Customer Case Study
How TNT Sports Created a Winning March Madness App Experience
TNT Sports is a global leader in premium sports content, delivering unparalleled coverage across television, digital and social platforms. Its partnerships span major leagues and events, including the NCAA, NBA, NHL, Roland-Garros, Premier League, UEFA, WWE, Eurosport and more. TNT Sports also co-manages NBA Digital, including platforms like NCAA.com and NCAA March Madness Live.
Boosting App Sessions with Live Activities & Rich Push
25%
longer live viewing sessions among push audience
2X
more app sessions from Live Activities users vs. non-users
Overview
NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship is one of the biggest sporting events of the year, captivating audiences for weeks at a time with engagement reaching far beyond basketball fans. Every year, TNT Sports pioneers new second screen opportunities for tournament viewing. 2023 was no different, as the ultimate live streaming and second screen destination for March Madness.
TNT Sports set out to enhance fan experiences with a strategic onboarding experience and a robust push notification strategy, moving their audience through the mobile lifecycle by delivering value and convenience at every step.
Challenge
As March Madness is one of the biggest marketing moments of the year, major brands battle for consumers’ attention and dollars through culturally relevant experiences. Increased competition and the proliferation of new viewing platforms placed more pressure on TNT Sports to draw customers to the official March Madness Live app, keep them engaged throughout the three-week tournament and inspire ongoing app use year-after-year.
TNT Sports turned to the Airship Experience Platform to create, test and optimize its March Madness app experience and associated messaging.
Results
Through its innovative app strategy, TNT Sports drove the most engaged audience in the app’s history and sparked significant social media buzz about the app experience. The team moved their audience through critical stages of the mobile app lifecycle and across the chasm of no return to increase the value captured from and delivered to their audience. With Airship, TNT Sports drove significant increases in live viewing, while also learning about what resonates most with fans to improve experiences next year.
Solution
TNT Sports Keeps Customers Dialed in Throughout the Tournament
Strategic Onboarding Messages Drove a High Opt-In Rate
Push notifications were central to TNT Sports’s March Madness app experience, emphasizing special alerts for bracket picks, game starts and must-see moments. The team knew that a well-planned onboarding experience was key to setting themselves up for success during the tournament itself. With Airship’s In-App Messaging, TNT Sports emphasized the value and importance of opting-in to push notifications from the beginning, paving the way for richer experiences throughout the tournament.
Rich Push Notifications and Live Activities Kept People Dialed In
To bring customers back to the app during the tournament, the team created a strategic push notification strategy combining automated and editorially-configured rich content across a range of audience segmentations. From encouraging participation in the Bracket Challenge to highlighting pivotal game moments, the content aimed to inform, entertain and generate excitement. With Live Activities, TNT Sports showcased live scores on the audience’s lock screen, keeping them dialed into games even when on the move, multi-tasking or otherwise preoccupied.
A Test-And-Learn Mindset Enabled Ongoing Optimizations
TNT Sports executed months of testing to create and refine the March Madness Live experience. From rigorous dress rehearsals, live-game simulations using historical tournament data and tests during regular-season games, the team relied heavily on Airship to conduct effective testing and optimize execution. A custom Airship dashboard offered valuable insights for a cross-functional team to make data-driven optimizations.
Let’s Talk
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