Playfly Sports' 'Fandom as a Service' emphasizes helping schools engage younger fans

They’ve grown up entirely in an online world. Their smartphones have been their joystick for life ever since they can remember. Plus, they consume sports much differently than prior generations who may be content spending three hours on the couch watching a one-screen, live broadcast on linear TV.

As college sports and the media landscape undergo seismic disruption, Playfly Sports is doubling down on its efforts to help nearly 70 university partners reach, engage, monetize and measure a unique group of fans now coming of age: Gen Z.

In the coming years, college athletics will look much different than it does today, as will the ways in which we consume college sports content. Both are prime reasons why stakeholders are strategically targeting younger fans who may be most comfortable with the brave new world ahead – an ecosystem in many ways we already find ourselves in.

And they are tailoring their approaches to the generation’s distinct hallmarks.

Gen Zers seek authenticity from brands and athletes. They not only seek personalization – they expect it. And they want their sports viewing experiences to incorporate communal, social and interactive elements, increasingly through digital platforms.

That dynamic creates a unique opportunity for college sports stakeholders looking to attract the younger crowd of college sports fans.

The entire industry is “still just scratching the surface” in reaching the younger fan, Michael Schreiber, Playfly’s CEO and founder, told On3. “College sports is undervalued – still.”

Founded in 2020, Playfly has developed new messaging, “Fandom as a Service” – a play on the “software as a service” moniker – that the company is doubling down on this year and beyond. Playfly leaders say it’s an approach that embodies similar tenets such as innovation, data and scale to reach, engage, monetize and measure fans better than anyone.

Gen Z fans are ‘not stuck in the old rivalries’

Gen Z fandom is typically much different than that of some Gen Xers or Boomers who may be watching college football on linear TV while cursing realignment and giving NIL deals the side-eye. In fact, Playfly’s recent fan survey revealed that younger fans view both realignment and athletes monetizing their brands favorably.

“They are not stuck in the old rivalries,” Schreiber said. “They are starting to create new rivalries. And they believe NIL is a good thing, versus a bad thing, in the ecosystem. These younger fans are thinking about the sport differently.”

And what younger fans are attaching themselves to most are the actual athletes themselves. The reach of standout college athletes from 2023 like Michael Penix Jr., Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese can be stronger through the array of social media platforms than through a typical live broadcast of their games.

The reason: Social platforms are where the younger fans will be, not necessarily glued to live game broadcasts.

In that vein, Playfly is focused on creating digital content platforms to engage younger fans and creating athlete-led opportunities as well.

One example of the latter came in March 2022, when Playfly helped launch Campus Cast Live, a student-athlete-hosted second-screen experience aired simultaneously with Michigan State’s game in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Two prominent Michigan State football players provided live commentary via Facebook Live on the Spartan Media Network page. 

Different fan engagement exists in college sports

All sports are trying to attract that coveted Gen Z demo – efforts that can be seen in everything from the NBA‘s smorgasbord of personalized content and original short-form videos on its revamped app (which debuted in fall 2022) to MLB‘s aggressive push with content on social media and collaborations with influencers.

The strategy: Engage younger fans where they are and in ways they prefer and expect.

A recent Morning Consult survey of 1,000 Gen Zers between 13 and 25 revealed notable trends, including that almost 50% had never attended a live professional sports event. Additionally, 33% said they don’t watch live sports events.

The fandom is there – even if they generally consume different types of sports content in different ways than previous generations.

One of the unique aspects of big-time college sports, Schreiber said, is that the fan databases for some of the bigger schools can be double the size of fan databases for some NFL teams. 

“There’s a different level of engagement that happens with college sports than other sports,” Schreiber said.

When a teenager goes to college, for example, his parents often become fans of the school, siblings can become fans of the school – individuals move around the country and remain fans of the school. With most college fan bases, less than 50% of fans have ever actually stepped foot in the football stadium.

Drive younger fandom with engagement

While baseball is heavily regionalized, college football is increasingly becoming less so, especially in the age of massive realignment and coast-to-coast conferences. So digital platforms offering a range of content becomes paramount. 

For instance, Playfly’s LSU Gold service offers a variety of digital experiences through Apple TV and Roku that fans can dive into from living rooms across the country, not just in Louisiana. When you subscribe to LSU Gold, you’ll get an exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary series, long-form storytelling from every LSU sports team, daily podcasts and more.

That’s the future – offering fans wherever they are a buffet of digital content.

“Those elements are driving younger fandom, and more connectivity, more engagement,” Schreiber said.

As for the in-venue experience, which clearly remains important, Playfly has AI-powered technology to help price tickets to drive more monetization. And it continues to explore how to create more Gen Z-friendly game-day settings, with a more communal experience and food and hospitality offerings personalized to one’s preferences.

In tailoring in-venue and at-home offerings to younger fans, the industry is only scratching the surface in reaching and engaging that demo. But it’s an increasing priority for all stakeholders, one Playfly is emphasizing this year and beyond.

“We really want to create more value, more engagement, more inventory, more opportunities, more experiences using that fandom as a service concept – that is what our goal is,” Schreiber said. “If we can do that with our partners, we’re going to be more successful than just coming in and getting a mandate to sell an ad on a stadium. That’s how we’re really trying to change the paradigm for us as we come in and think about the business a little differently with our partners.”