The Latest in Sports

• Charity Golf Breaks Cable Records: Turner Sports’ broadcast of Capital One’s The Match: Champions for Charity averaged 5.8 million viewers across their networks, such as TNT and TBS, to make it the most-watched golf event in cable history. The match featuring Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning raised $20 million for COVID-19 relief. There’s been high ratings for sports that have been able to return, but probably the biggest gains have been for events and spectacles such as this or The Last Dance on ESPN. As with the results from our Houston Sports Survey, fans seem to miss big events and appointment viewing more than anything else in sports right now.

Adjusting for Fan-less Venues

• With leagues such as the Bundesliga and KBO re-starting over the last few weeks, we’ve begun to see a few different approaches for how to deal with a lack of fans in the stands for broadcasts. We previously shared Borussia Monchengladbach’s cardboard fans – which were positively received after their in-match debut last weekend – while other clubs have opted for TV-visible tarps or other custom displays. South Korean soccer club FC Seoul tried placing mannequins with jerseys and signs in the stands, but had an unfortunate mix-up with their supplier.
• Adding physical touches to the stands is likely easiest, but some have an eye towards digital elements to put fans “in the stands”. Danish club AGF Aarhus is putting screens around its stadium to let fans watch on Zoom when they return to play this week, and OZ Arena is touting an augmented reality solution to let fans “appear” at events using their smartphone – and even pipe in their cheers.
• Aside from the visual displays, broadcasters are grappling with not having the sound of the crowd – and the consensus seems to be moving towards adding crowd noises to these fan-less games. Fox Sports began with natural sound games for its Bundesliga broadcasts, but this afternoon’s match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund featured a white noise of fan chants, cheers and jeers in the background. It debuted to mixed reviews, but it may be the norm going forward.

Client Spotlight

• With spring running and cycling events canceled, the American Cancer Society’s DetermiNation Endurance Series has shifted its focus near-term to week-long virtual events for both disciplines to continue their grassroots fundraising efforts.
• “DetermiNation Runs the Country” is in action from June 1-7, including Global Running Day on June 3. Participants are being encouraged to log their miles during the week to collectively run 2,900 miles from coast to coast, while fundraising for the American Cancer Society. The “DetermiNation Never Brakes” cycling event runs from June 7-13.
• Registration for the running virtual event has already generated thousands of dollars in donations for ACS’s vital work being done for cancer patients and caregivers during this pandemic, and is an example of how organizations can find new ways to proactively engage their audiences.