“Through the partnership with vAudience, we are making the live streaming experience even more attractive and innovative for our viewers. This is one of the reasons why there is currently a strong community forming on our platform that is actively engaged.” 

Björn Beinauer, CEO of DOSB New Media GmbH

 

Founded by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB New Media GmbH), the online sports broadcaster Sportdeutschland.TV makes a significant contribution to the development of online applications for German sports and is responsible for broadcasting a selection of more than 100 different popular and top sports and events. A wide variety of federations, clubs, athletes and organizers from the professional and amateur sectors can be seen in weekly live streams on the web TV platform. 

 

In Germany, there are currently more than 15 renowned broadcasters offering sports content in German. The Competition and associated battle for broadcasting rights is fierce, so differentiation through technological innovation is becoming increasingly important. Through its cooperation with vAudience, Sportdeutschland.TV is setting the course to take sports programming to a new level and become the pioneer of the German live streaming market in sports through interactive elements. 

 

Since December 2021, Sportdeutschland.TV has been pursuing the goal of building an even stronger and loyal fan community together with vAudience and the integration of the product Spect8. Fans across generations should consider themselves even more a part of the whole, sharing highlights, celebrating together and discussing content. The feeling of being in a stadium and cheering along is finally possible digitally through Spect8. Currently, new social functions are gradually being integrated in order to familiarize the relevant target groups, that are not “digital natives”, with the new technologies. 

 

“The integration from a technical point of view was super easy, the developers from vAudience did a great job here!” 

Fabian Müller, Senior Content & Partner Manager der DOSB New Media GmbH

 

The centerpiece and basis for a maximum of interactivity is the live chat, which increases viewers’ dwell time and makes them curious for more. Gamifying elements such as polls, filled with the latest relevant topics and adapted live, lay the foundation for exciting discussions and turn fans into active users who stay on the platform instead of reaching for the second screen. 

 

The partnership at a glance


  • Integration of the side panel Spect8 with interactive features such as chat and  survey options for viewers.


  • 56% recurring fans: activation of the chat by over 31,000 viewers within the first 60 days of implementation


  • 31% engagement rate of fans actively discussing game results and events and participating in polls



Direct exchange between experts and fans

The kind of added value audiences are looking for         

 

One of the highlights of the partnership so far was the European Men’s Handball Championship at the end of 2021. In addition to sporting highlights, the side panel Spect8 generated a great deal of excitement and encouragement among fans during the European Championship, who were able to engage in a lively chat with handball icon Stefan Kretzschmar as an expert. Kretzschmar commented and interacted with users and answered live questions asked in the chat. Live voting allowed direct feedback from the audience to be recorded and a passionate discussion to take place. The result? Exclusively positive feedback from the users, who found the “interactive user experience simply fantastic” compared to the public channels. The statistics also reflect a promising peak with an engagement rate of 36.6%. 



High optimization potential through additional features

 

Not to be neglected, and at least as important as exciting conversations between fans, in the D2C segment is simple, targeted communication with viewers to ultimately expand digital business and convert curious users into active buyers. 

 

Here, vAudience recommends enhancing the stream with various monetization features in addition to the basic live chat and gamifying features. Key features that drive revenue potential through the roof include interactive advertising, smart links, a loyalty program, the integration of a merch store and much more. 

 

Sportdeutschland.TV as the first German sports social live streaming platform

 

The support of vAudience enables Sportdeutschland.TV to take their live streaming offering to the next level. “As a SaaS company with technical developments of top features, vAudience is the best partner to connect fans to a community and keep them on our platform,” Björn Beinauer resumes. “We share this with our fans and customers, because we have the ambition to create a sports social live streaming platform that takes sports highlights to a new level. The feedback we gather through exchanges with our community also helps us to further develop our offering.”

Features in this article:

Smartphone icon and a little message chat bubble

Engagement

Personalized interaction capabilities create a deeper connection between all your viewers who want to watch their favorite content together. 

About the author:

Lisa Dietrich has been working for vAudience since the beginning of 2021. She is part of our Customer Success Management team and is head of Public Relations.

Give it a try!

Test our