asiCast 130: Leading the drive for fan and viewer engagement

Posted by asi on 19th October 2021

One of the most significant things since Liberty Media took over the running of the Formula 1 franchise is the extent to which research has been central to the innovations they have introduced to the sport. At the time Liberty became involved there was little or no research being undertaken and such information as there was about F1’s relationship to its fanbase was largely anecdotal. The early qualitative studies they undertook in a number of countries pointed to a disconnect between the sport and its fanbase and identified a set of challenges to be overcome to make the sport more inclusive and allow fans to become more engaged.

In this interview, Richard Marks talks to Greg Morris, Senior Brand Research Manager at Formula 1, about the nature of the research they have conducted which led to the establishment of Fan Voice, an online fan community. Whilst this clearly gives fans the opportunity to exchange views and highlight the issues that are of greatest interest to them at any given time, it also serves as a useful research resource as a platform through which Liberty can conduct surveys across a wide range of topics. As is entirely appropriate to a sport on the cutting edge of technological developments, their suite of research tools also includes biometrics with a panel of viewers to races having a sensor strapped to the palm of their hand measuring galvanic skin response to the level of excitement they experience throughout the race.

Greg will be speaking at this year’s virtual Television & Video Conference (2nd to 5th November) and focussing on the development of F1’s collaboration with Netflix in the production of the ‘Drive to Survive’ series. You can find out more and register to attend the conference here.

Greg Morris talks with Richard Marks: