ABSTRACT

Research question

Digital disruption is heavily impacting incumbent sports media business models. While major sports seem to cope with digital disruption, the challenges appear much bigger for minor sports. Therefore, the contribution focuses on the efforts of smaller European football leagues to adapt their business models. Two research questions follow: RQ1: What are the most important challenges to the BMs of smaller football leagues? RQ2: Which approaches to adapt BMs are explored by the smaller leagues examined?

Research methods

A comparative case study was conducted. The sample consisted of eight European smaller football leagues, which are characterized by substantial diversity in terms of population size, wealth and sporting quality. The empirical material consists of document analyses and expert interviews with league managers exploring broadcasting rights, revenues, the competition within the media environment and future broadcasting strategies.

Results and findings

Aggressive global competition and changing media consumption patterns and behaviors challenges the incumbent business models. The leagues are actively exploring new business models, although these efforts are rather conservative. Most successful is the collective marketing of overseas rights and the selling of betting rights. The leagues struggle to capture value from datafication and new media outlets.

Implications

The leagues face a complex challenge to increase local interest to combat interest from globally dominant leagues. They have to develop a ‘digital mindset’ and to balance value creation and capture. The hybrid strategy using traditional distribution channels as ‘backbone’ while exploring new BMs should occur. They should consider intensifying collective marketing efforts.

中文翻译：

---

在数字丰富性中寻找利基市场：欧洲小型足球联赛的体育媒体策略

摘要

研究问题

数字化颠覆正在严重影响现有的体育媒体商业模式。虽然大型体育项目似乎正在应对数字化颠覆，但小型体育项目面临的挑战似乎要大得多。因此，本次贡献的重点是较小的欧洲足球联赛调整其商业模式的努力。以下是两个研究问题： RQ1：小型足球联赛的 BM 最重要的挑战是什么？RQ2：较小的联盟探索了哪些适应 BM 的方法？

研究方法

进行了比较案例研究。样本由八个欧洲较小的足球联赛组成，其特点是人口规模、财富和体育质量方面存在巨大差异。实证材料包括文件分析和对联盟经理的专家访谈，探讨转播权、收入、媒体环境内的竞争以及未来的转播策略。

结果和发现

激烈的全球竞争以及不断变化的媒体消费模式和行为对现有的商业模式提出了挑战。联盟正在积极探索新的商业模式，尽管这些努力相当保守。最成功的是海外转播权的集体营销和投注权的出售。联盟努力从数据化和新媒体渠道获取价值。

影响

各联盟面临着一项复杂的挑战，即如何提高当地的兴趣，以对抗全球主导联盟的兴趣。他们必须培养“数字思维”并平衡价值创造和获取。应该采取以传统分销渠道为“骨干”，同时探索新​​的商业模式的混合策略。他们应该考虑加强集体营销力度。