Vodafone witnessed a significant surge in fan engagement during the Euro 2024 tournament by integrating Opta Stream, Stats Perform’s cutting-edge, AI-driven live football update service. This strategic enhancement propelled Vodafone’s digital Euro coverage to the top of Google’s news rankings and captivated a larger audience within the first week compared to the preceding six months.
The integration of Opta Stream into Vodafone’s Opta-powered Euros match center, developed in collaboration with technology partner Mondia Group, provided users with an enriched, real-time multimedia experience for every match. This service delivered AI-fueled insights that facilitated deeper and more engaging storytelling around the games.
Alt text: Vodafone’s digital platform showcasing Opta stats Euro 2024 coverage, highlighting real-time data and fan engagement metrics.
Opta Stream automated the delivery of Vodafone-branded statistical infographics during pivotal moments in each game. These included visually compelling goal sequences, dynamic heatmaps illustrating player activity, continuous live text commentary, and crucial contextual statistics and metrics like expected goals (xG). The freshness, frequency, and rich multimedia content of these live updates are credited with attracting and retaining a substantial number of football enthusiasts.
Johanna Heyden, Head of Future Business and Cooperations at Vodafone Innovation, emphasized the impact of Opta Stream, stating, “We knew live content is paramount for engaging football fans, and we anticipated Opta Stream’s vibrant automated multimedia updates would outperform our previous basic coverage. The speed and scale of its impact have been truly impressive.”
Heyden further highlighted the customization capabilities of Opta Stream, noting, “The Vodafone branding integrated into every infographic within our Opta Stream coverage provides a valuable and authentic connection with fans’ football experience.”
Alex Lanegger, SVP Product at Stats Perform, commented on Vodafone’s success: “We are thrilled that Opta Stream has played a key role in Vodafone’s remarkable audience growth. Our internal testing demonstrated significant increases in user dwell time with Opta Stream and its companion product, Opta Stories. Achieving such impactful results for a respected client like Vodafone is particularly rewarding. We are deploying these products across numerous languages and competitions, and we are optimistic for similar outstanding outcomes for Stats Perform clients and their users globally.”
Nathan Hanley, Chief Growth Officer at Mondia Group, Vodafone’s technology partner, added, “Opta Stream represents a significant advancement for football fans, and we are delighted to have contributed to its successful implementation for Vodafone.”
Opta Stream is part of Stats Perform’s OptaAI suite of products launched in 2024, joining Opta Stories, Opta Points, and OptaAI Studio, further solidifying Stats Perform’s commitment to innovation in sports data and fan engagement.
