Ground-breaking electric off-road racing series, Extreme E, together with its host broadcast agency Aurora Media Worldwide, has won two accolades at the prestigious SVG (Sports Video Group) Awards, Amsterdam.
The pioneering duo were presented with SVG’s coveted One Planet award for Sustainability in Sports (TV) and Outstanding Production (Event) award.
Both Extreme E and Aurora Media Worldwide faced fierce competition from the highest echelons of the sports industry. Throughout the selection process, the judges were looking to reward those that have taken risks, led by example, overcome challenges, and achieved results in both production and broadcasting throughout the 2021 calendar year.
Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “We are beyond delighted to have won these two very prestigious SVG Awards. It is a huge fillip for both us and Aurora Media Worldwide.
“Working with Aurora Media Worldwide is a joy. They are a trusted leader in broadcasting and do an amazing job of bringing our unique motorsport adventure, in incredible locations, to life while inspiring fans in ways never seen before in motorsport.
“Nothing beats recognition by our peers of the immense hard work that we have all done in highlighting environmental issues, promoting sustainability and gender equality, whilst at the same time bringing world class sporting entertainment to millions of viewers.”
As a sport built out of social purpose, but with racing at its core, Extreme E utilises its platform to promote electrification, sustainability and gender equality. Racing in remote locations previously damaged by climate change or human interference, the series aims to maximise awareness around these critical issues, whilst minimising the environmental impact of its events.
Extreme E’s host broadcaster, Aurora Media Worldwide, is a fully integrated content agency which is central in bringing Extreme E’s world-first motorsport to life. The Championship’s remote race locations – which include desert, arctic, glacier and coastal sites – provide a challenging yet stunning canvas for hybrid storytelling.
Lawrence Duffy, Managing Director at Aurora Media Worldwide, said: “Once in a while a project comes along which genuinely moves the needle. The pioneering spirit and innovation behind Extreme E has been very well recognised by our industry and that is very gratifying. But we have only just started to tell the story of climate change through the lens of sport. We all have much more to learn about sustainability and we hope to take the audience with us.”
George Bevir, SVG Europe editorial director and Chair of the judges, added:“Congratulations to all the winners and everyone who was shortlisted. They should all be rightly proud of their achievements. The jury’s choices reflect the best of sports television in Europe but also highlight the incredible work that the industry continues to do. Long may it continue.”
Since the series launched last year, Extreme E has won the following awards:
Sport Industry Awards 2022: Environmental Sustainability Award The Race Media Awards 2022: Brand of the Year, alongside Interstate Creative Partners Motorsport UK’s Night of Champions 2022: 2022 Environmental Award Broadcast Tech Awards 2021: Technical Innovation (Sport) Award and Creative Use of AR/VR, alongside Aurora Media Worldwide and North One Broadcast Sport Awards 2021: Sports Production of the Year Leaders Sports Awards 2021: The Sustainability Award
iSportConnect’s Editor-in-Chief, Jay Stuart takes a look at why sports are so important for the future of Web3.
After doing a deep dive into the Web3 rabbit hole for our ground-breaking iSportConnect Web3 Summit, I’ve come up for air and let my thoughts re-settle into the Web2 real world. In the process I think I’ve had a sort of epiphany that I would like to share.
Note I’m coming at this as largely a newbie of web3 who has a much better understanding of the sports and entertainment business than Web3.
First, let me get one thing out of the way. Forget about cryptocurrency. I’m tired of hearing about it and reading misinformation about blockchain written by people with a crypto meltdown axe to grind. The whole subject is a toxic distraction and I’m going to ignore it.
And yes, I am aware that there are those who will say that talking about Web3 without crypto makes no sense. Too bad, I’m doing it.
Out of principle, I’m not going to use the abstruse and annoying expression ‘NFT’ either.
I want to talk about Web3 as the next big thing that comes after Web2 and pick up on a number of general ideas that I’ve heard expressed not by the sceptics but by people who have bought into the basic notion that there is going to be a blockchain revolution in some shape or form.
Because Web2 is a super-entrenched default infrastructure supported by the richest companies in the world, Web3 faces the challenge of a certain amount of inertia, to say the least. I think we all agree that mass adoption of blockchain isn’t going to happen tomorrow.
But what’s going to push things in that direction?
