New in-stadium technology has arrived in Australia, TikTok is playing a key role in shaping the future of sports

Dec 18, 2024

Today’s lineup:

New in-stadium technology has arrived in Australia
TikTok is playing a key role in shaping the future of sports

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St Kilda FC secured a partnership extension with AGL Energy until the end of 2025 - AGL sponsored the installation of solar panels across the RSEA Park precinct and at the Danny Frawley Centre to mark the occasion

Flinders University expanded its partnership with Adelaide Strikers BBL to become a Principal Partner - this builds on the Uni’s role as the Official Education Partner of the South Australian Cricket Association (they collectively offer a Diploma in Sports Management course) and Principal Partnership with the WBBL team

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Western Sydney University signed an MOU which will see both parties commit to the growth and development of community and junior sports across the Western Sydney region

Adelaide Crows and University of South Australia launched a 12-month Sport Management Diploma, which will cover areas including commercial operations, marketing, and managing the athletic pathway

*Read more on education partnerships here

Piper-Heidsieck extended its partnership with the Australian Open until 2027 - Craig Tiley and Thanasi Kokkinakis took part in a table tennis match (on a Piper-Heidsieck-branded table) in front of the media to make the announcement

Wests Tigers announced a partnership extension & upgrade with Zurich Australia whose logo will feature on the NRL (sleeve) and NRLW (sternum) jerseys for the next 3 seasons

Western Bulldogs extended its partnership with Visit Victoria and the City of Ballarat for a further 3 years, which will see the Club continue to play home games at Mars Stadium

Midea, a global Fortune 500 company and world leader in home and building innovation became a new partner of the NBL and its logo will feature across the leagues’ courts in Tasmania, Illawarra and Adelaide for the remainder of the season as it launches in the Australian market

Australia Turf Club announced a new deal with Asahi which will see it provide drinks at the ATC’s four racecourses (Royal Randwick, Rosehill Gardens, Warwick Farm and Canterbury Park) and Rosehill Bowling Club – across multiple categories including beer, soft drinks, premix, water and coffee

South Australian Cricket Association and the Adelaide Strikers entered into a partnership with Bowlsome, a local health food manufacturer that will supply the W/BBL playing squads with healthy and delicious ready-made meals

Brisbane Heat and Queensland Cricket inked a new deal with leading Queensland home builder Plantation Homes whose logo will be feature on the Heat’s playing and training pants

The Homestar Finance logo will be displayed on the front of Sydney Thunder’s BBL playing shirt, cap and helmet as part of a 3-year extension

Cricket Australia and Shane Warne Legacy extended their partnership and will continue to raise awareness for heart health at the Boxing Day Test Match for the next 2 years -Fans will once again be able to take a free Health Check from 1 of the 52 stations placed in & around the MCG

South Sydney Rabbitohs extended its apparel partnership with Australian sportswear company Classic Sportswear until the end of 2030

Brisbane Bullets welcomed Healthcare company hub.health as its new Official Wellness Partner

Sydney Swans renewed its partnership with Transport for NSW to continue promoting road safety - to kick off the new chapter, Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Logan McDonald, and Cynthia Hamilton, recently led an AFL skills session for students aged 15-17, highlighting the importance of road safety leading into the holiday season

Under Armour announced Brazilian football star and Sydney FC marquee signing Douglas Costa as its newest global ambassador

This follows news of Under Armour’s new strategic collaboration with ISC Sport which will see ISC’s existing product lines transition to Under Armour Teamwear over the coming seasons

The NRL purchased two new hotels as part of its bold move to establish an asset base worth $300m - it acquired the Ibis Styles Hotel in Port Macquarie for $15.5m and a Mantra Hotel in Brisbane for around $22m

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New in-stadium technology has arrived in Australia

Australian sports marketing agency KOJO has entered into a strategic partnership with US-based leader in fan-first engagement technology CUE to bring new interactive mobile-driven technology to stadiums across Australia and New Zealand that aims to:

Elevate matchday fan engagement
Drive revenue
Deliver valuable audience insights

This new technology has been used by some of the world’s biggest leagues including the NFL, NBA, The Premier League, and Formula 1.

Here’s an overview of the new technology that Australian sports fans can expect to see:

1. FanSee: Live Selfie Cam

Livestream video software that allows fans to take control of their big-screen moment directly from their mobile device.

2. AR Interactive Prize Drops

A gamified activation that uses AR to parachute sponsor prizes from the sky – fans "catch" and win prizes.

3. Mobile-Driven Noise Meter

Fans use their mobile devices to measure the decibel levels of their cheer as they attempt to become the “loudest fan” - a leaderboard displays which fan, or group, is loudest.

4. Fanatic Filters

Dynamic facial tracking works in-sync with stadium cameras to overlay AR-generated filters on fans, bringing humour and surprise to the big screen.

5. Light Shows

Fans use their mobile devices to form part of a synchronized light show, transforming the stadium into a visual spectacle.

connectwithcue

A post shared by @connectwithcue

6. Trivia Mania

Fans play real-time trivia on the big screen via their mobile device.

7. Post Up

Real-time photo and video aggregation that allows fans to share user-generated content directly to the big screen.

8. Bingo!

A sports-themed version of the traditional game - Fans play along by following live on-field events. They fill in their Bingo cards on their mobile device as the game unfolds.

More here.

