On the eighth episode of Sports Content Kings, Aviv and Shaka Arnon from WSC Sports are joined by the President of IMG’s Media Division, Adam Kelly. In the episode, Kelly talks about the fight for fans’ attention, the importance of short-form content, and IMG’s plans for the future.
As a child Kelly lived a ‘stone’s throw’ away from Wimbledon. Through his teenage years he was always passionate about sports, and was fortunate enough to turn it into a career—starting at IMG as an intern and climbing all the way to the top. Now Kelly works with some of the world’s top sports rights owners to help them get a maximum return on their investments, including Wimbledon.
To start the podcast, Kelly talks about how crucial it is to connect with fans and grab their attention. Part of executing that is delivering content effectively and to as big an audience as possible.
According to Kelly, one of the keys to building an effective digital strategy lies in short-form content and publishing it to platforms like TikTok and Instagram—which are now go-to destinations for sports highlights and content.
“A billion plus users on TikTok consume over 90 minutes of [content] each day when the average length of content is 15 seconds or less—we need to lean into those platforms with content that is effective.”
Looking to the future, IMG is branching out to find new, innovative opportunities for its clients. While initially skeptical of AR/VR entering the sports space, Kelly mentions his excitement about the upcoming release of the Apple Vision Pro, a mixed-reality headset with a release date scheduled for early 2024 at an asking price of $3,499. With products like the Vision Pro coupled with an increase of sports content on social media platforms, IMG continues to captivate fans, and will have a lasting impact on their clients’ bottom lines.