Remember that Web3 is about back-end technology and ordinary people won’t even know if their internet is Web2 or Web3, so the adoption discussion is really more about B2B embracing blockchain than B2C.
And Web3 is by no means an all-or-nothing proposition. Blockchain might work for some things and not others. Everybody agrees that blockchain ticketing, for example, makes sense for all kinds of reasons. But that’s a small application in the grand scheme of things.
What about the bigger picture?
So, here goes. And be patient, because this is not going to be some negative rant, quite the opposite.
Point One
Many true believers express the view that the Web3 revolution is just like the Web2 revolution, and that, basically, mass adoption will happen when everybody wakes up to all the great things that blockchain can do for them.
Difficulty.
Yes, while the Web2 internet took time to get off the ground, and there was even a dot.com crash on the way, the reason it eventually gained traction was because it made life easier for millions and millions of ordinary people in their everyday lives. They could shop without leaving home and manage their bank accounts and make appointments and communicate with each other. It saved time and effort and money. A lot of stuff’s cheaper to buy online. Who in today’s world would want to go back to pre-Web2 living?
Does Web3 promise to make daily life easier for ordinary people? Not that I’ve heard. Sure, blockchain can do cool new things. But saving time, effort and money for the average person does not immediately appear high on the list.
Point Two
One of Web3’s selling points is the promise that blockchain will enable people to control the data and personal information currently being sucked up by the big platforms that dominate Web2 and the websites that consumers frequent online.
Difficulty.
Who really cares?
Do people who buy stuff online really give a damn if the company they buy from has their data? Or the online news source they subscribe to? Do they care that if they do a Google search that it cooks up some algorithm that they’re part of? Is that anything that grown-ups who are paranoid about their own snooping government or the Russians lose sleep over?
No. In return for the convenience of Web2, people are largely comfortable with surrendering some of their privacy, even if they might not like it and want more regulation. This is not a complex equation. I remember Obama saying something to this effect years ago.
Of more relevance is the B2B issue of whether companies and organisations – including sports entities − that depend on the big platforms for distribution will embrace blockchain in order to gain control of their data. Is that a priority? Most of them don’t even know how to make optimal use of the data they already have.
Is the data aspect going to be what drives Web3 mass adoption? How long will that take? I don’t know the answer to those questions. What do you think?
Point Three
We’re told that Web3 is about a creating immutable distributed ledgers of transactions and ownership. People will be able to own tokens and transact in a new transparent economy based on blockchain.
Difficulty.
So what? Who’s asking for that?
How much can tokenisation benefit ordinary consumers and businesses? Will the advantages of blockchain become so obvious that Web3 achieves mass adoption? In the next 20 years? Again, I don’t know. What do you think?
Point Four
Web3 has the potential to transform the entertainment ecosystem for music, film, sports, art, games, all the fun stuff people like to consume and take pleasure from. They will be able to own their own blockchain treasure chests of content and get access to new experiences and deeper engagement in the entertainment they are passionate about and be part of and transact with communities of like-minded fans.
Ah ha, now we’re getting somewhere!
And here is my simple-minded epiphany. Pardon me for being slow on the uptake because this is something visionary big brains have no doubt known from day one.
Forget technology and think use cases.
The difference between adoption of Web2 and Web3 is that Web2 growth was driven by information, communication and shopping for goods and services, and Web3 growth will probably be driven by entertainment, including sports entertainment and especially gaming.
Web2 adoption was geeky, Web3 adoption will be fun.
A corollary is that while Web2 started out being for grown-ups, Web3 is really for kids. I mean that playfully. I don’t know what the upper age limit for being a kid is nowadays, it seems to keep rising. Anyway, gamers and sports fans are all kids at heart.
The softest target for Web3 is the same young digital natives who already form gaming communities and spend billions on owning in-game digital assets in Web2 games. They buy skins in Fortnite and League of Legends. They already understand the token thing.
There’s supposed to be about three billion gamers in the world. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb by suggesting that gaming is likely to be the main driver of Web3 adoption.
Sports can be another big driver, perhaps in connection with gaming. New entertainment metaverses between Web2 and Web3 may speed things up.
The Web3 conversation can go in all kinds of directions. To make it
profitable for sports, keep the focus on how innovation more generally can deliver new experiences and better entertainment for the fans. That’s what matters most, not technology.
