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In today’s digital world, engaging fans isn’t optional—it’s everything.
Future of Fandom is the podcast for sports leagues, broadcasters, and digital platforms who know that the old playbook for audience engagement no longer works. Hosted by the team at LiveLike—the leading enterprise engagement and loyalty platform—this series explores how the most forward-thinking organisations are using gamification, loyalty programs, and community-driven experiences to deepen fan relationships and drive real business results.
Every other week, we speak with senior decision-makers from global sports teams, media companies, and consumer brands about what it takes to turn casual spectators into loyal superfans. We dive into how enterprise organisations are rethinking digital infrastructure, leveraging first-party data, and adopting modular, API-first engagement tools to future-proof their fan strategies.
Whether you're a Head of Product, Digital, Revenue or Strategy, Future of Fandom gives you the insight and inspiration you need to move beyond passive content and into interactive, monetisable, and measurable fan experiences.
This isn’t about chasing trends—it’s about building the infrastructure of tomorrow’s fandom, today.
Subscribe now and stay ahead of the game.
40 Episodes
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NASCAR is rewriting the playbook on how a legacy sport stays relevant in a fragmented media landscape. Struggling to balance a loyal core fan base with the need to attract younger, digitally native audiences? Wondering how to future-proof your media strategy when consumption habits shift faster than your rights cycle? Brian Herbst is EVP and Chief Media & Revenue Officer at NASCAR, where he oversees the sport's billion-dollar-plus media rights business, a $60 million in-house production f...
In this special episode, recorded at Meta's London office, LiveLike founder and CEO Miheer Walavalkar sits down with Rob Pilgrim, Head of Sports Partnerships for EMEA at Meta, to explore how the world's largest social media company is helping sports organisations move fans from passive consumption to active, meaningful engagement. From the evolving role of Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Threads in a sports context, to the frontier potential of Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, Rob shares candi...
Maestro has spent nearly a decade pulling the media industry toward a more interactive, personalized future - often years before the market was ready. In this episode of Future of Fandom, we sit down with Ari Evans, Founder & CEO of Maestro, to unpack his journey from product management to entrepreneurship, and how early lessons from gaming now shape the next generation of sports and media experiences. Ari shares how freemium economics at Zynga reshaped his thinking around funnels, person...
Sports fandom doesn’t grow behind paywalls. In this episode of Future of Fandom, we’re joined by Brian Lawlor, President of Scripps Sports, to unpack how mass distribution is reshaping local sports, why over-the-air reach still matters, and what the explosive growth of women’s sports tells us about the future of media. Brian shares how Scripps is helping teams reconnect with fans after regional sports network disruption, why combining broadcast and streaming beats choosing between them, and h...
Sportradar has evolved far beyond being just a data provider, they've become a full-stack experience enabler spanning streaming, betting engagement, and sports analytics. Patrick Mostboeck, SVP of Fan Engagement, takes us inside how the company prioritises innovation across soccer, tennis, basketball, and US sports markets. We explore how COVID forced the industry to rethink everything with a fresh mind, why cultural differences between European and Asian markets demand different engagement s...
In this episode of The Future of Fandom, Samuel Westberg welcomes Laurence Boyd, Chief Content and Product Officer at E1 Series. Laurence shares how E1, the world's first electric powerboat championship, blends entertainment, cutting-edge tech, and storytelling to redefine what it means to engage fans. From AR/VR innovations to powerful social media strategies, this is a behind-the-scenes look at the future of sports media. What you'll learn in this episode >> How E1 leverages social me...
What does it take to turn passive viewers into loyal fans? In this episode of The Future of Fandom, YES Network's Vice President of Strategy & Business Development, Matthew Duarte, joins host Miheer Walavalkar to unpack how smart product strategy, nimble third-party partnerships, and data-driven decision-making are reshaping the fan experience. Discover how YES Network's innovations in gamification, streaming, and community engagement are setting new standards in sports media. What you'll...
In this episode of The Future of Fandom, Miheer Walavalkar chats with Stefanie Rapp, SVP and Commercial Growth Officer at TNT Sports, about balancing authentic fan engagement with monetisation. From Bleacher Report to Roland Garros, Stefanie shares how digital transformation, interactive experiences, and community-first thinking are reshaping sports media and fandom. What You'll Learn in This Episode >> How TNT Sports integrates monetisation with authentic fan engagement across platform...
How can a legacy brand like Yahoo drive next-gen fan engagement while staying true to its roots? In this episode of The Future of Fandom, Miheer Walavalkar, CEO and Co-Founder of LiveLike, sits down with Ryan Spoon, President of Yahoo Media Group, to explore how Yahoo is rethinking fantasy sports, leveraging community feedback, and partnering with creators to deliver personalised, gamified experiences. Discover the balance between innovation and loyalty, and why Yahoo is betting big on commun...
