Laura Correnti’s Post

Women’s sports have seen a meteoric rise in both popularity and attention over the past few years and as those have increased, so has the dollar signs associated with television rights, social media clicks and tickets sold. The CES 2024 session titled “From Buzz to Business: The ROI of Women’s Sports” took a look at how women’s sports continue to grow and what large companies are doing to support that growth with insight from Gina Waldhorn, Andrea Brimmer, Andrea Hopelain, Brian Lawlor and Harish Sarma.

It has been fantastic to repeatedly hear Ted Leonsis confirm Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s dedication to the growth of women’s sports. After witnessing the Fever pitch (pun intended) around the broadcast of the WNBA draft (and the entire NCAA season), it’s clear that the growth of women’s sports has been boosted by the limitless availability of content to fans. When fans (especially young ones) can see future versions of themselves via streaming platforms and in clips on YouTube, Instagram, etc.; the trajectory changes. Streaming is playing a key role in how this fan base consumes content. The growth of women’s sports is a movement and movements are tied to distribution platforms. One can look no further than one the most recent pop culture movements - the growth of hip hop. It likely wouldn’t have happened without cable television - specifically MTV. So, as this women’s sports movement grows; the participants can be reached and influenced on streaming platforms. In the DMV, that platform is Monumental Sports Network - with our coverage of the Washington Spirit and the Washington Mystics - our access to this audience is unmatched.

Late-night post on taking chances in media, never giving up and believing that people want to see you win: I recently came across a reminder of this picture, one that I have from my time working with The City Talking, helping bring Inside Super League to life for Sky Sports Arena. Being a Toronto Wolfpack correspondent will always be one of my favourite gigs in my media career, to talk #RugbyLeague on TV and further my reach was an experience. Late 2019-early 2020 was a very strange time for me. The media jobs were very sporadic, I was working on a magazine feature, Avry's Sports Show, and summer basketball reporting, but beyond that, nothing was consistent; I was being turned down left, right and center for media jobs from companies from coast to coast and I was frustrated internally. I'd heard some of the most ridiculous things over the years from different places. "We don't know what to do with you; you're not traditional, we can't fit you into a box as an on-air personality." "Your style just doesn't work for us." "You're too energetic." And endless other things stuck in what a media personality should look or sound like, especially when it comes to talking sports (all tropes stuck in 1977). *January 2020* I got a Facebook message from Stacey Hicken Smith of The City Talking To paraphrase, it was an offer to do two-minute videos for a new TV show on the Toronto Wolfpack (the original version that would play briefly in the UK's top Rugby League competition, Super League) on Sky Sports produced by the production company that her and her brother Lee Hicken ran out of Leeds, UK. I read that message so many times to ensure it was legit. Wait? An offer to work on UK sports television???????? Was I nervous? Yes. But at the same time, a notion of "when are you ever going to do this again? hit me. "They've clearly watched and listened to your work from seasons past talking about the Wolfpack". For seven episodes, I was part of one of the coolest projects ever, which let me be quirky yet informative. I was talking sports on Great Britain's largest sports platform!! I had fans, and I had haters (but whatever, you ain't popping if you don't have some!) While the COVID-19 pandemic ended the show early, taking a chance and saying "yes" to this gave me more juice in my career. I felt refreshed, and it pushed me to never give up and truly believe that there's always someone who believes in you. Sports media/media in general is a hard game, but always believe someone wants to see you thrive and win in it. Lee Hicken and Stacey Hicken Smith felt that about me, and it meant to the world when I wasn't in the most confident spot in my career. I don't know where the timeline would take me if I said no or ignored Stacey's Facebook message. I'm glad I didn't. PS: If that signed Inside Super League guest wall still exists somewhere in Leeds, I want to sign it when I finally make the trip over, which I plan to do real soon :)

INSIGHT of the day: Global Sport Survey on Media Company Perspectives report released Altman Solon, one of the leading media consulting companies has just released a “Global Sport Survey on Media Company Perspectives” report. If you are interested in the tech / business aspects of live sports, this is a Must-read FREE report. Access 👇 . You will discover amongst other things: •        Only 16% of global sports executives believe traditional broadcasters will be better positioned to exploit live rights by 2030, compared to>60% for tech aggregators and OTT streaming services ·      What sports are for customer retentions and what sports are aimed at customer acquisition ? [Was really eye opening] ·      Matrix of : Monetization Strategy | Preferred Engagement | Motivation to Consume Sport across the different sports fan personas : Non Viewers | Casual users | Avid users [back to Marketing class] ·      What are the priorities to make the sports product more engaging? [A key chart] ·      By 2030, which platforms will be better placed than they are today to exploit the potential of live sports media rights? [ Another key chart] ·      Which of the following monetization strategies will contribute the most to refinance sports rights in the next 5-7 years? [Yet another key chart] I personally like this quote form a Chair, International Sports Federation: “If the tech giants increase the trend of investing in content, that could shift the dynamics significantly. They bring not just financial resources but also technological capabilities like advanced analytics, AI, and a global distribution network… that traditional media companies may find challenging to match.” Thank you Matt Del Percio for alerting me on this report, if you want to meet Altman Solon at #CES, Jonathan Hurd, partner at the firm, will be there. Carlo De Marchis Nick Meacham Ben Keen Paolo Pescatore

After 30 years of researching the intersections of women’s sports, media, and culture, here’s my take on how to make sense of the growing ratings, viewership, attendance for women’s sports. The answer may surprise you.

