Digital fan engagement in sports, unified ecosystems: PwC

Sports have always been about connections. The sound of the crowd, the intensity of a close finish, the feeling that you’re part of something bigger than yourself. But in 2026, that connection looks different.

Fans not only show up and tune in. They can curate their own experiences, engage across devices, and expect interactions to feel personal. Technology is one of the threads connecting the stadium, screen, and the community in between. A few hours on game day can now become a year-round relationship.

Unified ecosystems can replace fragmented journeys

For years, fans have bounced between disconnected apps and platforms. There’s one for tickets, another for streaming, another for social content. That friction is finally starting to disappear. Across the sports industry, many teams and leagues are creating digital ecosystems that can bring everything together in one place.

These platforms are designed to make the experience smoother while giving organizations something even more valuable: control of the fan relationship. When a fan’s data, preferences, and interactions live in one system, teams can personalize experiences, build loyalty, and open new commercial opportunities.

Over the past year, several clubs and leagues have accelerated this shift. European football teams have launched integrated apps that can merge match streaming, e-commerce, and membership benefits. In the United States, streaming networks tied to regional sports franchises have introduced single-login experiences that can connect live games with community hubs. The model is clear: When a team owns its digital ecosystem, it owns its connection to the fan.

Personalization becomes a competitive edge and a revenue engine

Access used to be the goal, but now relevance is what helps set sports organizations apart. As fans spend more time in digital environments, they expect interactions that feel tailored to them. Data analytics and AI tools are helping sports organizations meet that expectation, enabling them to understand and anticipate what fans want before they ask.

Over the past year, several teams have begun using AI tools to help generate personalized highlight reels, deliver real-time offers, and predict attendance patterns. These kinds of efforts are paying off. Fans who receive personalized recommendations spend more time on team platforms and are more likely to make repeat purchases. PwC’s 2025 Customer Experience Survey findings suggest that personalization and thoughtful experience design are increasingly important to customer loyalty. According to Adobe, companies focused on customer experience expanded revenue at 1.7 times the pace of their peers and saw customer lifetime value grow 2.3 times faster over the past year.

Personalization is a new measure of success, transforming engagement from transactions into fan relationships, and deepened engagement is becoming a growth level of its own. As engagement is becoming its own economy, teams are finding new ways that can turn digital interactions into value long after the final whistle. Subscription-based content, exclusive digital merchandise, and interactive sponsorship activations are helping create new revenue streams. Brands are rethinking how they measure return on investment, shifting from static signage to dynamic audience engagement.

Recent moves in professional basketball, where teams launched their own streaming platforms, show how direct-to-fan distribution can unlock both audience insight and incremental revenue. The Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns both launched direct-to-consumer streaming services, creating a direct line to broadcast revenues, fan data, and the ability to personalize fan experiences. Every click, view, or post-game purchase becomes measurable. And when it’s measurable, it can be monetized.

The new home-field advantage: A frictionless stadium experience

Even as digital engagement expands, the in-person experience is evolving in parallel. Today’s top stadiums utilize fan identity to prioritize simplicity, giving fans faster entry, seamless purchases, and smoother movement throughout the venue. Modern, integrated systems make each part of the visit easier.

The Intuit Dome in Los Angeles has set the tone for what fans can expect. Using facial recognition for entry and cashless concessions for speed, it has helped reduce wait times and created a smoother, more intuitive experience. Similar upgrades are spreading across major venues, where fans can enter with facial recognition technology, grab what they need, and never miss a play.

A frictionless environment can do more than improve efficiency. It can change the emotional feel of attending a live event. Fans can focus on what matters—the game, the atmosphere, the community—and not the process that gets them there.

These trends aren’t theoretical. They’re already taking shape.

The San Francisco 49ers’ recent work with PwC to help redesign their digital experience shows what can be possible when technology and strategy align. Through this collaboration, the 49ers are building a platform that connects fans to the team 365 days a year, not just on gameday. The effort combines personalization, integrated digital ecosystems, and a modern fan experience both inside and outside the stadium. It’s designed to be bold, collaborative, and centered on fans—not just those who enter Levi’s Stadium. In fact, many 49ers fans have never had the opportunity to attend a game, making digital engagement an important part of their fan experience. For PwC, the project represents what’s next for sports organizations: using digital transformation to deepen relationships and expand business value.

“PwC combines sports, media, and tech like no other, making them the perfect teammate to help us revolutionize the 49ers fan experience.”

Costa Kladianos, Executive Vice President of Technology, San Francisco 49ers

By the time the 2028 Olympics arrive in Los Angeles, fans can expect a fully transformed stadium experience. Major venues hosting Olympic events are likely to invest in technology that merges digital engagement with the live experience.

At the stadiums, we predict fans will walk in using biometric or wearable credentials. They’ll pay for food and merchandise with a glance or tap. Their preferences, from favorite snacks to preferred camera angles, will follow them automatically. The result will be a completely identity-driven environment where the fan experience feels seamless and personalized.

At home, the audience will experience a similar transformation. Augmented and virtual reality broadcasts, interactive data overlays, and online watch parties will make remote viewing nearly comparable from being there. In fact, the digital experience may become so rich that ticket sales will no longer tell the full story of participation. Teams will increasingly measure engagement through streaming viewership, app activity, personalized content interactions, and digital purchases.

The next era of sports will not be defined only by who wins on the field, but by how teams connect with fans off it. The organizations that succeed will be the ones that create ecosystems fans love to live in, experiences that feel personal, and stadiums that work as smoothly as their favorite digital experiences. They’ll treat technology not as an accessory but as a bridge that helps connect passion, people, and possibility.