SportsPro Podcast

SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan talks to Jim Donald, the hugely experienced production director behind London's New Year's Eve fireworks display and a host of opening ceremonies and tech launches.  The discuss the creativity, communication and deep collaboration that goes into delivering complex events, when you need to consider everything from the weather to the realities of flying drones over a major capital. Jim explains how he manages stakeholders, prepares for the unexpected, and gives his teams both protection and room to grow.  The SportsPro Playbook is the place to go for agenda-free, pragmatic advice to understand how to navigate your organisation through change. Head to sportspromedia.com/playbook to catch up on our library of articles and podcasts, and learn more about how our new Playbook Labs programme can help you lead your organisation to success in 2021 and beyond.

With the NFL's new multi-billion dollar rights deals dominating the sports business headlines, SportsPro digital editor Tom Bassam speaks to Patrick Crakes, principal of Crakes Media Consulting and Fox Sports' former senior vice president programming, research and content strategy. In a comprehensive roundup, Crakes gives experts insight into what the contracts mean for the NFL and the wider US broadcast landscape. He also picks the winners and losers from a set of deals that are set to see the league earn a staggering US$110 billion over 11 years. Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

In this episode, The New York Times’ global sports reporter Tariq Panja returns to the podcast alongside SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly. The two look at the latest goings on for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics and Euro 2020, as well as what the state of play is for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Uefa and wider sport.    Then (41.48), Eoin speaks to Daniel Heal, partner and global head of sport at specialist risk consultancy Control Risks, to discuss sport's attitude to risk management, how that has changed over the past year and what needs to be done when approaching the subject. Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly talks to Carsten Thode, founder and chief executive of the radical event startup Aphetor.   They discuss the insights about the traditional sports rights model that inspired this “gonzo journalism version of the X-Games”, how the “innovator’s dilemma” makes it harder for sport to break out of its commercial conventions, the value of building your own audience, the practical lessons of 2020's pilot edition, prospects for scale and plans for new events in different destinations with a whole range of content creators.   Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

In a new entry from the SportsPro Insider Series, editorial director Michael Long talks to Courtside VC partner Deepen Parekh, Drive by DraftKings managing partner and chief executive Meredith McPherron and Elevate president Chip Bowers about the sports tech ideas to invest in now.    They discuss the sports tech trends to watch, and be wary of, in 2021, as well as how the pandemic has changed the investment game, what to look out for after Covid recedes, and how they go about their own business. The next SportsPro Insider Series event – Monetising Sports Consumption – will be held on Wednesday 17th March. For more details, free registration, and the chance to catch up with every session online, head to www.sportsproinsiderseries.com

SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan talks to Emily Frazer, managing director of Matchroom Multi-Sport, about the confidence, collaboration and adaptability it takes to make things work inside one of the world’s pre-eminent sports promoters.   They discuss how the multi-sport project has developed out of the Matchroom Sport stable, preparing teams for the unexpected at home and abroad, and how Emily intends to pay forward the support she has received as a female leader in the sports industry.  The SportsPro Playbook is the place to go for agenda-free, pragmatic advice to understand how to navigate your organisation through change. Head to sportspromedia.com/playbook to catch up on our library of articles and podcasts, and learn more about how our new Playbook Labs programme can help you lead your organisation to success in 2021 and beyond.

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly returns to recap the second day of the SportsPro OTT Summit USA.    ESPN’s Burke Magnus and the PGA Tour’s Rick Anderson lay out the state of the union for SportsPro managing director Nick Meacham (2.18), and Verimatrix chief revenue officer Lu Bolden (20.20) talks to Eoin about how security solutions can keep up with an ever-wider range of integrated digital experiences.   Then there is more from the virtual conference stage, with insight from Concacaf on aligning responsibility with media strategy (41.25), from Formula E on moving a valuable target audience through the funnel (46.45), from Sinclair Broadcasting Group on the route to gamification and customisation (48.39), and from TikTok (51.40) about leaning into the creative culture on the platform. 

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly presents selected highlights from the first day of the SportsPro OTT Summit USA.   He shares part of his interview on the virtual stage with UFC chief operating officer Lawrence Epstein (2.50) about the MMA promoter’s media strategy, and talks to Jean Macher, the business development director for SaaS Solutions at platinum partner Harmonic (17.59), about supporting the accelerating demands of the OTT sector.   There’s also time to hear from keynote speaker and FuboTV co-founder and chief executive David Gandler (31.44) about what the platform’s record financial results tell us about its future, and to get notes from NBC Sports about the benefits of stake-free gaming products (38.22), from YouTube on getting value out of highlights (41.20), and from the NFL (43.05) about what the league has learned from streaming on Twitch. 

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly speaks to Jordan Gardner, chairman and co-owner of Danish Superliga soccer club FC Helsingor, about the dynamics of investment into the European game.    Gardner explains where he sees the opportunities in the sport, what he has learned in Denmark and through smaller investments in Championship team Swansea City and League of Ireland team Dundalk, his ownership group’s ambitions to scale their model elsewhere, and his thoughts on debates around  reforms to the competitive pyramid. Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

With SportsPro's OTT Summit USA taking place next week, editor at large Eoin Connolly and digital editor Tom Bassam highlight some of the sessions to look out for, as well as discussing some of the more intriguing current trends from the world of over-the-top (OTT) broadcasting. Then (24.01), Eoin is on the line with Akamai's director of industry and product marketing for EMEA, Ian Munford, to hear how the company is working to combat piracy across sport. The SportsPro OTT Summit USA will be held virtually from 3rd to 4th March. To find out more and sign up, click here. For more information on Akamai’s content security solutions click here, or contact Akamai here. Akamai also invite you to review: Video Piracy - Reference Architecture Inside The World of Video Pirates - Whitepaper The Truth About Piracy – Presentation The Truth About Piracy: The Pervasive Problem That Won’t Go Away – Edge Live Video Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/