Sometimes Web3 will be the answer, but there may be valuable solutions that don’t require Web3 at all.
Two time Paralympian and World Championship medalist Rodolpho Riskalla from Brazil, has been elected to the newly created World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Athletes’ Council.
The WADA Athletes’ Council was created in May 2022 as part of widespread Governance reforms to “enhance athletes’ representation within WADA through the establishment of a 20-member Athlete Council, composed of athletes’ representatives chosen by athletes.” The Athletes’ Council, which replaces the 12-member WADA Athlete Committee, is also responsible for appointing athlete representatives to other WADA bodies.
The Athletes’ Council is structured into three groups, with Group 1 comprising five athletes appointed to their position by the Athletes’ Commissions of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
Riskalla, whose nomination was put forward by the Athletes’ Committee of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), is one of only eight athletes to be elected to Group 2 from a stellar nomination pool of 34 candidates. Athletes who ran for election in this Group have competed at the international level within the last nine years, and were from the same sport as the International Federation Athlete Commission nominating them. Riskalla will hold this position for a three-year term beginning in 2023.
A further seven positions in Group 3 will be selected by the Athlete Council Appointment Panel to fill skills and diversity gaps. The Panel will be composed of two athletes from the new Council (one representative each from Groups 1 and 2) and one member of the WADA Nominations Committee.
“I would like to offer my congratulations to Rodolpho on his election to the WADA Athletes’ Council and I’m confident that he will be an excellent ambassador to represent the interests of the athletes,” FEI President and Member of the WADA Executive Committee Ingmar De Vos said.
“Rodolpho is fully committed to the core principles of WADA and eager to put his knowledge and experience of international sport to the service of the athlete community. His passion and courage apply to all facets of his life, and he has been an inspiration to many athletes in equestrian sport.
“We greatly value his enthusiasm and resolution to achieve his goals and fight for his principles and values, which includes a world where all athletes can participate in a doping-free sport environment.”
Riskalla became a Paralympian in late 2015 after contracting bacterial meningitis in the run up to the Olympic Games in Rio 2016, at which he had hoped to represent his country in Dressage.
He defied the odds and went on to ride at the Paralympic Games in Rio, just months after his illness cost him both legs below the knees and a loss of fingers, finishing in 10th place individually.
His extraordinary story earned him the 2016 FEI Against all Odds award, and he was also named Para Equestrian Rider of the Year by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Competing in Grade IV, he went on to secure two silver medals at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Tryon (USA) on his mount Warenne. He followed this with an individual silver in Grade IV at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020, and more recently a bronze medal at the Orifarm Healthcare FEI Para Dressage World Championship 2022 in Herning (DEN) in August, with his beloved Don Henrico.
Esports entertainment company BLAST has revealed it will host and produce next year’s Counter-Strike Major in France. The BLAST.tv Major will take place at the Accor Arena in Paris in May 2023 and be the first CS:GO Major to take place in France.
Ths announcement follows on from French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments back in April this year, where he stated a desire for France to host leading esports events such as the Counter-Strike Major in the future and become the ‘country of video games’.
The BLAST.tv Major will be France’s first ever Counter-Strike Major and BLAST’s first time hosting one of the most watched and loved esports events in the world.
The esports entertainment company has built up a reputation for delivering esports events and experiences that focus on innovation, fan-first moments and high production quality.
Robbie Douek, CEO for BLAST, said: “BLAST has always had an ambition and dream to be involved in a Major, an event that is rightly viewed as the pinnacle of esports and competitive gaming. We’ve been watching and waiting for the right moment to deliver an unforgettable Major. The time is now, with the BLAST.tv Major 2023! Over the last few years we’ve been working hard to deliver the best esports entertainment on the planet, and more recently investing in a digital platform that will allow fans to get even closer to these experiences.
“Paris is a world class location to host the tournament and will precede another high profile international event in the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics. Next year marks 10 years of Majors and we are highly confident of marking this occasion by delivering the greatest Major to date for CS:GO fans to experience and enjoy. We will be working closely with Valve to ensure we meet and exceed the community’s expectations and deliver an incredible event.”
