Sustaining Year-Round Engagement: Why Fan Relationships Have No Offseason · 50:58

This SBJ Live episode examines how sports organizations sustain fan relationships beyond the biggest moments and into the rest of the calendar. The conversation features perspectives from leaders from the PGA Tour, NASCAR, NBC Sports and Braze on the evolving challenge of competing for fan attention and building lasting “fan equity.” Speakers: Sean Halbmaier, VP, Fan Engagement & Analytics, PGA Tour Allyson Kurth, VP, Media, Entertainment, Gaming & Sports, Braze Jarrett Overstreet, Manager, Digital Platform, NASCAR Helen Soto, Senior Manager of Email Marketing, NBC Sports Panelists discuss how the fragmentation of media, the rise of subscription fatigue, and changing consumption habits have made fandom more complex—and more intentional. From first-party data strategies and CRM-driven personalization to cross-platform engagement and membership models, the discussion focuses on how organizations are creating continuous, relevant touchpoints before, during and after events. The conversation highlights how leading organizations are shifting from transactional engagement tied to tentpole events toward consistent, relationship-driven experiences that extend throughout the year and strengthen long-term loyalty. 00:00 – Welcome & Opening Remarks 01:30 – Framing the Conversation: Year-Round Fan Engagement 02:00 – Competing for Attention in a Fragmented Media Landscape 03:47 – Defining “Fan Equity” 04:41 – Speaker Introductions 07:27 – NBC Sports: Building Year-Round Fan Journeys 09:51 – Why Relationships Must Extend Beyond the Season 10:12 – Defining Continuous Fandom 11:17 – NASCAR: Engagement Beyond Tentpole Events 12:46 – PGA Tour: Data, Analytics & Fan Experience 13:48 – Membership Models & Digital Engagement (PGA Tour Pass) 16:00 – Personalization & Platform Strategy 18:00 – Leveraging First-Party Data 20:00 – Aligning Content, Marketing & Measurement 27:00 – Measuring Loyalty vs. Engagement Spikes 31:00 – Sustaining Fan Interest Outside Key Moments 38:00 – Feedback Loops & Fan Signals 41:00 – Future Opportunities in Fan Engagement 46:00 – Building Trust & Long-Term Value 50:00 – Closing Thoughts #FanEngagement #sportsbusiness #sportsmarketing

June 4, 2026