In today’s digital landscape, modern technologies help thousands of users follow their favorite sport at any time and anywhere. From instant updates on sports news and detailed statistics to 4K video streaming and online broadcasts, there are many cutting-edge sports apps today, and there will only be more in the future.
Based on the 2023 year, the sports app market size value was estimated at USD 3.89 billion, while its revenue forecast for 2030 is projected to reach USD 8.03 billion. However, increased demand for sports app services also predicts growing competition in this area. This forces startups to find novel solutions for ever-demanding users.
To make their work easier, we have collected the top 6 cutting-edge trends in sports app development. Down the line, each of these innovations will become an integral part of most successful sports applications, allowing them to stand out from other products in the sports tech market.
Read on to learn how to create a sports app that remains relevant and attractive to users while offering them more interesting and engaging experiences.
1. Integration of augmented & virtual reality
The first trend on our list aims to create new conditions for fan engagement while watching sports. It’s been a while since the first VR broadcasts of NBA matches began to appear in 2014. And still, immersive multimedia has continued to gain new momentum, turning from raw technology to a groundbreaking feature of sports apps in 2024.
Innovative at-home viewing experience
These days, sports venues have limited space, and not every person can attend sports matches due to their location or other circumstances. That’s why more startups are shifting their focus towards immersive multimedia that has the potential to augment an at-home viewing experience.
AR and VR glasses can provide a 360-degree view of the game based on the chosen angle. Users can catch their favorite match moments through the eyes of a player and get a true, authentic experience.
Simulations & virtual training
Many coaches are looking for fresh digital solutions to work out hypothetical match scenarios with players. Sports apps with VR technology tend to be among the most useful ones. The system’s features can help players form conditioned reflexes in response to opponents’ behavior and critical situations on the field.
In addition to skill enhancement and tactical training, simulations of matches with various situations help to avoid injuries and conduct thorough data analysis. Based on the performance metrics, coaches can track player’s progress and determine areas for potential improvement.
AR for live match analysis
Sports app users are increasingly beginning to look for an all-in-one solution to watch their favorite games this year. That’s why more and more startup companies are adding AR elements to enhance their consumers’ interactive experiences.
Instant access to must-have game data, such as player statistics, game situation graphics, and visual commentary, is a new gold standard for the development of sports apps. Features like virtual tours of stadiums, interactive seating maps, and virtual fan zones are also becoming especially popular.
2. AI for performance analysis
AI continues to replace traditional methods of monitoring, analysis, and information processing. This technology also showed huge potential in the performance analysis of sports players. Improved training regimens, new coaching insights, useful feedback, and many other AI features are becoming available to players in a wide variety of sports.
Real-time player tracking & analysis
In today’s tech world, it is almost impossible to imagine AI without real-time tracking. This feature becomes especially popular in sports applications for team games, such as football, as well as in individual sports, like golf and climbing. AI technology trends in sports gave us the promising opportunity to discover a deeper understanding of athletic performance.
Using unique features like computer vision algorithms, users can monitor movements on the field or court in real-time. With their help, it’s become easier to analyze video footage of sports events to get player trajectory data and positional heatmaps.
Moreover, object detection technologies and tracking techniques allow users to monitor not only players but also balls in order to learn ball movement patterns.
Injury prevention & performance optimization
Artificial Intelligence has a predictive analytics feature that has already been successfully implemented in sports mobile applications. Firstly, with its help medical staff can collect historical data on injuries, like their type, severity, frequency, and circumstances.
Secondly, AI can prevent player injuries by monitoring an athlete’s load and identifying ineffective movement patterns and potential overtraining or undertraining. Such a unique approach allows coaches and players to notice fatigue and customize training programs in a timely manner.
Thirdly, Artificial Intelligence methodologies play a major role in accelerating players’ recovery. There are more and more apps that can predict players’ recovery trajectories and track healing progress after implementing injury prevention exercises. As a result, players can return to sports after their injury has fully healed or after a complete rest from intense training periods.
Personalized training
Personalization has also become a vital factor in the creation of sports apps. Users are attracted by the idea of having a product that can create training plans based on an individual’s specific needs, goals, and capabilities.
