In our latest webinar, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dominik Schreyer Professor of Sports Economics at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Managementabout the evolving role of sports spectators and how AI is reshaping the industry.
The Changing Role of Spectators
Dominik provided a fascinating historical overview of how spectators have evolved from passive onlookers to central components of the sport’s business model. While stadium ticket sales were once the main source of revenue for clubs, today, matchday income makes up only about 15% of club revenues. Instead, media rights and sponsorships, fuelled by engaged spectators, have become the dominant financial pillars of modern sports.
Fans are not just attendees; they are part of the product. Their energy, chants, and reactions help shape the live experience that broadcasters sell to remote audiences. The pandemic starkly highlighted this, with empty stadiums leading to artificial crowd noise, cardboard cutouts, and even virtual fans being used to recreate the lost atmosphere.
AI and the Future of Fan Engagement
We also delved into how AI is augmenting the role of spectators, bringing them closer to the action than ever before. AI-driven analytics are helping clubs personalise fan experiences through tailored content, predicting engagement trends, and optimising marketing strategies. Video assistant referees (VAR) and AI-powered analytics are making officiating more precise, minimising human biases and reducing the impact of home advantage.
Another area of interest is how AI is catering to changing fan behaviours. With younger generations, particularly Gen Z, showing a preference for shorter, high-intensity content over full-length matches, AI is helping sports organisations adapt. Advanced algorithms are curating highlights, generating automated match summaries, and even enabling interactive experiences that keep fans engaged without requiring them to watch an entire game.
The Future of the Game
Ironically, the stream froze just as Dominik was about to explain how technology could reshape the spectator’s role. Before that glitch, he noted how crowd support is seen as central to home advantage—though research suggests its impact is limited and, likely to decline further.
Why? Because AI is accelerating existing trends, especially in officiating. AI-assisted VAR and automated foul detection reduce human bias and crowd-driven referee pressure. We’ve already seen this with SAOT at the 2022 World Cup and Hawk-Eye in tennis and goal-line technology.
These tools reduce human error and controversy. Referees may one day vanish from the pitch. Even AI-generated crowd noise could be used to level atmospheres.
Dominik let me know after the webinar, that there is more:
“As I explained at the beginning of the session spectators—through chants, songs, and colours—have become part of the product consumed by remote audiences. That, too, may fade.
With hyper-personalised content and AR/VR formats like tabletop broadcasts, spectators are often cut out entirely—a distraction removed. AI-driven overlays, like in Nickelodeon’s NFL streams, reshape the experience, detaching it from the live crowd while still engaging those in the stands.
In short, the spectator’s role may diminish in the age of AI. But that’s just one scenario. The future is wide open.”
Watch the webinar below! 👇
Latest News & Trends In AI
Check out the latest news and trends in AI that I shared last week. 👇
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FutureShifts Update
Heads up, FutureShifts will be taking a one-week break and we are back on 7th April, 2025 with our next edition.
