WSC Sports’ Post

⚽️ The ASEAN Football Federation and its exclusive commercial partner SPORTFIVE have today launched ASEAN United FC, the new official digital platforms focused on the AFF’s four major national team and club events – the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024™, ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™, ASEAN Women’s Championship™ and the ASEAN U-23 Championship™. 📲 aseanutdfc.com and @aseanutdfc across all social channels will be the only official online sources for news, event information including match schedules and reports, live statistics, team and player features, live streaming and exclusive video programming. In addition, aseanutdfc.com will include a community element to engage fans continuously all year long. Seamus O’Brien, President and Chairman of the Board, SPORTFIVE Asia said, “In our contemporary digital era, the aggregation of content of the region’s leading football events under a single cohesive brand – ASEAN United FC – will consolidate hundreds of millions of fans and audiences in a region where football is the number one sport, and growth in digital penetration and user adoption is among the highest in the world. It will also ensure the continued growth of the ASEAN football digital footprint and reach beyond broadcast media. 👉 Check out the website here: https://aseanutdfc.com/

Another exciting partnership to announce with Capture and the INTERNATIONAL SPORTS CONVENTION 2024 which will be a special year, celebrating 15 years of the meeting place for the Business of Sport. March 20-21, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, London, UK https://lnkd.in/eWUd95r3 Peter Shackleton, Commercial Director at Capture With our extensive expertise in serving renowned organizations like Wimbledon, we have proven ourselves as the go-to solution for rights holders looking to maximize the value of their media assets. At ISC, we aim to highlight our game-changing solution that empowers sports organizations to capture and leverage iconic sporting moments to their full potential. Our platform offers unparalleled capabilities in media management, enabling rights holders to drive fan engagement, enhance distribution speed, generate revenue, and improve overall operational efficiency. We understand that in today’s digital landscape, media assets should not be limited to game days but should remain a constant source of engagement throughout the year. With Capture, rights holders can be assured of being ahead of the competition, thanks to our emphasis on speed and agility. Our LIVE media workflows ensure that assets are available to stakeholders within seconds, giving them a competitive edge in delivering content to fans and media outlets first. Moreover, our platform’s archival capabilities allow sports organizations to preserve their legacy, ensuring that historic moments are easily accessible and relived by fans for years to come. At ISC, we look forward to engaging with industry professionals and sharing our expertise in maximizing the commercial potential of media assets. We believe that through strategic licensing options, personalized content delivery, and seamless distribution, sports organizations can truly transform their media into revenue-generating powerhouses. Capture is dedicated to supporting the growth and expansion of the sports sector, and ISC provides the perfect platform to connect with like-minded individuals and organizations who share our passion for elevating the value of sports media. We are excited to be part of this prestigious event and to contribute to the advancement of the industry as a whole. #digital #sportsbiz #tech #sportbusiness #ISC2024

Digital media is taking over the sports arena, and it's truly a game-changer. No more rigid schedules, no more fuzzy screens, no more missing out on the action because you're stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time. The landscape of sports is shifting, and it's fascinating to watch. Traditional media, once the undisputed king, is facing a serious challenge from the digital upstart. Platforms like JioCinema are more than just streaming services. They're redefining the way we experience sports. Take the IPL, for example: you can rewind that mind-blowing catch, analyze the bowler's release in slow-mo, and even catch exclusive behind-the-scenes content that would appeal to every true cricket fan. Sure, traditional media still has its charm. But for me, the future of sports is undeniably digital. It's about breaking down barriers, democratizing access, and creating a more immersive, personalized experience for every fan. And who knows, maybe someday we'll even be able to virtually high-five our favorite players after a game-winning play! https://lnkd.in/gvRm7Jbx

Sports has witnessed an extraordinary surge in value, influence, and reach, propelling it into a "super cycle." Relo CEO Jay Prasad explains how by seizing the opportunities presented by data and automation, the global sports industry can position itself at the forefront of innovation, unlocking untapped potential and driving its future growth. https://hubs.la/Q01-TCcP0

☀️ As the Summer Sports season ignites, the Olympics, Euros, and Wimbledon are looming, and it's the perfect time to draw inspiration from some digital campaigns for your own projects. To kickstart and enhance your journey, hear invaluable insights and actionable tips from Wimbledon and Southampton Football Club on how, and why, a seamless workflow for integrating live social video and real-time clips into their content strategy has enabled maximum output and coverage. 🎾 https://lnkd.in/evxyDS6D ⚽ https://lnkd.in/eNqyNhT6

💡 As the digital landscape continues to reshape the sporting world, Infront remains at the forefront, innovating within the revolution that is modern sports marketing. Alessandro Giacomini, CEO of Infront Italy, recently discussed this transformation with the Social Football Summit, offering insights into the company's journey through digital change and the pandemic's commercial impact on Italian football: ➡️ https://hubs.ly/Q02882FN0 #AllAboutSports #sportsmarketing #digital #sportstechnology #sportsbusiness

A sneak peek into my panel discussion on “Evolving the business of sports - new technology & diversifying income” at SBC Barcelona tomorrow… Today I’ll be part of a killer panel discussion, and I can’t wait. We’re going to dive deep into the future of sports business, focusing on technological innovations and diversified income streams. There are some big questions I want to tackle:  🎯 Fan Engagement: How are sports teams leveraging technology to enhance fan engagement, both in-stadium and remotely, and what opportunities does this create for operators? 🎯 Sponsorship Models: What are some innovative sponsorship models that sports teams can offer to operators, beyond traditional advertising placements? 🎯 Social Media Partnerships: How can sports teams and operators collaborate on social media platforms to drive mutual growth and fan engagement? Here are the details if you’re at SBC: Meet the Panelists: Dmitry Belianin, Chief Commercial Officer, Growe (That's me!) Ivan Bešlić, Co-Founder, Sofascore Peter Thompson, COO, Endpoint Esports Ltd Lasha Machavariani, Founder & CEO, SMH Global Hosted by: Josh Turk CSO, Low6 🗓️ Date & Time: Wed, Sept 20 - 12:20 pm Will you be joining us? Let me know in the comments…

