30/11-2023
Article: Using your strengths – Raw data vs. widgets
Read about how to navigate the opportunities with raw data vs. widgets and find out what suits your business the best.
The challenges
For many businesses in the sports coverage industry, it’s essential to consider that there are different ways of working with sports data depending on technical capabilities, financial resources, and desired outcomes. This may create some challenges where high costs and limited customization possibilities divert businesses from meeting specific needs as they strain budgets and hold back innovative content creation. At the same time, it might be a question of resource allocation and development skills, where the technical expertise needed to effectively integrate and utilize raw datasets can drain resources and restrict fully leveraging this valuable asset.
In the following sections, we will go over some strategies to help overcome these challenges.
Raw Data vs. Widgets
When it comes to leveraging sports data, the route you choose to follow can significantly impact the brand’s growth and audience engagement. Two primary avenues are available—raw data and widgets—each with distinct benefits and drawbacks.
What is Raw Data?
Raw data is the unrefined, primary information collected directly from the source – much like raw material awaiting form in a factory. Its greatest strength lies in its flexibility, offering infinite customization for any narrative, insight, or presentation style. This vast potential, however, is coupled with its complexities. Handling such sports data feeds requires expert skills and resources; without the appropriate expertise, manoeuvring through the fine points can resemble decoding an intricate game plan without the coach’s tactics.
What are Widgets?
Widgets, on the contrary, are ready-to-use user-friendly tools provided by data vendors. They come pre-packaged with accessible data and function as quick, straightforward solutions. Integration requires minimal development skills, easing the technical team’s burden. However, while widgets are convenient and easy to use, they inherently come with certain limitations: they offer only what the data provider has available.
Balancing Raw Data and Widgets for Maximum Impact
Now, the challenge lies in choosing between raw data’s boundless flexibility and widgets’ user-friendly convenience.
But what if… you didn’t have to choose?
For smaller organizations or those without a dedicated developer team, widgets may initially serve as the perfect solution, providing quick
and efficient data integration. As the brand grows and develops more sophisticated needs, raw data comes into play, offering an advanced level of customization.
The ideal scenario is to have a sports data provider that caters to both needs. This balanced toolkit allows you to navigate the complex demands of the data-driven landscape. You can leverage raw data for projects requiring high customization levels and rely on widgets for quick, efficient setup when needed.
Moreover, versatility becomes critical in a world where mobile devices account for over 58% of global website traffic as of the first half of 2023. As such, it’s essential to choose a provider with an extensive array of widget options, optimized to fit various screen sizes.
Want to know more?
If you want to learn about more strategies that can help you overcome industry challenges, click below to download our whitepaper where we have boiled down some of the essential industry knowledge that we have collected over the span of 23 years in the game!
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Giro D’Italia coverage 2026
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