LiveLike takes listeners inside SportsPro AI and Leaders Week for a behind-the-scenes look at how AI is revolutionising the sports and media landscape. In this special edition of The Future of Fandom, leaders from LiveLike and major broadcasters unpack trends in fan engagement, workflow automation, and personalized streaming. Discover how rights holders and tech innovators are building the next generation of fan experiences. What you'll learn in this episode >> Why AI is central to futu...
How can clubs, leagues, and content creators monetise digital assets without pushing away fans? In this episode of The Future of Fandom, Samuel Westberg, Co-Founder of LiveLike, sits down with Andy Meikle, Founder & CEO of Recast, to explore how fintech infrastructure is transforming fan engagement and content distribution. Discover the evolution of microtransactions, smart paywalls, and why subscription fatigue is pushing the sports media industry into a bold new era. What You'll Learn i...
In this special edition of The Future of Fandom, the mics are turned around as hosts Miheer Walavalkar and Samuel Westberg become the guests. They dive deep into how artificial intelligence is reshaping fan engagement, from breaking down organisational silos to launching LiveLike's new AI assistant, Genie. A must-listen for sports and media professionals navigating the future of loyalty and fan data. What You'll Learn in This Episode >> Why fan engagement needs to be built brick by bric...
In this special episode of The Future of Fandom, hosts Miheer Walavalkar and Samuel Westberg sit down with sports media veteran Peter Hutton to explore the evolving business case for fan engagement and gamification. They dive into how fan data, community-building, and interactive experiences are reshaping loyalty, monetisation, and broadcast strategies across the industry. What You'll Learn in This Episode >> Why capturing first-party fan data is essential for monetisation and lon...
In this episode of The Future of Fandom, Miheer Walavalkar, CEO and co-founder of LiveLike, sits down with Bo Han, Chief Commercial Officer at Transmit, to explore the evolving dynamics of live sports consumption and monetisation. Bo shares insights from his journey at Twitter, Buzzer, and now Transmit, diving deep into how real-time fan engagement, personalisation, and streaming innovation are reshaping the sports media landscape. This is a must-listen for anyone passionate about future-proo...
Kara Baker, Senior Director at TMRW Sports, joins Miheer Walavalkar, CEO and co-founder of LiveLike, to unpack how TGL (Tomorrow's Golf League) is redefining digital fan engagement. This new indoor golf league created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy crafts immersive experiences to monetising user journeys, and Kara shares what it takes to build a next-gen sports league for younger audiences. Discover the strategies behind TGL's explosive debut and what's next for community-driven fandom. What...
Today on The Future of Fandom, we present the finale for our 2022 run of episodes. And hey, what good is a finale without a little Firework show? On this episode, we explore how Firework envisions the future of truly connected community-based live commerce in partnership with their Chief Business Officer, Jason Holland. Jason thinks like a modern content creator. From a long form, he builds for the short. Discarding the text and display of the past, he sees live and short-form video as the wa...
Today on The Future of Fandom, we serve up an open conversation about tennis. On this episode we explore how the US Tennis Association, or USTA, is crafting brand love (get it?) for next-gen fans in partnership with their Chief Brand Officer Amy Choyne. Amy's been a lifelong tennis fan. She's attended the US Open ever since she was four. And in 2016, after various tenures stewarding brands across fashion and retail, she got the chance to serve at the helm of the sport she's loved ever since s...
Today on The Future of Fandom, we get out on the pitch ahead of the World Cup. On this episode we got to sit down with US Soccer to think through their approach to a domestic football fandom, basing the frenzy of international action coming up this winter. And we got to do it through David Wright, who is their Chief Commercial Officer. Did you know that there is more soccer content consumed in the US than any other country around the world? As David can tell you directly, the sport has seen e...
Today on The Future of Fandom, we get to read a few pages from a sportsbook via a content juggernaut. On this episode we look at PointsBet and the way it innovates within revenue-driven content to grow a responsible diehard following. Joining us on the show will be their Senior Vice President of Content, Liam Roecklein. This isn’t Liam’s first rodeo when it comes to shaking up an industry via content approach. He was previously the first content hire at Cheddar, and saw the brand through its ...
Today on The Future of Fandom, we dive deep into the behavioral mechanics of purchase. You’ll enjoy an ever-so-slightly nerdy illustration of the next-gen, couch to cashier journey with our guest Brittany Billings. Brittany is the EVP of Marketing & Strategic Markets at Shopkick, and brings some commerce insight to the show that most can’t even provide. When you think about learning who your customer is, most brands will look to their social analytics and their receipt-level purchase data...
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