51 HAPPENING SportsPro Live
NOBODY CARES IF ESPORTS IS A REAL SPORT
Discussion between the panellists turned to the scale of pirated content, which, because it’s underground, is difficult to gauge exactly. But Jean-Marc Racine, chief product officer, Synamedia, said that by 2024, we can expect to have more 50 billion dollars’ worth of stolen content online, and it all boils down to the fact that it’s easy to make a pirate product available. “It goes to the heart of the exclusivity that the rights holder is selling,” explained Racine. “Restreaming of content over the internet goes everywhere, and it has a direct impact on the value of those rights; why would a broadcaster want to pay for rights in exclusivity if they know it is not exclusive against pirates? It damages the brand’s ability to monetise that content.” Time is money, and more so in the world of sports. The window for being able to monetise sports content nosedives the farther away it gets from live. Being able to be first, live and exclusive is essential for a sports broadcaster. Talk then turned to education and whether it was worthwhile to publicise the personal risks involved in viewing pirated sports content, such as stolen bank credentials and identity theft. “Past backlash generated from bringing cases against end users has contributed to the problems we now face in trying to get laws changed,” said Andrews. “We should be focused on tackling intermediaries, our technological responsibilities and creating better cooperation between broadcasters and rights holders.” WHO RUNS THE WORLD? Georgina Lewis, FA head of marketing, clarified how digital is central to the growth of women’s football. It has allowed the FA to get more insights into who is watching the games, so that they can monetise it and improve the fan experience. “More women are watching football online, and in the last 12 months, we’ve made seven new commercial deals for women’s games because of this data. It’s also a huge statement to where the game is going.” The FA has also partnered with PayPal to ensure grassroots organisations are being properly paid, as most payments at this level are done through cash or aren’t being fulfilled. They’re working with Barclays, too, across schools and academies to gain more insight – using Barclays huge data base and staff – into how they can grow audience both physically and digitally. n The next SportsPro event will be SportsPro TBC – The Brand Conference, in London this September.
Esports was a theme throughout the two days. Ian Smith, Esports Integrity Coalition Commissioner and self-titled ‘unimportant person here’, joked that he and the panel would spend the next 40 minutes debating whether esports was really a sport. He explained that the question is irrelevant. Esports is an umbrella term, used in the same way that the Olympics lumps together 80 different sports. Dignitas chief executive, Michael Prindiville, said esports, like the Olympics, has its 100m men’s final, watched by two billion people, and it has synchronised swimming, watched by 12 people. Esports has a tier system. Prindiville talked to us about rebranding Dignitas, one of the older esports teams. “The term dignitas is Roman and translates into ‘dignity’, meaning you perceive self- worth among your peers. It’s essentially your legacy, and it’s a term we feel close to. We want our teams to be stand-up individuals and we want those around us to believe we’re doing the right thing.” Dignitas was recently acquired by US basketball team the Philadelphia 76ers, whose ownership group also owns the New Jersey Devils, as well as a number of other minor league hockey and baseball teams in the US. “Traditional sports entities are starting to see what fans and brands are seeing,” said Prindiville. “There’s natural competition in esports games and there’s an excitement that’s palpable. You grow up playing video games, your friends watch and make fun of you. The 76ers have recognised that and embraced it for what it is: competition on a digital level. “It’s a global game, there are only a couple like that outside of esports, for example football and basketball. It’s digital first, so it has the ability to scale going forward, and from a content perspective, that is accretive to their entity thriving. It’s a combination of wanting to evolve and to continue leveraging their traditional sports assets with digital assets.” COMPETING AGAINST PIRATES As sports consumption becomes more fully digital, the industry is presented with an ever greater threat of piracy. “The technology that makes OTT possible is accessible to pirates,” said Cameron Andrews, senior legal counsel, Anti Piracy, beIN Sports. “All you need to do is plug a cable into a set-top box and restream the content, and you can buy the equipment from China very cheaply. It’s an incredibly easy business for a pirate to get into.”
and being able to play by their rules, is still essential for success. “You have to create content for the social networks, too,” said Joe Carr of World Surf League. “It’s a bit naive to think you’re going to be able to easily migrate the casual fans over to your own platform.” Jonathan Levine, MD at Intel Sports, and Arsenal’s head of content, Tom Hines, delivered an engaging dialogue on how immersive media is reinventing the sports experience for fans. “Tomorrow’s fans don’t want to just watch sports, they want to experience them,” bellowed the Intel Sports promo video. Intel’s True View is a technology that aims to allow viewers to roam anywhere they want on the field. It employs 38 cameras installed throughout a stadium to capture a game with volumetric video. “What we’re doing is triangulating where the pixel is in space,” said Intel Sports’ Levine. “To anybody that came here today using a navigation app, you’re using satellite to make a mathematical equation that pinpoints where you are. We’re doing the same, but with light. We’re building up the players, creating a 3D pixel from head to toe. “Down the line, as we progress the technology, we want to be in a position where fans feel this is a compelling experience. It’s beneficial for advertisers, for sponsors, and if you put it behind a paywall, you’re suddenly working into a number where you could make millions from every collaboration.”
RACING TO OTT Formula One, under the new ownership of Liberty Media, is going to use its OTT platform to build new audiences, said F1’s MD of commercial operations, Sean Bratches (left)
feedzinesocial feedzinesocial feedmagazine.tv
Powered by FlippingBook