Digital transformations in a platform society: A comparative analysis of European football leagues as YouTube complementors

Abstract

The prevalence of digital technologies and emerging social media platforms in the 21st century has altered the ways in which individuals and groups produce and consume elite football (soccer). Elite football is no longer consumed merely through ‘traditional’ media as television or radio. By comparing the ‘big five’ football leagues (the first divisions in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain), this article examines how these leagues have adapted to an algorithm logic (monetization strategies/content strategies) on YouTube. Drawing from data collected (64,247 YouTube videos) using YouTube Data Tools, we argue that the ‘big five’s’ content creation on YouTube work in a complementary manner to ‘traditional’ platforms, allowing for the testing and adaption of their content practices based on instant consumer feedback. This article makes a contribution to the literature on the symbiotic media/sport relationship with its analysis and insights into the digital transformations occurring in a ‘platform society’.

Data as capital and ethical implications in digital sport business models

“…The platformisation of society further skews power imbalances as DDBMI are reliant upon the small number of organisations operating platform services. Sport organisations wishing to broadcast content via social media (e.g., YouTube) or streaming services (e.g., Amazon Prime) therefore become ‘complementors’ in multi-sided markets governed by the logics of platform businesses who control access to data, how content can be monetised, and what is ‘appropriate’ online behaviour (Petersen-Wagner and Lee Ludvigsen, 2022a) reinforcing the oligopolistic status of major platform businesses (Van Dijck, 2021).…”

“…If users are concerned about their privacy online, the willingness of sport organisations and teams to promote content through these platforms gives credibility, and symbolic capital that encourages supporters to reveal personal information online (i.e., the privacy paradox; Kokolakis, 2017). For sport organisations, there is the added benefit of data collection and feedback on content strategies enabled by digital platforms, even if organisations must follow rules set out by platforms (Petersen-Wagner and Lee Ludvigsen, 2022a). Similar arguments can be made about the symbolic capital bestowed by the sale of broadcasting rights to platform businesses, such as Amazon and Tencent, that collect and share behavioural data to third parties for financial gain.…”

The more we post, the better? A comparative analysis of fan engagement on social media profiles of football leagues

“…Given the pivotal role that football leagues play in shaping the success of tournament organization, fostering stakeholder relations, conducting marketing strategies, and nurturing connections with fans, football club organizations have undertaken the management of their social media accounts (Anagnostopoulos et al. , 2018; Petersen-Wagner and Ludvigsen, 2023). This strategic initiative aims to build and reinforce their brand in response to the dynamism of the increasingly digitized marketplace (McCarthy et al.…”

The Paralympics on YouTube: Alternative content creation and the digital consumption of the Paralympics

“…YouTube per se must be considered a platform of great sociological importance given its position as a (global) form of participatory culture and co-creation in the social media universe. This, again, allows for it to be understood as a community rather than merely a social network (see Burgess and Green, 2018) and a potential alternative to television in the world of sport (Lee Ludvigsen and Petersen-Wagner, 2022a, 2022b; Petersen-Wagner and Lee Ludvigsen, 2022b). Thus, given the platform's broader significance as an accelerator and reflector of digital trends, it is imperative to critically understand this platform's inroads in the realm of sport.…”

“…Therefore, YouTube becomes an alternative space for the consumption of FIFA related content, and especially provides a platform where specific content pertaining to women's football can be reached. When looking at the big five football leagues in Europe, Petersen-Wagner and Lee Ludvigsen (2022b) find that whilst their remediation practices on YouTube varies, their approach in terms of monetising the content is comparable as none of the leagues utilise the full platform affordances such as super stickers, super chats, channel membership or sale of merchandise. As such, it was argued that the symbiotic relationship between football leagues and YouTube rests on the flow of engagement data in the second most accessed webpage in the world.…”