Sportradar Connect: Soccer Edition

And that's a wrap for our panels at Sportradar Connect! An engaging day ranged from Jamie Carragher quipping about Danny Murphy, to discussions on AI, real-time messaging and activation. Adam Azor of Sportradar concludes with his comments.

Football is a value creator, a driver... and as a Southampton fan it is also a heart breaker!

Peer Naubert is asked how he competes with the Premier League! But he says the Bundesliga is not a direct competitor as it is 'in another universe.' The Bundesliga, however, has created a marketing framework for the future and is going in the right direction.

We conclude that automation and AI will be vital (as boring as it is to repeat this message!) to the future of this type of marketing.

Coming to the final whistle... Where is the future of soccer (football) marketing heading? SHOCK: AI will play a role! Peer Naubert says betting will be driven by hyper personalisation. Jem Maidment agrees.

Niki Beier discusses FanID and how that acts as an example of the future of activation in marketing. Jamie Fox, of FDJ, discusses the challenges of funnelling the right data. But algorithms can help here and the ultimate goal is hyper personalisation.

Peer Naubert, Bundesliga International CEO, says value is determined by exactly what one wants to achieve from their marketing campaigns. Activations with the local community are a good example.

Niki Beier, SVP, Marketing Services, Sportradar says it is difficult to measure exact ROI for a sponsorship (a familiar message). But when it comes to emotion and activation, there can be a direct impact.

Jem Maidment says he is "surprised how few brands engage with football." His point refers to truly engaging and tapping into the emotion of the sport.

The discussion begins with the power of football as a social driver - and of course a sportsbook driver.

Bonus bonus content: bet builders and accumulators allow for like-for-like revenue compared to past eras with a lower-depositing customer base. This can help keep operators competitive with tighter regulations. Regulation has driven innovation - go figure? And it's more responsible, at the end of the day, the panel concludes.

Bonus quote: trading is so automated today that the best manual traders are punters!

We conclude with a nod to the future. The need to become, in places, more automated. The need to include coverage of all sports, not just football. How much can social media and betting merge, without cannibalising? Betting sites will change, encouraging a younger audience - but striking a balance that doesn't lose another core customer group. How can data be delivered more innovatively? These are questions... but the answers will define industry progress here more than anything else.

How important is live betting to future growth? Darren Small, understandably, says it's fundamental for Sportradar. It's all about engaging with customers (operators not just bettors). Dan Barrett from Flutter says we've come a long way from 'in play with Ray.' There are plenty of data points that have helped. Some haven't - like fastest player on the pitch...

Ifran Parvez reflects on older betting interfaces being overwhelming. Personalisation offers a cleaner process but also extends to when operators will communicate with players. From a trading POV, it is a massive opportunity. Darren Small adds "what he said!"

Player specials have grown in recent years, with quicker markets that recycle faster - but keep bettors engaged longer. Darren Small discusses the trend of fans being more dedicated to players than teams in the modern era.

Engagement is key, the panel reflects. Today's sporting landscape is less about matches - and more about moments.

Jamie Carragher: The importance of data analysis in today's football landscape often means the data analyst is as important (if not more) than the assistant coach. Nicolo D'Ercole, EVP, Technology & AI at Sportradar: Foundational AI models need to understand the game of football, that's the next step. This can help tactics, recruitment etc. But the magic of how a goal is scored remains the beauty of sport. AI and statistical predictions won't take that away.

AI and data allows the smaller clubs to compete with the so-called big teams. Brentford, Brighton and Midtjylland are used as examples.

The panel discuss use cases of AI: helping to reduce injury, helping humans make decisions based on data and levelling the playing field (for example, in the Premier League).

Carragher remembers the arrival of Prozone - but jokes that the likes of Danny Murphy used to run more (aimlessly) just to boost their stats!

Speaker announced: Liverpool FC legend, UEFA Champions League winner Jamie Carragher is joining Sportradar Connect: Soccer Edition

We’re just two weeks out from Sportradar Connect: Soccer Edition at London Stadium - and the lineup keeps getting bigger. Joining the event: 2014 World Cup winner & Amazon Prime co-commentator Benedikt Höwedes, plus top voices from Bundesliga International, LiveScore, Flutter Entertainment, Utilita Energy, FDJ United, and more.