SVG Sit-Down: IMG Digital’s Francois Westcombe on Personalization and Understanding Global Trends

IMG today launched its Digital Trends Report 2025, exploring the technologies and developments that will shape the sports media landscape for rightsholders over the next 12 months. Featuring insights and analysis from IMG’s global team of digital experts, this year’s predictions explore how D2C strategy is pivoting from non-premium content to gamification, the notion that there is no ‘first’ and ‘second screen’, and the true age of wearables – among others. SVG Editorial Director Ken Kerschbaumer caught up with IMG Digital’s VP, Business Development Francois Westcombe and discussed current trends, how to get the most out of a digital strategy, and much more. To check out the entire Digital Trends report please click here.

Can you give us a quick update on the IMG digital team?

Within IMG we have a team of about 200 digital specialists that handle everything the fans can see – the content, channels and fan-facing experiences, but there are pieces not all fans see that sit below the surface level of the water. These critical components of digital delivery like your CRM and audience understanding, your marketing and tech stack and your system architecture are also in our wheelhouse and they ensure your digital strategy comes together.

Digital is such a wide area, with things like OTT, streaming, social media, etc. Do you think organizations have a better handle on what digital means and how to tackle it?

The sports industry is becoming far more sophisticated around the meaning and the value of what digital can bring to them. Sometimes organizations put digital as a standalone vertical in their organizations when actually it’s the glue that connects everything together. And I think having a holistic view in any organization, whether you’re a brand, a rights holder, or an event is really important.

Our digital function started in 2012 when we saw how other industries had to change their business models because of the impact of digital. If you look at film, music, or print journalism they were compelled to change their business models. And I think we’re at a bit of an inflection point where organizations and the commercial directors, marketing directors, CEOs, and presidents are understanding the value that digital can play in their organization.

Your team is involved in a lot of areas so what are some of the big trends that you’re seeing in the marketplace?

One thing that we’re seeing is that sports rights holders are wanting to have a better connection with their audiences. The landscape is changing from the rights sponsorship perspective and they want partners that can help them reach audiences far more effectively and in more meaningful ways. This is often driven by a desire to accelerate revenue growth; with domestic ceilings coming ever-closer, the international opportunity provides greenfield space to play. And we’re able to offer that holistic view that straddles the digital function as well as having platform specialists that know how to optimize those channels along with the rights team, the production team, and the partnership and commercial team. It’s all about helping properties understand what the consumer trends are, how they’re looking to consume content and how to drive revenue.

One challenge for all these digital services and social is they are creating one experience, but it needs to resonate with teens as well as people in their 60s or 70s. How can someone create a good digital experience that cuts across generations?

I think there are some essential factors for rights holders to any platform, whether you’re a team, a league, or a federation. There are some essential pieces which you need like having a frictionless experience, easy onboarding, and easy discovery of content that they want to consume.

But then there are ways you can tailor the experience towards each of those audiences that you outsource. For example, that could be additional elements on the top of the coverage, like graphics, animations or different versions of commentary. It something we are seeing a lot of is the overlay of data like stats and insights to better inform and educate the audiences of what’s happening on the field of play.

Going one step further new tech and immersive developments in the AR and headset space is offering audiences even more customised and tailored experiences for a new generation of consumer.

You mention AR and VR and there are things like the Apple Vision Pro or the new Meta glasses. But creating those sorts of experiences can be tricky and expensive so how can someone understand where to put their team’s energy?

I think you have to look at the return on investment for any organization. And if you’re in an organization that has the bandwidth and the resource and the capability to explore some of these more innovative solutions then it’s great to dip your toe in and test, learn and iterate a strategy. Some organizations have done a really good job positioning themselves in that space and they’re leaders and driving the industry forward. But I do think a lot of organizations could benefit from not being distracted by all the bells and whistles and instead focus on their core business and shoring up what they currently have rather than chasing some of those big initiatives.

Another industry-wide goal is personalization. Do you think that is more important than additive experiences like AR or VR?

Personalization is the destination everyone wants to get to, but it requires a sophisticated backend, and you need to have the right setup. First, you have to collect the right type of data, then you need to organize that data in the right way, and then you need to segment your audiences and understand those audiences and their behaviors. You really need to understand how they behave around certain content and experiences. It is the right thing to do as you will be able to target and tailor your content according to those audiences but there’s a lot of work that you need to put in place first.

Who are some of your clients that you think do a good job with digital experiences?

I think the R&A is a good example as the Open golf championship has had a a longstanding relationship with IMG that has lasted many years. It covers rights, TV production, and there is a dedicated digital team that we advise and support. They have a membership offering, the One Club, which has been relaunched and we’ve been helping them with content creation and channel management, particularly around the Open. That’s a good example of us putting a dedicated team into an organization and letting them optimize the entire tech stack as well as the channels and the experiences.

And then on the international front we’ve been working with the NHL and the NFL across different markets. We run the international channels for the NHL across seven European markets and 24 accounts, building the brand, making it even more relevant to European audiences through the localization of content and channels. Where there are opportunities to seize on points of relevance, for example a local hero performing well, we double down on those stories with a local twist.

We’re doing that a lot more on a global scale via our teams in China, APAC, Latin America, and the Middle East. The aim is to support our partners in building valuable propositions – supporting both international media rights and global sponsorship negotiations. If we can demonstrate access to valuable audiences at scale, it’s a far stronger proposition to the market.

One challenge on that front is figuring out the correct pricing as what may seem like a reasonably priced offering in one part of the world may be expensive in another if it doesn’t consider annual or disposable income.

Yes, I think it’s really important that you tailor your proposition to the targeted market.  We’ve done some work recently, particularly in the U.S. alongside our Endeavor streaming colleagues around price points, churn rates at certain price points, and how to optimize a strategy. And then you also have to tailor the platform for different markets rather than just having a blanket approach.

Right. And when you look at the past few years more leagues and organizations are trying to figure out a global strategy that can distribute content to areas where they don’t have rights holders or getting more value out of an existing market.

First you need a forensic approach to market selection, identifying the right markets to play in. We help our partners here, adopting a pan-media approach to model the size and readiness of the opportunity. Then you need a clear strategy for how to deploy in those markets beyond platform dynamics, considering local trends, device penetration, consumption habits and more. With a clear market-by-market strategy defined, that’s where our local teams come in to implement the strategy and drive growth. Tackling new markets can seem daunting, but with the right insight, strategy and plan it can drive phenomenal returns.