Emmanuel Macron, President of France, confirmed the news on Sunday night: “From next year, in May, in less than 10 months, our country will host an event that will celebrate its 10th anniversary: the BLAST.tv Major Counter-Strike, the very first CS:GO Major organised in France and it will be at the Accor Arena in Paris.”
The BLAST.tv Major joins a list of high-profile international events taking place in France over the next few years, alongside: 2023 Rugby World Cup, 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris and the 2025 Rugby League World Cup.
Over the last few years France has become a hotbed for producing some of esports and Counter-Strike’s leading talents. Deep-rooted in the CS:GO scene, France has developed some of the scene’s most loved teams and players.
2023 will mark 10-years of Counter-Strike Majors and the BLAST.tv Major will look to celebrate this momentous occasion through highlighting and looking back at some of the most iconic moments from the pinnacle of esports and Counter-Strike.
BLAST.tv will be the home of 2023 France Major, where fans can get closer to the action than ever before. Innovative and fan-first viewing features will allow fans to tailor their viewing experience, relive key and exciting moments and impact the action unfolding before their eyes.
The BLAST.tv Major will also be available to watch across BLAST’s global broadcast network, which is shown in 154 territories and in 25 languages. BLAST will work with Webedia Group, a leading French esports company, to deliver an unforgettable Major.
BLAST.tv Major dates and schedule:
RMR’s Qualifiers: February – March (exact dates TBC)
The World Curling Federation have extended their usage of subscription-free sports and entertainment streaming platform, Recast, for the 2022–2023 season.
The Curling Channel on Recast launched in the 2021–2022 season with live streamed coverage from the Le Gruyère AOP European Curling Championships in November 2021. Currently, the Channel has 21,000+ followers on Recast and has reached over 65 countries. The total revenue generated in the past season was over $USD 65,000, making it the Federation’s sixth largest broadcast income stream.
Recast’s unique microtransactional model uses an in-platform credit system, ‘cast credits’, fans can purchase casts as well as earn them by watching adverts, sharing content or inviting friends to join. The platform allows viewers to watch the games they want without having to commit to an ongoing subscription.
The system also provides our Member Associations with the opportunity to unlock new revenue and audiences by opening their own Recast Channel and streaming their content on it while also sharing via The Curling Channel.
Teams and fans can also benefit by receiving affordable access to the sport, whilst being rewarded for sharing and promoting the streams with cast credits.
Over the past season, The Curling Channel provided further live coverage from World Curling events, namely, the Olympic Qualification Event in December 2021, the BKT Tires & OK Tire World Women’s Curling Championship in March 2022, the LGT World Men’s Curling Championship and World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in April 2022 and the World Junior Curling Championships in May 2022.
From its launch until the end of July 2022, altogether 125,500+ purchases occurred on The Curling Channel.
The most popular game was the final of the BKT Tires & OK Tire World Women’s Curling Championship 2022 between Switzerland and Korea.
The second most popular game was the women’s gold medal final of the World Junior Championships 2022 between Sweden and Japan.
The third most viewed match was the men’s final at the Le Gruyère AOP European Curling Championships 2021, between Scotland and Sweden.
A one-time purchase of any game allows the viewer to gain unlimited on-demand access to the video.
Numerous high-profile sports organisations have joined Recast to broadcast their events, including the DP World Tour, the European Cricket Network, and most recently English Premier League football club, Manchester City.
Funds generated through this pay-per-view system allow the World Curling Federation to continue producing additional high-quality curling coverage.
Colin Grahamslaw, Secretary General of the World Curling Federation said: “We are pleased to continue working with Recast who are delivering an innovative solution allowing us to increase the coverage we can offer from our events. Broadcast coverage is expensive to provide, using the micropayments systems offered by Recast allowed us to provide additional coverage last season with more games from more sheets offered.
“This season we will continue to expand the coverage we can provide from our events and we will be looking to offer coverage from some of our events we have not previously broadcast.”
Andy Meikle, Founder and CEO of Recast, said: “As early Recast adopters, the World Curling Federation achieved significant success by broadcasting six major international events on the platform last season. In doing so, they unlocked new digital revenue, expanded their global coverage, markets and audiences — while also giving fans affordable access to the sport.
“World Curling embraced the innovative capability of Recast’s unique, flexible platform and have reaped the benefits of doing so. We are excited to see what World Curling does this season, as they continue to develop their channel and reinvest the revenue generated to further enhance and expand their broadcast coverage.”