Therefore, apps continue to improve and can now develop individual athlete profiles, taking into account demographic information, training history, injuries, and limitations.
Not only that, but the sports app market is also beginning to fill up with software capable of analyzing performance metrics. This way, sports applications can assess strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement of users to provide more useful personalized training recommendations.
What’s more, such apps can create workout plans and training programs that will evolve over time in view of user feedback, performance updates, competition schedules, and even environmental conditions.
3. Integration of wearable technology
Wearable technology is forming a new ground for sports app development trends. Smartwatches, fitness trackers, and other monitoring devices opened up new ways for athletes and enthusiasts to engage with their favorite sports.
Check out below how this technology allows users to monitor their workout progress and adjust their training sessions accordingly.
Integrating wearable devices
The seamless integration of fitness apps with wearable devices is no longer a novelty in our modern world. However, some companies still don’t follow one of the latest trends in sports app development.
Syncing apps with such devices as smartwatches, fitness trackers, and biometric sensors takes sports to the next level. Real-time biometric data collection and analysis allow users to effectively adjust workouts and training sessions and even optimize their workload during competitions.
Health & fitness tracking
There is a steady rise in creating applications that use wearable technology for comprehensive health and fitness tracking. Stress levels, heart rate, and body composition are some of the most common metrics that can be monitored by users with the help of sports apps and wearable devices.
Features of such apps help athletes and enthusiasts gain up-to-date knowledge about their health and, accordingly, improve their overall condition. At the same time, users can also receive helpful personalized recommendations based on their goals and obtained data to adjust their lifestyles.
Wearables for effective coaching
Most coaches are eager to not only track athletes’ progress but also predict their future results and new records. This became possible thanks to the introduction of wearable technology in sports applications that collect biometric data in real-time.
With its help, coaches can create more accurately designed training programs. Plus, it becomes possible to take into account both athletes’ preferences and possible limitations, creating comfortable conditions for sports activities.
Read also: Exploring IoT Uses in the Sports and Fitness Industry
4. Gamification with social features
Gamification and social interaction are among the emerging trends in sports mobile app development, as one of the superior methods for retaining the product’s audience.
Let’s dive into the special set of elements that can help companies keep users interested in such kinds of apps and motivate them to return for new activities.
Activity feed
One of the most common elements of gamification is activity feeds. Instant information on games, attractive achievements, and activity from other fans displayed in a feed are the most effective elements for improving social interaction in such apps.
In addition, users are more involved in the application and its services, as they can constantly receive fresh updates on their favorite matches through notifications.
Engaging social interaction
Social features are among the most essential elements that can add a sense of community to the sports software ecosystem. Live chats, commentary sections, liking, and messaging allow fans to share their personal experiences and other news with users instantly through an app.
In addition to this function, companies have also started adding social media sharing options to their applications. This kind of word-of-mouth marketing has proven to be an easy way to reach new audiences.
Leaderboards & rewards
Traditional sports applications are being replaced by more interactive products. These platforms may have leaderboards, challenges, reward systems, and other elements to encourage user participation in a new, uncommon way.
The rule is simple — reach your goals or maintain streaks, and you will get discounts, merchandise, or premium features. Such apps also allow users to complete challenges with other fellow fans, encouraging them to invite their friends.
As a result, these exciting interactive features can help users explore new sides of apps and, therefore, find more ways to engage with an app on a regular basis. Although these gamification elements are still gaining popularity, you can already see the huge success of their implementation.
5. Customization & personalization
In 2024, a lot of companies are focused on providing their users with an enhanced and unique experience through personalization and customization. These fundamental aspects of sports app development can quickly and effectively increase user retention, motivation, and engagement.
Let’s see how considering your users’ preferences, goals, and interests can help your app get a huge competitive advantage.
Personalized sports recommendations
Nowadays, many fitness applications integrate algorithms for analyzing user data and skill levels. Based on information about goals, experience, gender, age, height, weight, and body fat percentage, such systems help users find the most comfortable approach to training and nutrition.
But what’s more useful is that sports apps can now recognize patterns and trends in users’ behavior besides their past activities and performance data. Applications can thus provide preferred workout types or nutrition products and a comfortable frequency of training sessions. Aligned with users’ specific needs, such apps will be the best solution for achieving their goals within a set convenient time frame.
