The first panel discussion of the day, moderated by Leander Monbaliu, Chief Business Officer for the Paris-based sports consultancy, LaSource, centered on broadcast organizations and included Michiel Ameloot, Editor in Chief of Sports at DPG Media, Bruno Bouniton, Head of Partnership Development & Sponsoring at Proximus, and Martijn Hendriks, Streaming Coordinator at NOS. While each panelist is responsible for marketing live sports events at their respective company, their different backgrounds gave the audience a unique perspective on the industry—from a large media company, a public broadcaster, and telecom operator.
The goal: a top-notch product for fans
Both Michiel Ameloot and Martjin Hendrilks work at organizations with their own linear, digital, and news offerings. One of the challenges they face is that their audiences have now shifted a tremendous amount of time and attention to social media; so part of their strategies are focused on raising awareness on other platforms to draw people into live games. In our first summary of the WSC Sports Huddle: Antwerp, we mentioned NOS’ success in sharing content to Google One Box using the WSC Sports platform, but both organizations cited new strategies used to capture people’s attention—like opening up WhatsApp channels to share news and content directly with fans. For Bruno Bouniton and Proximus, the strategy is to win-over customers by presenting them with the best possible product offering. That means aggregating programs to make it easier for people to find what they want to watch; and developing smart recommendations to advertise an upcoming Champions League game, for example.
I think you might have all experienced the issue where you can’t find a movie you want to watch in the evening…We try to provide a one-stop-shop where it’s easy to find the content you want to watch.” rn
Collaborating to increase brand reach
One of the key themes that became apparent during the panel, and indeed during the many conversations that took place during the day, was the importance of collaboration— specifically, between teams, federations/leagues, and broadcasters. The end goal is two-fold: offering the best possible product to fans and expanding the reach of each others’ brands. To start, the three panelists already had many shared interests. As a TV provider, Proximus offers channels belonging to the other two panelists. In addition, NOS partnered with Samsung and LG, as well as two large local cable operators in the Netherlands to offer its programming which includes many live sports events. The partners’ networks allow viewers to live-stream games from computers or mobile phones, and Martijn Hendriks mentioned that the live streams often surpass linear in terms of viewership.
Collaboration enables shared resources and integrated fan experiences, so to offer a better overall experience to football fans, DPG teamed up with the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) to deliver more content from Belgium’s national team to fans. DPG broadcasts all of the Red Devils’ games on its linear channels, but they’re challenged by limited media rights. To get the most out of their rights, the partnership enables them to share content like exclusive interviews, player spotlights, highlights, and more, to bring fans closer to their favorite athletes and action. Working together, both organizations are able to get more eyes on their brands which serves business goals while satisfying fans’ appetites for content.
The 2024 Antwerp Huddle showcased how sports broadcasters and organizations in the Benelux region are adapting to changing fan behaviors through innovation and collaboration. Whether simplifying content discovery, leveraging streaming success, or enhancing fan experiences through partnerships, the event emphasized the shared goal of delivering value to fans while driving mutual growth across the industry.