Replays of the past season’s games are available on The Curling Channel, and fans will soon find new content there, including exclusive short videos and live coverage from championships in the 2022–2023 season.
Michael Pirrie was a special advisor to Sebastian Coe at the London 2012 Olympic Games, in this article he remembers Her Majesty and looks back at her involvement in sport.
Sport was a constant presence in the Queen’s historic reign, throughout her long life of royal duties, diplomatic engagements and community and charitable events.
She opened Parliaments, she opened Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games in an era of unprecedented change.
Queen Elizabeth II embodied the values and passions of her nation and was an enthusiastic and ardent follower of sport.
As a young princess, Elizabeth watched her father George VI declare the 1948 London Olympic Games open at Wembley, following in her father’s footsteps more than six decades later when she opened the 2012 Olympic Games.
There was a total of 15 British prime ministers, 5 popes and 17 summer Olympic Games since she ascended to the throne in 1952.
In her life time she witnessed every edition of football, rugby and cricket World Cups
The Queen truly embodied the British motto: ‘Keep Calm and Cary On,’ and provided a rare and timeless decency and calmness in turbulent times.
Her service – stretching post World War II, through the Cold War, Falklands, Iraq, war on terror and now Ukraine – brought stability and resolve.
Universally admired, she was the queen of hearts and a queen of sport.
The Queen understood her nation’s deep love of sport and how sport lifted the nation’s spirit and mood.
She also understood how sport connected her and the Royal Family with the wider community and how sport crossed social barriers and divisions.
As a mark of respect to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, English football has united to postpone all football fixtures this weekend. pic.twitter.com/k6bqNu6arf
The enduring monarch also understood sport’s importance in international affairs, and flags were lowered across the globe following her death.
The Queen especially grasped the importance of sport for the diverse peoples and nations of the Commonwealth, with Buckingham Palace serving as a landmark background prop for the Queen’s Baton Relay in the countdown to the Commonwealth Games.
This included the start of iconic Manchester 2002 Games Relay which featured an unprecedented line up of UK sporting greats, including George Best, Sir Roger Bannister, Seb Coe, Steve Redgrave and Dame Kelly Holmes.
Sporting organisations, world sports stars, teams, players and athletes were quick to pay tribute after Buckingham Palace announced the news.
Flags were lowered to half-mast at sporting venues and events as the sporting world mourned the Queen’s passing.
Manchester United led English Football’s tributes with a minute’s silence and players wearing black armbands at Old Trafford at the UEFA Europa League match with Real Sociedad.
‘Manchester United shares the sorrow of the entire nation following the announcement from Buckingham Palace of the passing of Her Majesty, The Queen,” the club said.
“The club recognises her immense contribution to public life, including sport, both here in the United Kingdom, across the Commonwealth and around the world.”
The Queen embraced sport throughout her life and the sporting world embraced her.
She attended many iconic sporting events, most memorably when she presented the World Cup trophy to England captain Bobby Moore at Wembley in 1966.
England Football League Chairman Rick Parry said the Queen had a keen interest in sport, including football and “was a champion of our national sport throughout her many years of service.”
“The Monarch was at Wembley Stadium in 1966, in our national sport’s most famous moment to present captain Bobby Moore with the Jules Rim trophy after England defeated West Germany to win the World Cup.”
This love of sport was passed down to her children and grandchildren.
Her youngest son Prince Edward succeeded his late father Prince Phillip as president of the Commonwealth Games Federation; a position that was later changed to vice-patron and has played an active role in the Commonwealth Games, modelled on the Olympic Games.
Her grandson Price William is an Aston Villa fan and became FA President in 2006 and vice royal patron of the Welsh Rugby Union in 2007, supporting the Queen as patron.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry has been the driving force behind the inspirational Invictus Games for war-injured veterans and athletes.
The Queen passed on her love of horses and horse racing to her daughter Anne, the Princess Royal, who represented Team GB at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.
IOC President Thomas Bach pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II:
“With the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we have lost a great supporter of sport and the Olympic Movement. Her Majesty was the only head of state to declare open two editions of the Olympic Games." pic.twitter.com/iH9NZET8Ud
Her daughter Zara Phillips followed her mother by competing in the same equestrian three day event at the 2012 London Olympics, in which The Queen played a pivotal but under acknowledged role.
