By Lara Barratt
The year is nearly over and publishers will be thinking about what’s to come in 2020. There are huge events in the sporting calendar that’ll have audiences in the millions and millions waiting to consume as much content, reaction and social media feeds as much as possible. So we’ve pulled together ideas for some of the biggest events of 2020 for publishers to think about when planning their coverage over what’s going to be a very busy 12 months.
1. Tokyo Summer Olympics (24th July – 9th August)
The Summer Olympics is an international multi-sporting event held every four years during the Summertime period. For 2020, Tokyo will host the games for a second time; with four new sports including karate, sport climbing, surfing and skateboarding making their Olympic debuts. Tokyo has also stated that these Olympics are going to be the most innovative ever organised, therefore, we can expect a lot of enthusiasm towards the games in the upcoming months.
However, with only seven months until the Games arrive, publishers need to tap into the big stories of these upcoming Olympic games and therefore could discuss how Tokyo want to make the 2020 Olympics become the most innovative games ever organised. Publishers should therefore look at past games and compare it to what Tokyo is planning to offer, perhaps from a digital perspective, and then creating written pieces with graphics that could really stand out with good writing and impressive visuals to support their research.
2. Tokyo Paralympic Games (25th August – 6th September)
Following the Olympics, the Paralympics are another international multi-sport event, but for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee. Two new events will also see badminton and taekwondo debuting in the Games, replacing sailing and 7-a-side football from the programme. These games will also bring an end to the multi-sporting Summer of events for Tokyo, where the competition will be handed over to Paris for 2024.
To tie in with the Olympics, content could include an in-depth analysis into the new debuting Olympic sports such as surfing and sport climbing as well as Paralympic badminton and taekwondo, to discuss what these new sports are, how the events will work, who to look out for, and what to look forward to. These sorts of guides help people feel more connected to the games and relate more to the athletes participating. It’s important to make sure they’re getting top level coverage.
3. UEFA Euro 2020 (12th June- 12th July)
The Euros is an international men’s European football championship organised by UEFA. The tournament occurs during the months of June and July, with 12 different cities across 12 UEFA countries holding various stages of the competition to celebrate the tournament’s 60th birthday. The video assistant referee (VAR) will be used for the first time within the Championship’s history.
A content idea for the Euros could include how each team got to the competition, where they have ended up in their groups and how well they could do within the tournament. Similar to the Paralympics guide, these pieces allow for plenty of imagery, and tell a story about the long road that leads to the finals of the tournament. It can help people understand what to expect from sides and feel prepared and in-the-know for the tournament, and can even include interactivity such as score predictors, fantasy football and more.
what football is on tv tonight, tomorrow and at the weekend? Get the latest guide to what match is on television via the football on tv guide. You can also see what legal streams are available in the UK and which to avoid. As well as fixtures and options on where to watch on TV from broadcasters such as SKy Sports, BT Sports, Amazon Prime and YouTube.
4. Super Bowl LIV (2nd February)
The NFL Super Bowl is a globally popular competition known for its iconic half-time show and entertaining on-field sport between the conference champions to ultimately determine the NFL’s league champion. This match will be televised worldwide and promoted to not only sport fans, but music fans through its halftime performers of Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.
For the Super Bowl, there could be a look at how NFL has changed over the year. Games are being played far more overseas, with London the main destination thanks to the agreement with Tottenham Hotspur and their new stadium. Is this affecting the teams? Is it affecting the sport positively or negatively? Has digital engagement gone up? Are there more fans and followers now? Essentially, this should be the most watched Super Bowl of all time – will this be the case? Researching and debating this would make for a great piece for publishers.
5. Wimbledon Championships (29th June – 12th July)
Wimbledon is known as the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. It is the only major that still plays on a grass court, and has a retractable roof fitted on its No.1 and Centre Court. However, Wimbledon does not benefit from the sporting calendar due to the overlap with the Euros, furthermore, it faces extra audience complications both on television and in person because of the geographical location of the latter rounds of the Euros and the television schedule.
Wimbledon is going to be battling with the Euro’s for viewing figures, especially as both will be on freeview TV. It’s imperative therefore that publishers covering the event make sure they’re pumping out regular content both on websites and social media and ensure this beloved tournament isn’t lost in the noise, especially with Wembley hosting so many Euro’s games. Quantity, while maintaining quality, is the best way to do this. Reaction articles, post-match videos with players, coaches, Tennis legends, and engaging bitesize content for social media will ensure the high-level of coverage is maintained.
