Sports fans increasingly prefer watching games from home or at the bar rather than the stadium. Teams are tackling this trend by turning to big data and smart stadiums to make the in-stadium experience more compelling. Credit: Thinkstock For years, television networks have added ever more features to their sports broadcasts to make watching games on TV a compelling alternative to taking in games at the stadium. These days, things have come full circle — the television experience, whether at home or at the sports bar, now overshadows the in-stadium experience. [ Related: 8 ways analytics are changing pro sports ] In a 1998 ESPN poll, 54 percent of sports fans said they’d rather watch the game at the stadium than at home. By 2011, only 29 percent of respondents to the same poll said they preferred being at the game. [ Related: How Technology gives the sports industry a winning edge ] Sports teams are tackling that issue head on by turning their venues into smart stadiums with connectivity and features that allow them to provide fans with an experience that rivals or exceeds what they can get at home. In the this infographic (see below), the School of Professional Studies at Northwestern University explores how smart stadiums are helping sports teams compete with TV. Click for larger image. Related content feature Expedia poised to take flight with generative AI CTO Rathi Murthy sees the online travel service’s vast troves of data and AI expertise fueling a two-pronged transformation strategy aimed at growing the company by bringing more of the travel industry online. By Paula Rooney Jun 02, 2023 7 mins Travel and Hospitality Industry Digital Transformation Artificial Intelligence case study Deoleo doubles down on sustainability through digital transformation The Spanish multinational olive oil processing company is immersed in a digital transformation journey to achieve operational efficiency and contribute to the company's sustainability strategy. By Nuria Cordon Jun 02, 2023 6 mins CIO Supply Chain Digital Transformation brandpost Resilient data backup and recovery is critical to enterprise success As global data volumes rise, business must prioritize their resiliency strategies. By Neal Weinberg Jun 01, 2023 4 mins Security brandpost Democratizing HPC with multicloud to accelerate engineering innovations Cloud for HPC is facilitating broader access to high performance computing and accelerating innovations and opportunities for all types of organizations. By Tanya O'Hara Jun 01, 2023 6 mins Multi Cloud Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe