Creator Sports Network

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

Creator Sports Network (CSN) has introduced a new fan experience model that transforms live sports from a passive broadcast into a participatory, community-driven event. Through its industry-first Creator Social Rights Window, CSN enables creators to legally broadcast live sports to their audiences across platforms like YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and Instagram without disrupting existing media deals.

Instead of asking fans to navigate fragmented platforms, subscriptions, and blackout rules, CSN brings live sports directly into the creator communities where fans already gather. The result is a social-native viewing experience built on real-time reactions, commentary, interaction, and shared cultural moments.

Across multiple sports and languages, CSN has proven that creator-led live sports drives deeper engagement, longer watch times, and stronger emotional connection, especially among Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences. This model represents a fundamental evolution in how fans experience live sports, prioritizing participation over passivity and community over channels.

How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?

CSN sets a new benchmark for fan engagement by redefining what it means to “watch” live sports. Rather than measuring success through reach alone, CSN prioritizes active participation, community connection, and real attention. Fans are no longer passive viewers, they are part of the moment, engaging through trusted creators, shared reactions, and live conversation.

This model moves fan experience beyond the screen and into culture. It acknowledges that modern fandom is social, global, and creator-driven and builds infrastructure to support that reality at scale. CSN’s approach also expands representation, giving diverse creators the ability to narrate live sports from their own perspectives and languages, making fandom more inclusive and accessible.

By proving that creator-led live sports can deliver deeper engagement, longer watch times, and stronger emotional connection, CSN is influencing how leagues, brands, and media companies think about fan experience design. The work demonstrates that the future of sports engagement isn’t about adding more platforms; it’s about meeting fans where they already are and inviting them into the experience.

Objective

The objective behind CSN’s fan experience was to solve a growing disconnect between how live sports are distributed and how modern fans actually consume content. While rights investment has increased, accessibility and engagement, especially among younger fans, have declined due to platform fragmentation, paywalls, and rigid broadcast formats.

CSN set out to create a fan experience that removed friction rather than adding another destination. The goal was not to replace traditional broadcasts but to expand them by enabling creators to become an additive layer of distribution and engagement. This approach allows fans to experience live sports through trusted voices, familiar platforms, and real-time interaction without needing to search, subscribe, or switch environments.

By aligning live sports with creator culture, CSN aimed to re-ignite fandom among Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences, deepen emotional connection, and create a scalable experience that works globally while preserving local rights economics. The objective was simple but ambitious: turn live sports from “must-watch” into “must-join.”

Strategy & Execution

CSN designed its fan experience around how modern fans already behave: discovering content through creators, engaging socially in real time, and participating rather than passively watching. The strategy centered on enabling creators to legally broadcast live sports within their own communities, supported by standardized rights workflows and platform-native distribution.

Execution focused on scale and consistency. CSN partnered with rights holders to create a compliant creator window, onboarded hundreds of creators across sports and languages, and supported simultaneous live broadcasts for single events across dozens of channels. Rather than forcing fans into a single app or feed, CSN distributed live sports across YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and Instagram, where engagement already exists.

Creators added commentary, humor, reactions, and cultural context, turning live games into shared experiences. This approach allowed fans to watch alongside communities they trust, interact during key moments, and feel part of the event rather than observers. CSN’s strategy ensured that the fan experience felt native, social, and frictionless—while remaining operationally scalable for leagues and brands.

Organizations

• Creator Sports Network

Links

•   Website

Credits

Michael Cohen
Founder
Creator Sports Network

Barrick Prince
Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer
Creator Sports Network