Customizable training programs
The customization option is slowly but steadily moving from social networks such as Facebook to sports apps. With its help, each person can independently customize workout routines based on personal preferences and skills.
Modern apps’ features also help users add specific exercises to their working plan as well as modify intensity levels, duration, and rest intervals. Such an approach makes applications more flexible and helps the user more easily adapt to new training programs.
On top of this, sports apps can provide tracking tools and visualization features like heatmaps, workout summaries, achievement badges, etc. They allow users to track their progress toward specific goals, such as weight loss, speed enhancement, body composition improvement, and others. All of these features reduce the risk of giving up on training due to increased loads and lack of workout options.
Dynamic content adaptation
The trend towards personalization and customization is gradually turning towards adaptive algorithms that can adjust content and recommendations over time. Thanks to continuous learning from user interactions and feedback, sports app algorithms can provide a better user experience.
Relevant workouts, personalized coaching tips, or appropriate sports event recommendations help fans get from their app what they truly need. By following this trend, startup companies can create conditions for long-term engagement and strong relationships with their audience.
6. Live broadcasting
This year fans demand instant access to all live sports events and the latest news in one click on their smartphones. That’s why it’s not surprising that streaming and live broadcasting are becoming must-have elements in feature-rich sports applications.
From highlight broadcasts and replays to commentary feeds and live streaming analysis shows, these in-app features establish new standards for watching one’s favorite sports.
App integration with live streaming
In-app live streaming capability of sports events and matches is an excellent way to increase user session duration. Some of the best additional options of this feature are real-time player information and in-game statistics.
This way, users can get a more cohesive experience from watching their favorite game. Moreover, it helps significantly reduce the necessity of switching between multiple sports apps.
Live commentary with analysis features
One of the most effective methods of improving the live viewing experience is adding in-app live commentary and analysis features. Users may discover the main information about matches and sports events within an app, get expert opinions, and gain useful insights with comprehensive analysis.
Such platforms not only enrich broadcasts and live streams by adding depth and context but also increase user engagement. For this reason, users will prefer to use live streaming sports apps, even with text-based live commentary, over those that can provide only broadcasting services.
Real-time statistics & social interactions
Technology trends in sports create new interactive viewer experiences by providing valuable statistics in real-time. Now, it’s not enough to show users only the scoreboard and game clock during live streaming. Adding information like live game updates, player heatmaps, shot charts, and leaderboards is becoming an especially widespread option.
Startups can also add new methods of social interaction to complement this function. For example, sports app developers can make in-app discussion features that will allow fans to interact with each other while watching their favorite game.
Stay ahead: Follow the latest sports app trends
Sports applications are revolutionizing the way we enjoy watching and playing sports. Right now, recent trends such as VR integration, gamification, or in-app streamlining are already becoming integral elements of leading applications on Google Play and App Store.
This indicates a pressing need to keep up with emerging trends in order to stand out from competitors. In other cases, companies risk losing their competitiveness and, what’s more important, creating a sports app that won’t be relevant in the next few years.
Do you want to create a sports app in view of the latest trends? Use the help of our proficient specialists. At Eastern Peak, we know how to create an all-in-one solution with a true spirit of excitement. Schedule a free consultation and begin your journey with us.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the major tech trends in the sports industry?
In 2024, users can find more sports platforms on the market that implement AI for real-time tracking, injury prevention, and performance optimization. At the same time, tech trends like VR integration, wearable technology, and gamification are also gaining huge popularity.
How big is the sports app market?
According to the report from Grand View Research, the sports tech market was estimated at USD 4.31 billion in 2024. It is expected to grow to USD 4.79 billion by the end of the year.
How much does it cost to develop a sports app?
The price for developing a sports app mainly depends on the scope of work, features set, technologies used, team size, integrations, and many other factors. In order to find out an up-to-date cost, you can contact our software development company through a free consultation.
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About the author:
Oleg Roberman, Chief of Delivery at Eastern Peak
With strong technical background and outstanding project leadership skills, Oleg helps Eastern Peak customers introduce competitive advantages and instill productive changes in every process by resolving complex business issues and managing multicultural teams through innovation and creative thinking.
