The Game Changer
The Phoenix Suns’ New Playbook for Success
In today’s world of rapidly changing viewing habits and declining cable subscriptions, professional sports are feeling the heat, facing unique challenges in building fan loyalty and maintaining revenue streams. One team rewriting the playbook is the Phoenix Suns, devising innovative strategies to revive team spirit and ensure future generations of die-hard fans.
Gone are the days when the entire neighborhood gathered around a solitary TV set to watch the big game. Gen Z’s on-the-go lifestyle has radically altered how sports are consumed — so much so that modern fans are likelier to cheer for individual players than the teams themselves. Basketball phenoms like LeBron and Curry have fast become the idols of this generation. Many viewers today aren’t just satisfied with watching games on TV anymore. They want to watch their favorite content anywhere, anytime, and on any device. That habit, which normalizes everything seen on a screen into content, has changed sports teams’ relationship with their fans. This shift is causing teams and leagues to rethink their strategies and reassess their opportunities.
Enter the Phoenix Suns, a team unwilling to settle for the status quo. In a bold move, the Suns recently changed their RSN deal, trading short-term revenue for what they hope will be lasting connections with a new generation of loyalists. By prioritizing distribution, they’re laser-focusing on building future audiences that are more likely to throw their weight behind an entire team as opposed to cherry-picked superstars. This is a throwback to the good old days of cheering on your home team from the comfort of your living room, thanks to your local broadcasting network, which became destination viewing, and you grew up cheering for your team and the players that were a part of your team.
This is important to consider, given how salary caps impact many professional leagues. Last night when Kevin Durant and Devan Booker faded from this year’s playoff, the Suns now have to think about how they’ll set up their roster for next season. It is left unsaid that contracts for individuals like these superstars are not always based on performance in the sport but also on the greater impact they bring from an attention perspective.
Pivoting to forgo short-term revenue for long-term distribution allows the Suns to challenge the current player-worshiping Gen Z trend and work towards a future where lifelong Suns fans feel an unwavering attachment to the team. It’s a risky game that could be a total slam dunk if executed correctly. Increasing access to the team and its content is pivotal in building and maintaining deep-rooted relationships with fans. The Suns are going all in on this move, with the hope that they’ll successfully tap into the “team spirit” vein by making the team relatable and accessible — something that could potentially rock the very foundation of player-driven fan culture.
If their big bet pays off, the Suns stand to reestablish the bond between a city and its beloved team. As they plow ahead with this new fan-first approach, they’re also bracing for a brave new world dominated by streaming platforms and unconventional advertising gateways. In doing so, they’re future-proofing their franchise by crafting fresh, innovative strategies to weather the streaming storm (remember, winter is coming). By taking this risk, the Suns’ pioneering approach could become a blueprint for other sports organizations navigating the uncertain waters of a streaming-first world.
As more RSNs feel the pinch, facing massive debt and bankruptcies, it’s forcing multiple teams to rethink their positioning and value proposition. More tech giants like Apple TV, YouTube, and Amazon are changing the value they provide as streaming platforms with hopes of being able to steal all the advertising dollars. Tech knows that to succeed as a streaming platform, it must build an expansive advertising business that can excel at targeted advertising. Cable operators, media companies, and tech companies see this, especially from the recent success of Netflix’s advertising tier. So they all know that live sports are the MVPs in this new advertising playbook. Take Amazon’s plan for Thursday Night Football, for example. With millions of viewers tuning in, it’s a golden opportunity to reach a vast audience with targeted ads. It’s like having a captive audience in a stadium, ready to consume the game and the ads. With tech, media, and cable all playing chess against one another, pro sports teams are now looking to navigate this treacherous landscape. One wrong move can commoditize a team’s brand’s value and erode that relevance. That same wrong move could also accelerate tech’s ability to have their platforms own and facilitate the direct connection that players continue to build with fans, taking out the team. Talk about trying to draw the foul while driving through Jokic for the +1.
As streaming becomes the new normal, professional sports are the most attractive partner to dance with for now, and these leagues and teams are right to take advantage of that stance while they still can so they can adapt to the future. As the cable cord continues to fray, perhaps teams everywhere can take a leaf out of the Phoenix Suns’ playbook — because, after all, to adapt and survive is the only game in town. Will the Phoenix Suns manage to score a three-pointer and create a brave new world of fan loyalty? Only time will tell. But in their quest to rally a city and bolster fan ranks, one thing’s for sure: the Phoenix Suns aren’t going down without a fight — and neither should their fans.