Although it’s early days, the above technology has been quick to show up in Australia:

FanSee has been activated at Dolphins & North Queensland Cowboys NRL games
The NBL has introduced FanSee into its game day run-of-show, and Kmart and Chemist Warehouse have used AR Prize Drop to activate their sponorship's with the league

A perfect partnership 🤝

CUE has been looking to extend its innovative technology to Australia for years but geographic differences have prevented this up until now.

KOJO has a long history of delivering high-quality fan experiences on behalf of some of Australia's biggest sports and sponsors, and it's responsible for operating sports presentation in some of the Australia’s most iconic stadiums:

Adelaide Oval
Optus Stadium
Gabba
Suncorp Stadium
MCG
HBF Park
Queensland Country Bank Stadium

Where will we see this new technology show up next?

TikTok is playing a key role in shaping the future of sports

There are 8.5m+ Australians on TikTok (or around 1 in 3 people) and among this massive audience sits a highly engaged sports community.

TikTok has become an essential destination for sports.

Here’s why:

1. Younger demographic

TikTok appeals to sports vying for the attention of a younger audience who are increasingly drawn to second-screen experiences during sports consumption.

Online content is often the entry point (top of funnel) for younger fans and this is the case in particularly for Gen Z.

A previous survey from Deloitte found that 90%+ of Gen Z fans use social media to consume sports content.

2. A gateway for sports

Key statistics:

29% of TikTok users became more interested in a sport after watching content about it on the platform
28% of TikTok users discovered new sporting events through TikTok content

High-performing videos often deliver a greater impact on TikTok than on other platforms. This is because TikTok’s algorithm prioritises a curated "For You Page" experience over follower-based engagement, allowing videos to reach more users (e.g. by multiples of 100's) who don’t already follow or regularly interact with the creator.

3. Sports development

Through the power of short video, smaller, niche sports have found new ways to share their stories, connect with audiences, and generate excitement, attracting new fans and participants.

The platform is giving rise to emerging sports and leagues like #parkour (+73% YoY), #pickleball (+130% YoY), and professional women's basketball (+243%).

4. Fan engagement

Key statistics

75% of TikTok users 18+ are fans of sports
57% of users watch sports content on TikTok weekly

TikTok has become a place where teams are bolder in the type of content they post. This tactic has proven to be highly successful for teams such as the GWS GIANTS who’ve built a highly engaged following among fans and non-fans... Note: although it's a net positive, this approach has also faced criticism from traditionalist such as Paul Roos.

5. Athlete influence

The influence of athletes in Australia and across the globe is rising, signalled by many having significant social media followings that are often larger than the teams they play for, or the leagues and bodies that govern them.

More: The rising influence of athletes

TikTok is helping to reshape how fans and brands connect with their favourite sports stars, offering more direct, authentic and exclusive experiences.

6. Commercial outcomes

TikTok underpins many brand partnerships and sponsorships that generate direct revenue for sports.

Indirectly, it’s helping sports and athletes capture attention, attract new fans and form stronger connections with existing ones which helps drive commercial outcomes such as matchday attendance, membership & merchandise sales, annual revenue etc.

Here’s how sports are leveraging TikTok

1. Sydney Swans “Young Bloods” Tok-umentary

The Sydney Swans recently released a new 28-part TikTok docuseries, or Tok-umentary called “Young Bloods” which follows the next generation of stars as they prepare to compete for selection in the AFL and AFLW drafts.

2. Nedd Brockmann

Nedd’s entire 1,600km run (Nedd's Uncomfortable Challenge) was live streamed on TikTok for 250+ hours.

4.9m+ people tuned in (1m+ from overseas) and the campaign received 5.3m likes and 35.7k comments.

3. The Hawks' TikTok performance delivered

Hawthorn Football Club's performance on TikTok and social media more broadly has paid huge dividends via merchandise, memberships and the season fixture allocation, among other things.

More: The Hawks won TikTok this year. Now they’re cashing in

4. Australian Open 2025 industry event

Coinciding with AO25, Tennis Australia is teaming up with TikTok to run “Culture Courtside” – an event discussing all things creator marketing and cultural events, giving guests a chance to hear from TikTok’s creators as they share best practice in branded fan engagement.

5. Leveraging the Olympics

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games was a key moment for athletes to build their online profiles. Noteworthy Australian Olympic athletes that have seen their TikTok popularity/followers surge include:

Sam Fricker - 2M
Jess Fox - 194.5k
Jack Robinson - 72.3k
Tina Rahimi - 141k

During the Olympics, a post from Mackenzie Arnold received 43m+ views, while one from Daria Saville got 17m+.

Sam Fricker recently won TikTok’s “Sport & Fitness Creator of the Year” award.

6. Elevating sports

TikTok Australia became an official partner of Paralympics Australia ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Para-sports is popular on the platform – The @paralympics TikTok account has 4.7+ million followers, while #WheelchairBasketball, #ParaCycling, #ParaSwimming, #WheelchairRugby, and #BlindFootball videos have amassed 1+ billion views combined.

TikTok is also on a mission to help grow women’s sports – e.g. it previously joined forces with FIFA to help amplify the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023.

7. Content creators

The creator economy is helping sports capture attention, attract new fans and form stronger connections with existing ones and TikTok is key to this in Australia.

Many sports teams and leagues from across the world are implementing strategies to leverage the rise of the creator economy on the platform. Eg. Major League Soccer launched the ’Club Creator Network’ where TikTok creators were paired with Clubs to create exciting content during the regular season and off-season.

More: The rise of the sports creator economy

What other things relevant to TikTok x Sports are worth noticing?