The following interview is part of our ongoing Expert Series that asks C-level professionals, team presidents, league executives, athletic directors and other sports influencers about their latest thoughts and insights on new technologies impacting the sports industry.
Name: Rudolf Vidal
Company: Bayern Munich
Position: President, Americas
Rudolf Vidal is the President of Americas for FC Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. He was formerly the Managing Director of the club’s U.S. operation when he joined the organization three years ago.
1) What utilization of technology in professional sports has recently blown you away and why?
We think EA Sports is doing a fantastic job with its FIFA video game series. It’s not just a great soccer simulation but a great content and community platform. It’s a product they manage to improve and innovate every year with their online tournaments, “The Journey” story mode, which elevates the game to a cinematic status and the great content campaigns with players. For us here in the U.S. having EA as a partner is an especially valuable vehicle to reach and convert new fans as gamers make their first connection with our brand and soccer through the video game.
2) If money were no object, what technology would you build or buy to help you do your job better?
Artificial Intelligence can play a big role in how fans discover and consume sports as well as in helping teams create engaging experiences and provide services to a global fan base. From a brand-building and audience development perspective, software like the emerging intelligent personal assistants or chat bots can be extremely helpful in engaging fans and enhancing experiences in various ways from surfacing content, providing customer support and building affinity.
3) As a sports fan, what sports-related service, app, product, etc., could you not live without and why?
It’s hard to beat Twitter when it comes to real-time updates and staying on top of the latest news and trends in the sports world. It’s still the most relevant real-time platform which you can tune for your perfect signal-to-noise ratio, whether on match day, during breaking news or to make sure you don’t miss the most entertaining sports moments. The live streaming rights they have added have only made it more valuable.
Bleacher Report’s Team Stream app also does a great job of aggregating the most relevant content from teams, publishers and fans. It’s an engaging and functional accompaniment for fans following their favorite team and league throughout the week without missing anything.
4) If you had to project 20 years into the future, how will most football fans watch their favorite sports teams?
The fan will have a much greater menu of choice and ability in how, what, when and where sports will be consumed. We will see some of the existing structures start to break down, whether that’s cable packages unbundling or region-specific rights deals opening up. The “sports borders,” so to speak, will shrink even more and advances in technology will allow an FC Bayern fan in the U.S. to have an almost identical experience as a fan in Munich.
5) Where has Bayern Munich leveraged technology on both the player performance and fan engagement side of things? Why is there an emphasis placed on technological innovation?
Simply put, technology is a great tool to improve the fan experience. Whether it’s connectivity at our stadium or our vast array of global digital offerings, technology allows us to bring our fans closer to the club, to create a visceral and lasting experience. With fans all over the world it’s important for us to be able to serve everyone and provide them with the best-possible experience. Our digital platforms, for example, are a great means of maintaining relationships with fans far away. How they interact and experience our club will only improve as technology continues to advance.
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6) Give us your bold prediction about a form of technology that will be integral to the Bundesliga and/or football as a whole over the next 12 months and why?
Video streaming, particularly on social platforms, will continue to make headlines. It will be interesting to monitor Liga MX and Univision’s streams on Facebook. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter can be great distribution channels for leagues looking to grow into different markets. You can definitely see in the U.S., for example, how important second screens and social have become during live events. For the Bundesliga, social platforms provide a great opportunity to connect with the rapidly growing soccer audience in the States.