Fox Soccer and ESPN are both present and active on Social Media--especially twitter (@foxsoccer @espnfc). Personally, I follow both; however, I feel more
engaged with Fox Soccer than I do with ESPN. Fox Soccer makes more of an
effort to actually engage with their followers. There are many examples I could
use, but for the sake of this blog I will focus on the Hashtags used by ESPN
and Fox Soccer on twitter.
Let’s start with ESPN. ESPN does a great job on Twitter: posting articles, videos, live scores, etc. I’ve found that their only attempt
at engagement with followers is during live matches with the hashtag
#FCBootroom. Fans can live tweet during
the match with questions using this hashtag and select few will be answered at
halftime and during the post match show.
Fox Soccer is constantly engaging with their
followers on twitter. It could be by asking a simple question like “who will win
tonight?” or “what did you think of this video?” or other opinions, questions on
current news, scores, etc. If your answer is good or you have good timing, a
re-tweet or a response from Fox Soccer is usually coming. Fox Soccer Channel
has a nightly show called Fox Soccer News where during each broadcast, they will ask
a question on twitter with the hashtag #Banterzone. The best responses will be
read on the air. In addition to the Banterzone, if you’re tweeting during a
Champions League match you can use #UCLonFox to connect with Fox Soccer and
other fans around the world. Fox Soccer has not only done a decent job of
engaging with their followers, but has also made it easy for their followers to
engage with one another.
I could take this one step further and talk about ESPN
analyst twitter accounts versus Fox Soccer analyst twitter account. Or talk
about how ESPN is part of your basic cable package and the Fox Soccer Channel
is a paid subscription, but I won’t. Yet.
http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/
http://www.foxsoccer2go.com/
http://espnfc.com/?cc=5901
Although I've never watched soccer on either ESPN or Fox, and don't follow their accounts, based on what you said about the two networks and their approach to social media engagement, I think it's safe to say that Fox Soccer is more in tune to their audience. They understand that it's not just live tweeting a match that is important for viewers, but to be able to engage fans and create a form of entertainment online as well as on their broadcasts goes a long way with establishing brand loyalty and overall fan engagement.
ReplyDeleteIt's so true. I enjoy watching matches on both stations and actually enjoy the ESPN TV Coverage and website a lot better than Fox Soccer. But, Fox Soccer blows ESPNFC out of the water when it comes to engagement on social media.
ReplyDeleteI was actually seeing those patterns you mentioned when i was watching foxsoccer versus ESPN FC. I wanted to be part of the discussion for a game between Manchester United and Manchester City, at first it was actually not easy to find the #ESPNFC hashtag, not a lot of action associated with it. Id say Fox Soccer is more dedicated to covering all of the game and hence reaches more people, where as ESPN seems to scoop up the big games, that will all change once NBC takes over after buying rights http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/66/united-states/2012/10/29/3486994/nbc-acquires-english-premier-league-us-tv-rights
ReplyDeleteI think Fox losing the rights to the EPL has a lot to do with their increased Social Media Presence.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I am a baseball fan by heart and soul; however, I know exactly what you are talking about. In working with a minor league team, it is important to keep our fans engaged and understanding simply because our advertising budget is non-existent. Twitter and Facebook play such a huge role in advertising now and this type of interaction ensures a younger audience when your older audience is too frail to attend. This type of adaptation allows for television, radio, or actual games to keep their fan base current and growing. I think ESPN covers so much and that they are so large that they do not have the time to engage their fans the same way a smaller broadcasting companies have the opportunity to maintain contact with viewers.
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