Sports lesson: How to engage fans in the digital age

In broadcasting, success has always been about effectively engaging an audience. When I joined Network TEN in Australia in 2006, I quickly learned that there was a relatively straightforward formula: build a linear schedule and use PR and traditional above-the-line media (press, radio and outdoor) to drive people to watch. Once people were watching, you would promote your other shows to keep viewers from changing the channel.

By the time I left TEN in 2013 though, things had started to change. The internet and the growing use of smartphones was opening up new ways to consume content, and the old formula of fan engagement was being challenged. Over the next five years, three important trends emerged…