WHICH KEY TRENDS ARE SHAPING THE FUTURE OF SPORTS SPONSORSHIP? ➡️ https://lnkd.in/d4pEAsXN Hans-Willy Brockes, CEO of ESB Marketing Netzwerk and organizer of the SPORT MARKE MEDIEN congress, writes about how emerging trends are driving significant growth in sports sponsorship. Technological advancements are transforming sports consumption, while hyper-personalized advertising is creating deeper connections between brands and fans. Storytelling is becoming important for successful sponsorships, with brands leveraging authentic narratives through social media and documentaries to connect more deeply with audiences. Performance metrics are now a key focus, as sponsors seek measurable outcomes like direct product sales and social media engagement. Major sporting events continue to be prime platforms for sponsorships, providing high visibility and impactful activations. Do you want to learn more about the trends that are changing sports sponsorship for good? Read the full article on our website. Which trend do you believe will have the biggest impact on your sports marketing efforts? #SportsSponsorship #MarketingTrends #SPORTMARKEMEDIEN #ISPOMunich2024 #loveeverycontact #ISPO #ISPOMunich

A22 Sports Management proposed business model raised many different opinions including an obvious "it is impossible" from some of the established football rights holders. But it is really impossible or have we here finally the courage to look at a future proof model that could be more aligned with new audiences & consumer trends? Current football business model is "risk transfer" based. This is common to the entire revenue value chain across media, commercial & IP. The value chain is effectively targeted to benefit rights holders & for many decades survived via increasing competition between the different parties wishing to get those rights in house. A22 CEO Bernd Reichart, unveilled last December, their proposal for a men's and women's ESL, championing that it would be streamed for free around the world on a newly-launched, direct-to-consumer platform called "Unify". The streaming platform would generate income from advertising, premium subscriptions, distribution deals, interactive services and sponsors, A22 said at the time. In my perspective, if we consider on one side, the vast community with willingness to dedicate vast amounts of time & interest to engage within our sport & if we add to it the generational shift, interest in personalization & creation of own experiences that we value today, it definitely worth the time to explore & consider how viable, it is. Big-Tech players have used it for years, with the difference that football has until today gladly accepted that Big-Tech could get access mostly for free allowing them to service their vast & well known audiences with the sport content they love. If anyone can add some of the most valuable football IP in one place & create the best competition globally, it is very likely that this would be interesting content for the vast majority of the global population. It is also possible that the vast majority of that audience would want a free product & would be willing to trade data as exchange currency in return, while super spenders would be more than available to subscribe high-end premium access and experiences. It is also possible that tis platform would sub-license content to a vast number of sub platforms worldwide. And it is also possible that this platform would build the world first marketplace. To me nothing new and nothing impossible in-here, and we can talk about it for years, if no one ever tries it. So to me the question will be if any of the big rights holders will try it with their premium IP or will need to wait for a disruptive newcomer to do it or shall we concede that this will be a lost fight & allow Big-Tech winning? When we are advancing fast on the construction of a new sport around women's football, maybe this would be a central part in the roadmap for what would be necessarily a new business model in Football. Watch this space, discussion is only starting... https://lnkd.in/d676aMjz

For so many years we have been talking about the massive potential of mass participation in football and the opportunity to create a pathway for spin-off and build on the opportunity of creating a new sport. Likewise, the opportunity around lower league football stayed active but unprioritized for so many years. Finally, we register a big shift in this trend and suddenly mass participation, lower league football and the creation of new sportive models around those have finally unleashed itself. And as I wrote many times, we should say thank you to Spencer Carmichael-Brown, Gerard Piqué Bernabéu & to Ryan Reynolds, for showing the way with Hashtag United (a true pioneer in this space), Kosmos Kings League (and its extensions Queens League, Prince Cup, Kings Cup, Queens Cup and Kingdom Cup) and with Wrexham AFC, allowing finally our industry to understand the untapped potential of many areas of the global sport called football and inspire many to follow and create its own path. This space has been super active and super creative with many new projects pumping and gaining traction while the initial pioneers try to continue building a gap to the newcomers with some interesting challenges. On the newcomers, interesting to look at a few particular cases like Baller League and The Tournament (TBT/TST). The Baller League in Germany is the latest venture involving influential stars, who are trying to revolutionise the sports world, created by the brilliant Felix Starck in association with football stars like Lukas Podolski or Mats Hummels. Supported by a large flow of large corporations like XING or Vodafone, this new project started on a high with more than 16,000 players appliying for a spot on the 12 teams present, owned by a mix of football stars & lead digital creators. Its a high speed/pace uplift version of street football, that engages with modern storytelling and reasonates for the modern user while keeping the core street football DNA. It is currently a global top trend in Twitch, managing to find comparative dimension with the far more established Kings League which is a awesome result for this young brand that will for sure fast develop to build a more global ecosystem. On the other side the Soccer Tournament is preparing its second edition in 2024, after an incredible first edition last summer, offering a separate men's (with 48 teams) and women's ( 8 teams) dedicated tournament with winner takes all USd$1 million prize money offering a mix of pure amateur/mass participation, digital influencer, football legends and actual clubs all competing in the same spot. Recent announcement of Nani, Mario Balotelli and Ricardinho team creation to participate in this engaging competiton have triggered global attention. This is an incredible momentum and an incredible opportunity to build new models for our sports industry and to make sure that we evolve to impact and nurture a new generational demography for the industry we so much love.