultural force, a universal language that transcends borders, uniting people across languages, spaces and even time. In many ways, examining sports is like examining humanity itself.”
Fisher said she intends to explore how animation, experiential content and documentary storytelling can create more emotional and memorable fan experiences. The result will help attendees understand how to extend the sports experience beyond live games.
Other sessions include “The Future of Live Sports Production: Innovation in Real-Time Broadcasting,” “How Free Ad-Supported Streaming (FAST) Is Changing Sports Broadcasting” and “The Future of Sports Rights: Negotiating in the Age of New Media.”
There are also panel discussions with sports industry experts, such as “Engaging Audiences Through On-Air Talent,” which features Tracy Perlman, senior vice president of football communications and marketing for the NFL. Also on the panel are sportscaster and former NFL star Jason McCourty and Sandy Nunez, vice president of on-air talent management at NFL Network. That takes place Sunday, April 6, at 2:45 p.m.
Add Spice to the Mix
Understanding how to best deliver sports broadcasts and maximizing the audience will be the focus of the Sports Summit at NAB Show. Adding spice to these sessions will be the growing importance of streaming as the delivery medium.
Sports betting in media is expanding rapidly, and the Sports Summit will address how sports betting and broadcasting can work together to build the audience. “Wagering and Viewership: Capitalizing on the Betting Boom in Sports,” will be held on Sunday April 6 at 2 p.m. in Theater 1 and is open to all badge holders. Another growth area in broadcasting is the use of artificial intelligence in streamlining what broadcasters can deliver and improving the viewers’ experience. One session to address this is “Beyond Broadcast: The Role of AI, Data Analytics and Personalization,” set for Tuesday April 8 at 10:30 a.m. in W224-225 (this session requires an All Access/Premium Content Pass).
Sports remains a very popular broadcast genre, whether in national media covering major events such as the Olympics and the Super Bowl or local broadcasters airing citywide high school games. According to Nielsen, the Super Bowl on Feb. 9 had 127.7 million viewers, the largest audience for a single-network broadcast in U.S. history.
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