Global sports fans demand always-on engagement from their favorite teams

PRNewswire
Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia], October 8: A new research commissioned by global cloud communications platform Infobip reveals a growing demand among sports fans for always-on, personalized engagement with their favorite teams. The global study shows that two-thirds (66%) of fans feel disconnected due to poor club communication, rising to 81% among those under 35. The research of 1,500 American football, baseball, soccer, and cricket fans across the US, Europe, and India, uncovers widespread frustration with generic, one-way communication and a strong appetite for deeper relationships with clubs beyond game days.
More than 70% of fans want ongoing communication during the off-season, including behind-the-scenes content and personal stories from players. Meanwhile, 82% currently use social media to follow their teams, though many expressed interest in richer, exclusive content through direct messaging and mobile apps.
Many described current engagement as transactional and impersonal, with nearly half feeling like "just a number." Affordability also emerged as a major barrier -- 61% of fans overall said rising costs of subscriptions, tickets, and merchandise are pricing them out of the game.
Driven by a desire to better understand evolving fan needs and explore how technology can reshape sports engagement, the study highlights a significant opportunity for clubs to boost loyalty and fan satisfaction through digital innovation and personalized communication.
Ervin Jagatic, Product Director at Infobip, said: "Fans want a deeper, two-way relationship with their teams that keeps them engaged throughout the year, not just on match days. With AI and other new technology, such as Conversational AI Gamification, sports organizations can create personalized, real-time fan experiences that build loyalty and drive participation. Infobip's AI-driven chatbots on platforms like WhatsApp and Rich Communication Services (RCS) enable fans to instantly ask questions, access exclusive content, and receive updates 24/7."
Infobip's platform empowers teams to deliver this next-generation engagement -- from real-time match alerts and early ticket sales to seamless personalized support. The result: stronger fan relationships, increased merchandise sales, higher viewership, and new revenue streams.
Infobip is already transforming fan engagement for major sports organizations worldwide. For the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, Infobip deploys AI-powered chatbots and messaging platforms like WhatsApp to offer real-time interaction, including the upcoming 'RaceMate' AI companion and an interactive AI version of F1 driver Oliver Bearman that bring fans closer to the team. In the US, Infobip partners with the Los Angeles Chargers to enhance fan communication through Apple Messages for Business, delivering exclusive content and instant updates.
Meanwhile, in Latin America, Infobip teamed up with Claro Sports to develop a sophisticated AI-powered chatbot using Google's Rich Communication Services (RCS), offering Mexican sports fans real-time scores, athlete notifications, and interactive experiences across multiple messaging channels.
Read the survey here: https://www.infobip.com/downloads/sports-fan-engagement-report
About Infobip
Infobip is a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected experiences across all stages of the customer journey. Accessed through a single platform, Infobip's omnichannel engagement, identity, user authentication and contact centre solutions help businesses and partners overcome the complexity of consumer communications to grow business and increase loyalty. It offers natively built technology with the capacity to reach over seven billion mobile devices and 'things' in 6 continents connected to over 9,700+ connections of which 800+ are direct operator connections. Infobip was established in 2006 and is led by its co-founders, CEO Silvio Kutic and Izabel Jelenic.
Recent award wins include:
- Infobip named a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) for the third consecutive year. In 2025, positioned furthest in Completeness of Vision (July 2025)
- Infobip named among Top 75 in Fortune's Europe's Most Innovative Companies 2025, placing it in the top 25% of all listed organizations (June 2025)
- Infobip ranked as a Leader in the Omdia CPaaS Universe Report for the third time (April 2025)
- Infobip ranked an Established Leader in the Juniper Research Conversational AI Leaderboard (Feb 2025)
- Infobip named a CPaaS Leader for the third time in the IDC MarketScape (Feb 2025)
- Infobip named one of the top CPaaS providers in Metrigy's CPaaS MetriRank Report (Dec 2024)
- Infobip named number one among Established Leaders in RCS Business Messaging in Juniper Research's RCS Business Messaging Competitor Leaderboard 2024 (Nov 2024)
- Infobip recognized as the number one provider in the AIT Fraud Prevention market by Juniper Research (Oct 2024)
- Infobip named to Fast Company's Annual List of the World's Most Innovative Companies (March 2024)
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