While much attention has focussed on the Queen’s dramatic cameo with Her Majesty’s special agent James Bond in the opening ceremony of the 2012 Games, the Queen’s support during the bid for the London Olympics was essential to the campaign’s unexpected success.
The reception hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace was paramount to providing a London 2012 Olympic Games preview for IOC inspectors, who travelled to the palace by boat as London landmarks including Big Ben and Tower of London were illuminated along the Thames in the largest coordinated set of projections ever seen.
“I will never forget her total commitment to the success of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. She has been a source of continuity and comfort…” said former London 2012 Olympic Committee chair Seb Coe, the current president of World Athletics.
While the Queen inevitably rose to every request and occasion of national importance, her participation in the James Bond helicopter parachute ‘jump out’ over Olympic Park with spy star Daniel Craig was as memorable as any of the Bond movies.
The sky jump illusion was the most closely guarded secret of Danny Boyle’s triumphant opening ceremony with those closest to the plan even doubtful it would take off until Her Majesty surprisingly gave her royal approval.
Plan B included speculation that Dame Helen Mirren might play The Queen in the film sequence.
Her Majesty kept to the secrecy protocols, surprising even her grandsons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
“Both of us were slightly surprised with our grandmother’s secret hobby that she had of parachuting, which went down unbelievably well,” Prince Harry recalled later.
It seemed appropriate therefore that The London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, the biggest and most spectacular sporting events in UK history, would provide both a lasting legacy and tribute to the Queen.
The late IOC President Dr Jacques Rogge described the London Games as “the Happy and Glorious Games,” from the Queen’s national anthem, while the Olympic Park has also been named after Queen Elizabeth.
“As patron of the BOA (British Olympic Association), her support for the Olympic Movement in this country and, in particular, the London 2012 Olympic Games, cannot be underestimated and shall never be forgotten,” said British Olympic Association chairman, Sir Hugh Robertson.
It also seems appropriate that key milestones in her reign also coincided with major sporting events.
These have included the London 2012 Games in her Diamond Jubilee while the Queen opened the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002, her Golden Jubilee year.
The Queen was joined by England football legend, David Beckham, and local hero, Kirsty Howard, in opening the Games.
While the world mourns the passing of the Queen, the late Monarch continues to inspire.
British running icon, Mo Farah declared that meeting the Queen was “one of the greatest honours” of his life.
Many think the same, even if they have not met her.
“It was with great sadness that all of us at iSportConnect learned of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. We stand with everyone in the world of sport and beyond in honouring her life.
“She embodied so many aspects of British life through her steadfastness and humour. Her commitment to the British people in her life of service is something we all admire. She has been a constant in the life of her people and was an inspiration to us all.
“The thoughts of everyone at iSportConnect are with her family, loved ones and the people of the Commonwealth at this time.”
Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby (GBWR) is delighted to announce that Leicester City Football Club Owners, King Power, have confirmed they will once again be the title sponsor of the Wheelchair Rugby Quad Nations tournament and official partner of GBWR.
As title sponsor of the annual Wheelchair Rugby Quad Nations tournament since 2018 and a passionate supporter of sport, King Power has a close synergy with GBWR and understands the importance in giving back to society. The global business is active in all aspects of social responsibility from sponsoring of the arts, culture and sports, to maintaining and incorporating Thai heritage and traditional Buddhist philosophy in everyday services and business operations.
GBWR is taking the Quad Nations tournament to Wales for the first time this year with the Sport Wales National Centre in Cardiff set to host the competition from the 16th to 18th of September. The Quad Nations sees top GB Paralympians, as well as athletes from France, Germany and Canada, battle it out in a gripping four-team international event. It is a significant date in this year’s wheelchair rugby calendar as key preparation ahead of October’s World Championships in Denmark, as well as building up to next year’s European Championship which is also being held in the rugby-loving Welsh city.
GBWR Chief Executive Jason Brisbane added: “We are absolutely delighted to have King Power on board. GBWR hosting the 2022 Quad Nations in Cardiff marks the start of a new and exciting chapter for our sport. King Power have been by our side for the last 5 years, they know and understand our sport and are passionate supporters. We are absolutely delighted to be able to confirm King Power as title sponsor for what we know is going to be a great event hosted in the rugby-loving nation of Wales and one that is sure to inspire people and create a true legacy for wheelchair rugby.”
