The WSC Sports Huddle is a series of in-person events taking place across Europe. It is the premiere gathering for executives to discuss and learn about the increasingly important role of sports content and how to best deliver it to fans.
Key Takeaways
-Automate or fade into the feed. The speed of fandom waits for no one. Whether it’s Ligue 1’s real-time distribution hub or FIBA 3×3’s global event coverage, automation isn’t just efficient; it’s the only way to deliver timely, platform-native content at scale
-Design the journey, not just the reach. What EMSA, Livesport, and others show is that real ROI comes from guiding fans into owned environments where data, loyalty, and monetization take root
-Deliver personalization that feels…personal. From country-specific highlights to custom avatars and creator-led content, the leading orgs are scaling identity-driven experiences. WSC’s AI infrastructure is helping rights holders turn fragmented reach into relevant, revenue-driving fan engagement
As fans become more elusive, and prone to scrolling on multiple platforms, sports rights holders are being forced to evolve—technically, creatively, and structurally. At the Athens Huddle, WSC Sports brought together leaders from Ligue 1, Livesport, EMSA Media, and FIBA 3×3 to unpack what it takes to thrive in today’s content ecosystem. From creator-led thinking to tech-powered scale, these are the themes that surfaced across the day’s conversations—and what they mean for anyone looking to stay ahead of the content curve.
Build for Speed and Scale or Get Left Behind
On every panel, the urgency to deliver more content, faster, was clear. Fans expect instant highlights, real-time context, and platform-specific formats—without delay. That kind of output is impossible without automation at the core.
Cyprien Castanedo, International Media Project Manager at Ligue 1, spoke about their dynamic content hub that gives easy access to its broadcast partners, enabling both the league and the rest of the ecosystem to deliver highlights and clips to fans faster. Alan Zaruba, Chief Digital Content Officer at Livesport, mentioned the company’s global CMS which helps distribute localized, stat-integrated videos in 30+ languages. Likewise, Esteban Gonzalez, Senior Digital Content Manager for FIBA 3×3, shouted-out WSC Sports for enabling him and his team to cover thousands of events every year thanks to it’s automation rules.
From Distribution to Destination: Owning the Fan Experience
Another major thread across sessions was the shifting mindset from syndication to ownership. Whether you’re a broadcaster, league, publisher, team/club, or federation, the goal is no longer just reach, but relationships. That means pulling fans back from social into your own apps, websites, and platforms. These owned environments benefit rights holders, of course, but fans want and love them because they offer them access to exclusive content, personalized alerts, and reward ecosystems that can’t be replicated on social platforms.
Eirini Panzari, Chief Operating Officer at EMSA Media, described their strategy as a “digital galaxy”—where each social platform acts as a planet orbiting around a single core: their owned website. It’s a model built to meet fans wherever they are, while still pulling them back into a controlled, data-rich environment.
Meanwhile, Záruba shared how his team at Livesport is focused on turning their app into a personalized destination—one that goes far beyond scores to include highlights, stats, and custom content tailored to each fan’s preferences. At the league level, Ligue 1 is taking a similar approach, consolidating video, stats, and fantasy into a unified app experience that’s designed to become a part of fans’ daily routines.
And even in the world of FIBA 3×3, where YouTube remains a vital distribution channel, the long-term strategy is clear: guide users into their own ecosystem at play.fiba3x3.com, where registration, loyalty programs, and monetization opportunities await.
Relevance Beats Exclusivity in the Battle for Attention
At the end of the day, the fans care less about who owns the rights and more about who delivers the moment. That’s why short-form, personalized, and culturally relevant content is getting the most views and engagement.
The panelists gave specific examples of how they’ve implemented new technology to deliver content to fans faster. Ligue 1 automates the distribution of highlights to folders organized by nationality; allowing broadcasters to instantly access clips that matter most to their markets. And Livesport is experimenting with avatars and virtual presenters tailored to regions like South America. Lastly, Esteban and his team at FIBA 3×3 are crafting women-specific content, using creator tournaments to reach new markets, and building brand narratives around urban culture—not just live action from the games.
Actionable Insights
Here are three things you can start doing today to elevate your content strategy:
-Automate for volume and velocity. Real-time is the new baseline—speed matters more than polish.
-Design for ecosystems, not just channels. Think beyond posts. Build platform-native journeys that reward engagement and build loyalty.
-Personalize at every level. From player-specific clips to region-specific edits, fans want content that feels like it was made just for them.
Looking Ahead from Athens
If Stockholm was about innovation in the Nordics, Athens showed how quickly those strategies are becoming global imperatives. Rights holders everywhere are realizing content is a product rather than just a simple marketing play.
From publishers acting like broadcasters to leagues acting like media startups, the lines are blurring—and that’s exactly the point. Because when fans are always-on, scroll-first, and light on loyalty, only those who adapt their strategy, speed, and storytelling will stay in the game.