Digitalized Sports Products and Various Generations in the Era of Industry 4.0

Abstract

In modern times of Industry 4.0, digital solutions are used in an increasing number of branches of the economy, and this also applies to sports. Generational cohorts provide a way to understand how different life experiences affect people’s views of the world. There is a new growing group of sports fans—modern fans—who have been functioning in the digital world since birth, and therefore have their specific behavioral patterns, habits, and expectations. For this reason the sports industry must adapt properly to continue to develop. This article aims to identify how consumers representing various generations on the Polish market consume sports products provided by digitized channels. The study focused on three areas: the source of information about the sport, devices on which consumers watch sports and the evaluation of the attractiveness of sports products (full games, game highlights and behind the scenes). The study was conducted in the form of an online survey in 2021, and 581 Polish volleyball fans took part in it. The results indicate that younger generations are more likely to get sports information from social media and less likely to watch games on TV than older generations.

Systematic evaluation of integration between China’s digital economy and sports industry: Two-stage grey relational analysis and vector autoregressive model

“…The current state of the sports media and information service (X 7 ’) sector indicates an important sectoral weakness. A Polish study reveals that younger cohorts exhibit a higher propensity to acquire sports-related information through social media platforms, whilst displaying a diminished inclination to watch live sports events on television [ 54 ]. Likewise, another survey about the Italian sports industry had similar findings, indicating that the use of digital channels is exponentially increasing, particularly among young people [ 55 ].…”

The interaction of digital economy, artificial intelligence and sports industry development --based on China PVAR analysis of provincial panel data

“…For example, in the area of sports consumption, Changing trends in consumption patterns of sports products lead to increasing awareness of sports organizations and adapting to new ways of satisfying market needs. These organizations create a new digitized space for the consumption of sports products indirectly(for example through digital broadcasting rights) [ 30 ].…”

Value Co-creation in Sports Live Streaming Platforms: A Microfoundations Perspective

“…Meanwhile, Industry 4.0 also drives digital solutions in an increasing number of branches of the economy [3]. Customers use various digital products such as laptops, tablets,and smartphones that allow them to access interesting contents [4].…”