When it comes to untapped markets, sports bars may find a gold mine with Formula 1 (F1) fans. F1's US fanbase is growing at record speeds. Here’s a little more about F1, its (perhaps surprising) key fan demographic, and how sports bars and restaurants can market to the F1 fanbase.
The NFL. NBA. MLB. NCAA. The NHL and even the MLS. We’re pretty sure your sports bar has these leagues in heavy rotation on your TVs. And so does every other sports bar around the country. So, what makes your bar stand out from the rest? One way is to show sports and games your competitors either are incapable of showing or not willing to show. There’s a myriad of other professional leagues out there, and the increased ability of streaming games online has made it even easier for sports bars to give their guests something unique to watch. Here are three leagues and sports we think sports bars should start showing on their TVs on the regular. It’s by no means an exhaustive list, but hopefully it’ll start as a springboard for elevating your business to something more than [...]
Table turnover is a tricky business. You don’t want to rush anyone out the door before they’ve made their last purchase, but you shouldn’t let them stay so long that you lose waiting parties to another venue. However, there are times you want to keep diners around just a little bit longer. With the right combination of entertainment and on-screen messaging, you can do just that — without sacrificing revenue. Let’s take a look at four ways your sports bar can keep guests and fans in their seats longer. Offer Compelling Entertainment We’re probably preaching to the choir here (after all, you’re reading this on the SportsTV Guide’s blog), but good entertainment is a great way to get diners to stick around longer — especially if you’re broadcasting a big game. Even if diners don’t stay the full length of [...]
The last eighteen months have been a tumult of change, frustration and loss for most people around the world. Which is why the Summer Olympics in Tokyo should be a welcome distraction this year…or will it? The Games are rife with problems and the pandemic is still raging across the planet. Consequently, the Games’ success will depend on viewer interest and the performances of the athletes that attend. There’s High Interest in Both Men & Women’s Sports With the overall success of the Games anybody’s guess, there are some positives the Olympics always provide irrespective of circumstances. Among the most aspirational elements of the Games is that men’s and women’s sports are equally covered and viewed. As an example of the norm, a review of media coverage for women’s sports in Europe reveals only 12% of broadcast time at its [...]
The search for content has always been a thorny task for sports bars and restaurant operators. By content we mean any activity, programming or engagement you deliver to your guests while they visit your restaurant. Most operators have the programming part on lock down, but how does our industry do when it comes to alternative forms of content? Most of the operators served by The Daily Rail and SportsTV Guide pretty much leave it at traditional content. However, we believe not having a plan for alternative content is a fatal error in any restaurant or bar and grill. Whether you want to deliver custom messages to your guests through digital signage platforms like Atmosphere or provide obscure games that only streaming sports can deliver, understanding alternate content can be a real difference maker for your business. To address the aforementioned dearth of knowledge, we compiled a few options to expand [...]
By Reina Jones, Contributor Big restaurants and clubs have already stepped into the concept of digital signage and have started displaying attractive signage content on their digital boards. Not far behind, sports bars and small cafes have increasingly started using their digital displays for capturing the attention of their visitors and providing them with a lively experience. Due to the neck-to-neck competition, the owners of the sports bar are always trying their hands on the new digital signage content ideas that can entice their visitors and entertain them for a longer time. Top Digital Signage Content Ideas for Sports Bar Here are some of the engaging digital signage content ideas for sports bar. 1. Live Sports Tournaments As the name suggests, the sports bar is the place where food and drinks are served along with the information of sporting [...]
The recent AFC and NFC Championship Games saw an unequal pair of teams emerge victorious, as tens of millions of Americans watched the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs book their ticket for Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on February 2. While the 49ers are Super Bowl regulars with six appearances and five wins, the Chiefs have only made it to the Super Bowl two times, with their last appearance (and only win) dating back to 1970. While baseball is often referred to as “America’s pastime,” the NFL has long surpassed the MLB as the nation’s favorite professional sports league. For several reasons, including first and foremost its better suitability for television, football flew by baseball as Americans’ favorite sport to watch in the 1960s and hasn’t looked back since. If anything, [...]
What do you think when you hear the word “drone”? For some, it takes them immediately to the military use of drones to engage enemy combatants while risking fewer American lives in a forward base of operations. For others, however, the notion of drones being utilized to kill couldn’t be further from their minds. They see an incredible recreational diversion that has now morphed into its own version of a sport – one that is already being show on major TV networks like ESPN and NBC Sports Network. What is Drone Racing and the DRL? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bITjRQCGEug Let’s start by describing what drone racing is and how it works. The premier league right now is the Drone Racing League (DRL). They have credible contests around the country and deliver significant prizes to their champion pilots. The racers themselves fly single design [...]
Part Six: Managing and measuring your return on investment (ROI). A lot is going into the planning, marketing and execution of your sports bar’s first eSports tournament. But once the dust settles and you’re assessing the results, you need to determine if your efforts brought success or did you just spin your wheels for no return. That’s why we thought a thorough review of what success looks like from multiple angles will help you stay on the path towards that success. You must always remember that success is defined in marketing ultimately by sales, but that can’t tell the whole story. If your goal is to fight slipping sales, you might find that your sales stabilize, but don’t grow. Changing a downward trend could be seen as success, but sales growth might not be the accurate measure. The same is [...]
Part Five: Planning and Goals Every great sports bar event starts with a plan and running an eSports tournament is no exception. This post will help you form the foundation of your event and keep you on track for the duration of your commitment to eSports. It’s important to understand what you’re looking to accomplish and how to reach your ultimate goal -- bring eSports fans through your doors and to entice them to return. Running an eSports tournament requires a great deal of coordination and teamwork, so let’s get started on how to get there. Planning – Does Your Sports Bar Have Everything You Need? To effectively pull off a successful eSport tournament, you are going to need banks of computers or consoles with multiple gaming setups. How many screens and controls depends on what game you’ve selected as [...]
Part Four: Before You Host an Event, Know the Rules, Regulations and Background Previously, we’ve shared our thoughts on the massive potential that is the eSport community and why we believe sports bars and restaurants are losing a monumental opportunity by not marketing and catering to gamers. To put it simply, Gen Z sees eSports as more important to their culture than traditional sports. That means the future of your business depends on attracting the gaming community. As we’ve detailed in a previous post, sports bar operators would be wise test the eSports waters before venturing into hosting a gaming event of their own. This can be as simple as regularly showing big eSports tournaments at your establishment, hosting fun gaming nights, and overall making gamers and fans feel welcomed. As you build momentum with eSports and built a dedicated [...]
Part 4: Airing eSports Events on Your Sports Bar's TVs Ok, so you’re onboard and ready to show streaming eSports at your sports bar, but how do you do that? We’re glad you asked. There are two basic elements to providing streaming eSports at your location -- the device and the content source. We’ll review both and give you the tools you need to get rolling. It’s also important to note that the amount of streaming eSports available via traditional inline broadcasting has increased dramatically in the past few years. When you are done, you’ll know how to access it all and from there it’s up to you how to proceed. What are My Device Options? Let’s start with the devices for streaming eSports. This is way less complicated that you may think, but it does require some consideration of [...]