“We’ve gotten used to being okay with women’s sports and women’s sports fans being an afterthought, which is no longer okay... People are no longer okay with having to ask and beg to be recognized” Women's football has grown so fast in the UK, and systems just haven't been able to, or have opted not to, keep up with demand. Our top teams are still playing on pitches designed for 5th tier mens teams Our finals are still being hosted at stadiums with 5k capacity Our games get 4% of broadcast coverage, despite being 40% of participants The intersection between sport and space is so interesting. It's a sign of who gets platformed, of who gets to literally take up space. And so promising to see women's sports bars beginning to pop-up to (highly recommend article linked). And with 2 grassroots venues closing in the UK ever week, there's a huge, positive, meaningful role that brands can play here. To act as a connecter between sports fans, often new to the game or sports fandom in general, and the sport they want to connect with. https://lnkd.in/gMU2b-t4

The sports media business has become increasingly complex, with multiple cross-currents increasing the challenge of exploiting rights. My writing partner John Kosner and I look at the changes in this recent SportsBusiness Journal article, and suggest things properties can do to adapt. #sportsmedia #sportsbusiness #sportstv #mediatrends https://lnkd.in/ggzAZVqg

Here's my summary about the survey. I just feel sad when such Global Sports Survey don't take a country like #India with 9 bn dollar sports industry & rising digital fan base into account. The world of sports is not limited to fans in U.S., Mexico, U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and China. In any case, it's an interesting read for sports property right owners #media #broadcasters #streamingmedia companies. Summary below; Altman Solon's 2023 Global Sports Survey engaged 150 senior sports executives and surveyed 2,500 sports fans across eight countries. 1.Changing Media Consumption: Fragmentation challenges fans in discovering sports content. Younger fans prefer short-form & digital content over traditional live broadcasts. Anticipated shift towards athlete-based fandom among younger generations. 2.Future Fan Behavior: Generation Z and Alpha fans expected to maintain online-heavy media consumption. Predicted 15-20% drop in total TV hours watched per week by 2040. Multitasking common among fans, with 57% browsing the internet during events. 3.Streaming Impact & Challenges: Rise of streaming platforms decentralizes sports media. Fans face difficulties accessing and discovering games; 60% report issues. 4.Rights Owners Perspectives: Media rights, historically a primary income source, face challenges in a fragmented media landscape. Global reach of top leagues and athletes provides opportunities for new distribution models. Strategies for rights owners include international distribution, diverse bidding, long-term partnerships, and exploring new categories like gaming and Web3. 5.Monetization Challenges: Premium sports rights remain valuable but face economic challenges for legacy media companies. The impact of streaming on legacy media economics necessitates new strategies for monetization. Importance of optimizing rights portfolios and engaging both avid and casual fans. 6.Casual Fans Growth Opportunity: Casual fans represent a growth opportunity for media companies. Over 70% of media executives believe in catering to casual fans through expanded content offerings, personalized recommendations, and ad-supported models. 7.Tech Aggregators and OTT Streaming: Tech aggregators and OTT streaming services positioned to exploit live rights. Streamers' advantages include capturing fan data and experimenting with in-stream features adapted to fan profiles. 8.Sustainable Monetization Models: Media companies must rethink monetization models, optimize rights portfolios, and reduce discoverability costs. Balancing the needs of avid sports fans while experimenting to engage casual fans is crucial for sustainable monetization. 9.Evolution of Sports Media: The sports media landscape is evolving, requiring adaptability from rights owners, media companies, and broadcasters. Continued dialogue and collaboration among all stakeholders are essential for the success of the sports media sector.

📢 Traditional monetization strategies for sports rights are no longer enough. Explore our new Global Sports Survey insight to how media companies can engage fans across viewership levels. #SportsMedia #LiveSports #FanEngagement

The US sports right madness, and the media distribution of major US sports rights As a European observing the massive sports rights numbers in the US, I just wonder how these can translate into positive financial outcomes to justify the escalating investments. From an outsider's perspective, it can be challenging to understand. I found a good overview of the media distribution landscape for the major US sports rights in this article, along with a helpful update on the state of the sports distribution industry from last week! Enjoy… https://lnkd.in/dRdhu7Bi