The Fan Engagement Podcast

#10 Manny Puentes, Genius Sports – The cookie is crumbling… what’s next for sports advertisers?

Formerly CTO of MediaMath, Manny Puentes is General Manager of Advertising at Genius Sports. A leading voice in the advertising world, Manny has spearheaded the development and growth of many high-profile programmatic advertising solutions across the last 25 years.
With Google planning to phase out the third-party cookie, the advertising sector is set to undergo its biggest transformation of the last 20 years – but what does this mean for sports advertising?
In this episode, Manny discusses how sports advertisers can get ahead of the cookie phase-out, the growing importance of fan identity solutions, why it pays to be privacy-conscious with your audience engagement strategy and how sports and brands can deliver enriched, personalised fan experiences – in a world without third-party cookie data.
In episode ten of The Fan Engagement Podcast, you’ll learn:
2:13 Third-party cookie phaseout – what’s changing for brands and fans?
7:20 What does cookie depreciation mean for sports advertising?
9:36  Enhancing the fan experience through contextualised data and content
12:07 Leveraging fan identity graphs to create personalised experiences
13:02 Addressing the challenge of cross-device fan fragmentation

#9 Shawn Bryant & David Jarvis, Deloitte - The surprising truth about Gen Z sports fans

Shawn Bryant is a Managing Director at Deloitte Consulting LLP, leading their sports practice having held senior roles at Disney, ESPN, the NBA and the Harlem Globetrotters. 
David Jarvis is a Senior Research Leader at The Deloitte Center for Technology, Media and Telecommunications (Deloitte Services LP) and is a co-author of The 2023 Sports Fan Insights Report.
Deloitte is the largest professional services organisation in the world, their sports division advises clients in 40 countries and across more than 30 sports. The 2023 Sports Fan Insights Report is the most comprehensive analysis of its kind and answers some of the biggest questions facing sports rights holders and advertisers.
Are Gen Z fans engaging differently to previous generations – and exactly how?  How is social media and sports betting impacting the fan experience? Will immersive technologies become mainstream in how fans engage with sports?
In episode nine of The Fan Engagement Podcast, you’ll learn:
2:40 The 2023 Sports Fan Insights Report - is this the beginning of the immersive sports era?
4:06 How Gen Z fans express sports fandom differently from other demographics
5:36 Why the convergence of streaming, data and betting is changing how sports fans engage 
7:10 The fragmented sports viewing experience 
9:41 What the data says about emerging Gen Z fan engagement trends
12:57 Why fans are powering the explosive growth of women's sports 
14:40 Why female sports fans engage differently to male sports fans
16:49 What sports technology innovation is set to revolutionise the fan experience next?

#8 Justin Papadakis, USL – Countdown to 2026... preparing U.S. soccer fans for the FIFA World Cup

Justin Papadakis is Deputy CEO and Chief Real Estate Officer at the USL (United Soccer League), the fastest-growing professional soccer organisation in North America. 
 
This year three million fans purchased tickets to USL games. With 50 active negotiations to launch new teams and a Division One professional women’s league on the horizon, the USL is set for even more growth in 2024. 
 
But what strategies are enabling the USL to capitalise on the recent wave of U.S. soccer fandom? With the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be hosted in North America, what new opportunities do the next five years hold? And how is the USL delivering new exciting fan experiences to entertain its rapidly expanding fanbase?  
 
In episode eight of The Fan Engagement Podcast, you’ll learn: 
 
1:20 The USL’s role in growing soccer in the U.S. 
 
03:23 How the USL is expanding into new markets and capturing new fans 
 
08:16 How the USL is engaging different fan segments ahead of the 2026 World Cup   
 
11:42 What metrics matter most when it comes to fan engagement growth? 
 
12:51 How the USL is building its digital properties to integrate new concepts like sports betting 
 
14:22 Why promotion & relegation in U.S. soccer will unlock new growth 
 
16:35 The women’s soccer opportunity and the USL Women’s Super League 

#7 Dev Sethi, ex-Meta and YouTube – What’s next for sports, brands and athletes on social media?

Dev Sethi is Meta’s former Director of Sports Partnerships, with over 15 years of experience in the world of fan engagement, also including roles at Google, YouTube and as Instagram’s Head of Sports.
Dev brings an inside view into the world of sport’s social media explosion having worked closely with major leagues, teams, brands, athletes and creators across more than a decade.
But just how has sports fan behaviour evolved on social media since its emergence? How can sports, brands, athletes and creators unlock the potential of the world’s largest digital channels? And what does the fan experience of tomorrow look like in the social media future?
In episode seven of The Fan Engagement Podcast, you’ll learn:
00:03 Introduction to Dev Sethi
01:15 How the role of sports partnerships on social platforms has evolved in the last decade
03:49 NIL (name, image, and likeness) and how Meta empowered collegiate athletes to monetise social followings
08:28 Why social media is now the front door to sports fans – and how to capitalise
11:33 Why sport is an unrivalled vehicle to engage social media audiences at scale
16:51 What are the next big trends set to hit social media in the world of sport?