Table Tennis England has partnered with leading live video platform provider Joymo to launch TTE.TV – a new direct-to-fan streaming service which will broadcast the country’s biggest and best table tennis events.
Headlined by England national team home matches, the Mark Bates Ltd Senior National Championships, the Senior British League Premier Division and the new SBL Premier Cup, plus exclusive behind-the-scenes content, TTE.TV will be the go-to place for live streaming all year round.
The initial six-year deal will see Joymo power TTE.TV’s streaming infrastructure, technology, subscriber acquisition strategies and customer support enabling table tennis fans in England, and around the world, to watch community and elite table tennis events, live and on-demand, across multiple connected devices.
TTE.TV will free to all members until the end of July 2023. Non-members will be able to subscribe for £4.99 a month or £49.99 a year. Pay-per-view options will also be available.
Commenting on the agreement, Adrian Christy, Chief Executive of Table Tennis England, said:“This is a really exciting moment for Table Tennis England and for members, fans and participants of the sport across the country.
“It’s our firm belief that a new digital home for the sport will allow us to bring table tennis closer to even more fans as we serve great content and more live events. We have an ambition to enable greater visibility of table tennis and access to new followers of the sport who can watch grass roots and elite competitions and deepen their bond with the sport from day one.
“The direction of travel is clear when it comes to consumer viewing habits, and we want to ensure that Table Tennis England is at the forefront – creating more opportunities for people to connect and engage with the sport. This will, in turn, excite more people to play table tennis, bring fans closer to our players, help us with our elite-level ambitions and inspire more medal-winning performances.”
Mike Emery, CEO of Joymo, added: “We are delighted that Table Tennis England, after a thorough procurement process, has selected Joymo to power their live streaming ambitions. We are excited to be partnering with another forward-thinking sports federation that understands the immediate opportunity that D2C streaming offers, as well as the broader potential that owning and developing direct relationships with your fans will provide.
“Consumers are streaming more content than ever before, and it is proven to drive higher levels of engagement and greater audience reach. IP creation and ownership of first-party data is going to be absolutely key for sports organisations moving forwards and Joymo is committed to working with rights holders to provide a cost-effective entry point so that more sports can realise the benefits of direct-to-fan streaming services.”
The deal with Table Tennis England follows other long-term commitments for Joymo with Basketball Ireland and British Weight Liftingsigned earlier this year, as rights holders increasingly recognise the direct-to-fan opportunities that exist for their sports.
Founded in Norway in late-2017, Joymo provides rights holders with an innovative and affordable OTT solution, enabling them to create their own monetisable IP by broadcasting their valuable content direct-to-fans and connecting their events and competitions with a global audience.
Joymo’s unique model enables rights holders to retain full ownership of their data, control on-page and in-vision advertising, and utilise in-built micropayment functionality that provides a safe and secure monetisation opportunity.
Business-to-consumer (B2C) subscription companies focus on two key areas as growth drivers: customer acquisition and customer retention. Businesses win customers with advertising, free trials, and other promotions. But true growth and profit come from increasing customer retention by reducing the type of churn that could easily be solved by fixing technical problems in your billing processes – that is, fix passive churn.
Passive churn is when a customer who has no intention of leaving your service is disconnected from it, most often due to a failed (declined) payment transaction. There are many reasons for failed payment transactions, but one thing is clear: The subscription industry has proven that fixing failed payments leads to huge increases in subscribers and revenue over time – boosting subscription business metrics such as customer lifetime value (CLTV) and subscriber return on investment (sROI).
Because passive churn destroys CLTV and sROI, preventing passive churn is vital to the health of all subscription businesses. Churn prevention needs to be integrated into your business’s marketing plan. Without a capable churn prevention strategy, you are losing happy customers and steady revenue.
Do it yourself: fix passive churn
Figuring out how to recover failed transactions has a substantial learning curve involving experimentation, expertise, and adaptation of methods to desired results. Start with these steps:
Study payment failures and payment retry successes. What works and what does not work? Analyze the credit card issuer error response codes. Experiment. Look for patterns. