The New Age of Sports Media: Content and Monetization
Sep 20, 2024
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Amy Reinhard, Lori Conkling, Harish Sarma, and Reagan Carey dive into the changing landscape of sports media. They discuss Netflix's foray into live sports, the exclusive rights of NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube, and TikTok's impact on fan engagement through platforms like SportsTok. The panelists explore innovative monetization strategies and share insights on the rising popularity of women's sports, highlighting major cultural shifts. They emphasize the need for streamlined content access as sports viewing becomes more fragmented.
Panelists emphasized that personal experiences, such as sports participation and overcoming challenges, play a vital role in shaping careers in sports media.
The discussion revealed that leaders must balance internal strategy tasks with external client engagement to foster growth and innovation in sports content.
Panelists noted a significant rise in women's sports visibility due to digital platforms, highlighting changing consumption patterns and audience engagement opportunities.
Deep dives
Career Paths in Sports Media
Panelists share that their journey to leading roles in sports media started with personal interests and diversely shaped experiences. One panelist emphasized how participating in sports during college paved the way for professional opportunities, blending passion for athletics with professional growth. Another panelist spoke about the challenges faced growing up in East Africa, detailing the perseverance needed to enter the corporate world and eventually land in sports. These varied backgrounds highlight that success in the industry often requires adaptability and the willingness to seize opportunities as they present themselves.
Daily Responsibilities and Challenges
The daily responsibilities of leaders in sports media often blend internal and external tasks, revealing the complexity of managing both content and audience needs. One panelist described spending half of her time on internal organization and strategy for their nascent ad sales division while also engaging with external clients to gauge needs and areas for improvement. This dual focus exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit needed within large organizations like Netflix and TikTok as they strive to innovate and grow their respective domains. In navigating this balance, they emphasize the importance of collaboration across functions to achieve company goals.
Consumer-Centric Strategies in Sports
Emphasizing the need for consumer-centric approaches, panelists discussed how understanding viewer preferences guides media partnerships and content strategies. For example, YouTube TV's Sunday Ticket was restructured to enhance consumer choice by allowing for standalone purchases, catering to preferences that diverged from traditional models like satelite packages. This process involved integrating creators into promotional campaigns, broadening viewership by appealing to younger demographics and casual sports fans. Such strategies underscore the necessity of adapting to evolving consumer behaviors in the digital age.
The Role of Engagement in Women's Sports
The discussion highlighted the growing engagement in women's sports, with panelists noting a shift in consumption patterns and increased interest from audiences. They emphasized that historical limitations on women's sports visibility are being mitigated by digital platforms that democratize access to content. The rise of figures like Caitlin Clark represents a broader cultural pivot, demonstrating how personal narratives and relatable stories can capture wider audiences. With engagement metrics rising, there's optimism about the potential for women's sports to attract investments and reshape perceptions in the coming years.
Essential Skills and Lifelong Learning
Throughout their experiences, the panelists articulated the importance of emotional intelligence and effective communication in fostering professional success. They advocated for integrating psychological principles and soft skills into education to navigate complex workplace dynamics effectively. The need for continuous learning and adaptability to industry changes was stressed, with one panelist suggesting that legal knowledge around contracts could significantly enhance business acumen. These insights collectively stress the value of cultivating interpersonal skills alongside technical expertise in today's interconnected media landscape.
Moderator: Marie Donoghue
Panelists: Amy Reinhard, Lori Conkling, Harish Sarma, Reagan Carey
This past year has seen the realization of sports streaming. Netflix hosted its first live sporting event, the Netflix Cup, and has been the home to popular sports series, such as Formula 1: Drive to Survive and Quarterback. YouTube is now the exclusive home of NFL Sunday Ticket. TikTok has re-invented how to consume sports by enabling off-the-field conversations in platforms such as SportsTok. Both playoff and regular season games are now broadcasted on a variety of streaming platforms. Amidst these changes, vMVPD providers are seeing large increases in their subscriber counts. Additionally, consumers are watching more sports content on social media platforms, like TikTok. Panelists representing some of the world’s most innovative digital entertainment companies will discuss approaches to their sports content development strategy, cutting edge ways to monetize the content, and how data drives these decisions. This panel will take a retrospective look at what approaches have been successful so far and how these learnings can be leveraged to anticipate future trends in sports streaming. #sportstreaming
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