#6 Ryan Cooney, Hennessy – Unlocking the power of fandom as a sports sponsor

Ryan Cooney is Director of Digital & Media at Hennessy, one of the world’s largest alcohol brands and an official partner of the NBA, WNBA and 13 NBA teams. 
Hennessy, part of the Moët Hennessy group, also sponsors the multiple-time world champion boxer Canelo Álvarez. 
But why does Hennessy enjoy so much success engaging sports audiences? How do Ryan and his team unlock the power of fandom in their marketing? And what value does the brand get from its major sponsorship investment? 
In episode six of The Fan Engagement Podcast, you’ll learn: 
00:03 Introduction to Ryan and Hennessy  
01:47 Why the passion of sports makes sports fans unique 
3:08 How boxing creates powerful moments to connect with fans 
4:10 Why Hennessy sponsors the NBA and 13 NBA teams 
9:06 The differences between team and league-level sponsorships
10:32 How to engage fans on digital and measure campaign effectiveness  
14:10 Why authentic storytelling is the key to brand awareness and relevance
15:47 What KPIs Hennessey uses to measure sponsorship value 

#5 Jen Matthews, FanDuel – Building America’s largest sports betting brand

Jennifer Matthews is VP, Brand Strategy at FanDuel, America’s largest sports betting and daily fantasy sports brand.
Since online sports betting was legalized in the U.S in 2018, FanDuel has rapidly become America’s leading betting company and acquired over 17 million customers and counting.
But what have been the secrets to FanDuel’s success when it comes to converting sports fans? How does it continue to acquire and engage sports audiences at such scale? And how have league and team sponsorships supercharged the brand’s incredible growth?
In episode five of The Fan Engagement Podcast, you’ll learn:
00:40 - 03:15 Introduction to Jennifer and FanDuel
03:16 - 07:37 How FanDuel engages sports audiences when new states legalize sports betting
07:38 - 09:31 How FanDuel educates fans that are new to DFS and online sports betting
09:32 - 10:52 The power of sports sponsorships for marketing reach and scale
10:53 - 12:16 How product innovation keeps Fan Duel ahead of its competition
12:17 - 17:24 Kick of Destiny campaign: Capturing NFL fans at Super Bowl LVIII
17:25 - 18:30 Superbowl LVIII commercial: Reinventing half-time TV ads
18:31 - 20:32 Think Like a Player campaign: Using ‘deep fake’ technology to engage NBA fans

#4 Rob Johnson, The Hundred: A disruptive engagement strategy to attract new audiences to watch cricket

Rob Johnson is Head of Digital and Content at The Hundred, a professional 100-ball franchise tournament run by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
The Hundred launched in 2021, with a revitalised format and disruptive strategy to attract new audiences to watch cricket, including female fans and Gen Z’ers – and it’s been a mega success.
But how, in just two seasons, did the league attract 4.9 million fans to watch women's cricket, achieve record-breaking TV viewing fixtures and in 2022 draw 500k fans into stadiums across the UK?
In episode four of The Fan Engagement Podcast, you’ll learn:
01:12-03:40: Why the ECB needed to launch a new, disruptive product
03:41-05:26: How The Hundred attracted over 500k fans into stadiums last year
07:14-08:47: What The Hundred has learned about its audience since 2021
09:05-12:41: How The Hundred achieved record-breaking viewing figures
12:42-15:23: Why the new 100-ball format is the biggest innovation in cricket this decade
15:24-17:30: How The Hundred has attracted new FMCG sponsors like KP Snacks and Robinson’s
17:31-18:48: How The Hundred is building on ownable database of fans

#3 Aidan Lyons, Williams Racing – The race to monetize F1 fans after Drive to Survive

Aidan Lyons is Chief Growth Officer at Williams Racing, one of the most successful and prestigious Formula 1 teams in the history of the sport. Founded by Frank Williams in the 1970s, Williams Racing boasts over 391 million global fans. Aidan joined the F1 team in 2021 following a decade at the NFL, responsible for revitalizing Williams Racing’s fan engagement strategy hot on the heels of series one of Netflix’s Drive to Survive. But how is Williams Racing capitalizing on sport’s exciting international growth?
 
In episode three of The Fan Engagement Podcast, we uncover:
04:03 - 06:37 How Aidan and his team unlocked 300% social media growth in two years
06:38 - 07:29 The power of interactive O&O content for fan monetisation
10:08 - 12:14 How Williams Racing captured new U.S. audiences after Drive to Survive
12:15 - 14:12 Why the F1 team created exclusive behind-the-scenes content to engage fans
14:13 - 15:35 Williams Racing’s unique approach to physical fan activations
16:57 - 19:11 The best digital channels for engaging and monetising fans at scale
19:12 – 20:32 The secrets to more meaningful, measurable sponsor activations

#2 Grant Cohen, Fan Controlled Sports – What happens to engagement when fans take control?

Grant Cohen is the co-founder of Fan Controlled Sports + Entertainment. He runs a fast-growing portfolio of interactive sports leagues that allow fans to vote on everything from team names to jerseys and play-by-play tactics.
Fan Controlled Football is broadcast to millions of live viewers around-the-world on Twitch, NBCLX, DAZN and FuboTV. Meanwhile, Cohen and his team recently launched Fan Controlled Hoops and secured $40M Series A funding, with high-profile team owners including NFL stars Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman and Austin Ekeler.
In episode two of The Fan Engagement Podcast, we explore:
The impact on engagement when fans have a meaningful voice
A new model for attracting and retaining Gen Z fans
How Fan Controlled Football grew its online audience
Plus much more!

#1 New York Jets’ Jeff Fernandez – Building personalized 1:1 relationships with NFL fans

Jeff Fernandez is Vice President, Business Development + Ventures at the New York Jets.
For 20 years, Jeff has helped the Jets to drive audience growth, innovation and commercial value. He previously worked for the Buffalo Bills.
In the first episode of The Fan Engagement Podcast, award-winning host Megan Cain speaks to Jeff to uncover:
How the Jets grew its first-party database by 1000% in four years
The strategies Jeff and his team utilize to drive UK market growth
The difference in fandom when the Jets win and lose
Plus much more!