PUNE: A new report by the Capgemini Research Institute finds that Indian sports fans are most engaged with emerging technologies like augmented and virtual reality in their sports viewing experience, both inside and outside the stadium. The report Emerging technologies in sports: reimagining the fan experience is based on a survey across 10,000 sports fans globally. 88% Indians have experienced the use of emerging technology in the stadium, compared to 56% in the USA.
The report also shows that fans who have experienced emerging technologies during a recent visit to a stadium are more satisfied with their experience overall. Sports fans from Asia are also more likely to pay more if new technologies enhanced their stadium experience, with 71% saying they would, as against 40% of North American fans, 34% of European fans, and 33% of Australian fans.
Darshan Shankavaram, Executive Vice President and Global Digital CoE Leader – India, Capgemini said that beyond driving fan experience, technology was also being used in other areas. “A lot of sports are using technology to analyse the athlete’s performance. This is only the beginning and we will see a lot more happening on this.”
Key findings:
- 89% of Indians felt that emerging technologies enhance their viewing experience, this was 20% higher than the global average of 69%
- Younger fans visit the stadium much more than the older fans and they consume sports content through mobile apps and social media platforms.
- Fans between 18 and 35 consumed most of the content digitally
- Indians were the highest users of emerging technologies at 88% during their recent visit to stadium, followed by Singapore at 68% and Hong Kong at 68%.
- Having good experience with technology in sports led avid fans to increase their engagement with the sport to a greater extent
- Despite the increase in usage of emerging technologies in the stadium, fans get uncomfortable when it comes to collection of their personal data
Source: Economic Times
