A Blueprint For ‘Exceptional Fan Engagement’ and Unique Sponsored Content Ideas: How Opta Data and OptaAI Studio Accelerated Ekstraklasa’s Growth in 2025

Unique Data-Led Content Doesn’t Just Stand Out: It Facilitates Double Digit Social Growth

Since August 2024, Ekstraklasa and Ekstraklasa Live Park have been using OptaAI Studio to source and share data-driven facts with its social followers, generating over 1,500 social graphics to accompany their posts using the tool’s Opta Graphics feature.

The impact of embracing data‑rich content is evident in the league’s social‑media surge since the beginning of the 2024-25 season.

The impact of Opta data in supporting the league’s social growth is corroborated by Ekstraklasa Live Park’s Chief Operating Officer, Marcin Serafin, who says:

“Several factors have contributed to this growth, with the use of advanced Opta data being one of them. We’ve noticed that content pieces built around specific, insightful stats, such as a player reaching a milestone or a team breaking a record, consistently rank among our most engaging posts.”

Opta-powered shot maps, player facts and goal sequence charts are embedded into Ekstraklasa’s social templates using Opta Graphics.

In addition to utilising data-driven graphics, Ekstraklasa’s social team also use Expected Goals (xG) from Opta to identify and share clips of stunning goals, providing additional context to followers about the quality of a player’s finish to make it even more memorable.

Overall, Ekstraklasa now ranks 9th in Europe for total social‑media following, surpassing leagues such as Turkey’s Süper Lig, Scotland’s Premiership and Belgium’s Pro League, with a combined audience of 1.74 million.

Ekstraklasa Live Park embed visually engaging broadcast graphics into pre-match preview shows released on Ekstraklasa’s official YouTube channel.

Expanding Ekstraklasa Sponsor Inventory Through Creative New Uses of OptaAI

Beyond Opta’s on-ball event data, Ekstraklasa and Ekstraklasa Live Park have embraced predictive OptaAI metrics including Momentum and Live Win Probability in a highly innovative way.

Before each matchday, the win probability of every game is displayed across official league channels. During broadcasts, graphics powered by the models are displayed on-screen to illustrate real-time changes to the likely outcome, after major events like a goal being scored or a red card.

Pre-match probabilities are also presented alongside the final scores after the final whistle has been blown during every match, to provide an indication of which game resulted in the biggest upset.

Probabilities display across official Ekstraklasa channels pre-match and again post-match, alongside the final scores.

The resulting content has created an authentic, high-reach and distinctive sponsorship opportunity for major Polish food producer, Duda, across both social media and in TV graphics – pre-game, in-game and post-game.

Pre-match probabilities display on-screen before the highlights of every game on the Ekstraklasa YouTube channel.

Ekstraklasa Live Park’s Serafin believes the predictions have proven a valuable asset in the league’s wider social content strategy, particularly during last season’s run in, as well as getting fans to register and engage with the league’s official app, saying:

“Predictive metrics have added a new dimension to our matchday storytelling. Displaying Live Win Probability during broadcasts adds a narrative element, highlighting the dramatic shifts in a match as they happen.

This approach also proved highly effective on social media: posts showing title-winning probabilities in the final rounds of the last season generated exceptional engagement. In addition, the posts have been a great fit to promote the use of the official league app, as it offers a Predictor module where fans can make their own match predictions.”