The Greatest Show?

Performance Communications | January 30, 2019

It’s the Super Bowl LIII this weekend.

One of the most watched annual sporting events in the world, surpassed only by the UEFA Champions League final.

With tickets costing between $2,500 and $3,000, fans expect to be entertained off the field as well as on the field. And they get it. Music, fireworks, million dollar ads and a half time show featuring some of the music world’s top talent.

But what about this side of the pond? With tickets prices to attend live sporting events increasing, is the fan experience getting better?

In our report on The Future of the Sports Fan, a trend that we identified was ‘Extra Live’. This looked at the live sport experience and suggested unique venue experiences as a way for right holders to enhance the fan experience.

One example of a team doing this well is Wolves. At the Wolves v Liverpool game before Christmas, Kiss FM DJ Justin Wilkes did a set before kick-off. The fan reaction was so good, Justin was back at Molineux this week with another set.

Wolves have also introduced fireworks at their home games since last season and do a Light Show for some evening games.

You can see why this pre-show entertainment is a no-brainer for Wolves. The majority of fans have said it made their evening more enjoyable and the music adds to the atmosphere and gets the crowd in the right frame of mind by the time the players come on. It also brings people into the stadium earlier and hopefully increases their spend when they’re there.

While some fans might complain about it being too American, for the majority of fans and the club, it’s got to be a win-win. Now let’s see which clubs follows in their footsteps.

Nicola

TO CHARGE FOR FEATURES, OR NOT TO CHARGE? THAT IS THE QUESTION FOR SOFTWARE DEFINED VEHICLES

I enjoyed my first visit to FT Future of the Car summit last month, and it got me thinking. While Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs) and connected cars were a hot topic, communicating the benefits of these vehicles to consumers isn’t necessarily straightforward. It’s especially hard when it feels like new tech is simply the enabler […]

PARTNERSHIPS, PARTNERSHIPS, PARTNERSHIPS

Sam Mercer noticed a running theme at the FT Future of the Car Summit as the complexity and cost of producing modern cars is pushing more and more companies to work together. “Protectionism doesn’t work”. That was the clear statement from one panellist at FT Future of the Car last week. And this sentiment truly […]

Breaking Barriers

It’s not often you stop and stand in awe of sporting achievement, but Sunday morning’s London Marathon stopped me in my tracks. The sub two-hour barrier for a marathon was never meant to be beaten in competition across 26.2 miles. While Red Bull and INEOS’ 2019 event showed it could be done in controlled conditions, […]

2026 is make-or-break for self-driving cars in the UK

We all know that driverless cars are no longer the stuff of science fiction. While both China and the US have embraced autonomous technology, Aisling Fitzgerald looks at why 2026 promises to be a big year for self-driving vehicles here in the UK… This year is set to be a turning point for autonomous mobility […]

Do e-axles hold the key to the EV transition? Why EV powertrains are going all-in-one

While battery technology typically takes the role of frontman in the rock band that is the EV transition, Matthew Kirtley looks at another member of the group that could be about to take centre stage… According to a recent report from Automotive IQ, the total value of EV powertrains produced worldwide is projected to more than […]

The law of unintended consequences: The new per-mile EV tax in detail

It has been more than a week since the later-than-usual Autumn Budget, and we think the new proposals could have an unintended consequence that will bring an age-old challenge for the auto industry back in the spotlight. The 2025 Autumn Budget has introduced a new per-mile road tax for battery EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs. […]

5 key takeaways from the IAA Mobility show

We were on the ground at the IAA Mobility show earlier this week, and what a show it was. The European motorshow is back with a bang. Here are my five key take-aways: Rise of the small EV: Favourable market conditions and demand for low-cost EVs, lead to an abundance of great-looking all-electric hatchbacks. VW’s […]

Nuclear’s Role in the EV transition

It’s no secret that mass adoption of BEVs and PHEVs depends on access to reliable charging infrastructure, but an under-appreciated aspect of the EV revolution is how much it depends on affordable electricity. Here, Performance Communications’ own Matthew Kirtley explores how nuclear might be the missing piece of the jigsaw. Rolls-Royce has recently claimed that […]