49ers launch fan‑comms hub

The San Francisco 49ers launched a new team app on April 9 that they want to serve as the main channel for talking to fans year-round. (49ers.com) The app was built with PricewaterhouseCoopers, known as PwC, under a multiyear partnership the sides announced on November 6, 2025. The club called PwC its first official digital consulting partner. (pwc.com) 49ers Chief Marketing Officer Stephanie Rogers said the app is meant to connect fans “to each other and the team” during the franchise’s 80th anniversary season. The launch also debuted an 80th anniversary logo in the app before it rolled out across the team’s other digital channels. (pwc.com) The product is not just a news feed. The 49ers said it includes ticket management, stadium wayfinding, parking help, concession information, fan community features and a generative artificial intelligence chatbot called Sourdough Sam AI. (49ers.com) The team is also using the app to collect more direct data about what each fan wants. In an April 9 interview, 49ers Vice President of Marketing Technology and Operations Alex Chang called it the “central cog” in the club’s fan communication strategy and said it is designed to support one-to-one relationships. (bizjournals.com) That reflects a broader sports business push away from relying on social platforms alone. Teams now want their own apps, logins and purchase histories so they can tie content, ticketing, retail and game-day service to a single fan profile. (sportcal.com) For the 49ers, the pitch reaches beyond Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. PwC said the app was built to connect fans “worldwide” with team news, local fan community experiences and personalized features whether they are in the Bay Area or not. (pwc.com) The team also added Spanish-language support at launch, a concrete sign that the club is trying to widen the audience for its owned channels. SportsTravel reported the new version is the first 49ers app to offer Spanish. (sportstravelmagazine.com) The business case is straightforward: if more fans use one logged-in app for tickets, concessions, parking and content, the club gets more chances to sell, solve problems and measure what works. BizJournals reported the 49ers and PwC also see new revenue opportunities tied to the platform. (bizjournals.com) What comes next is less about the download and more about habit. The 49ers said future features will be added with fan feedback, which means the app now becomes a live test of how much of a National Football League team’s fan relationship can be moved onto its own rails. (49ers.com)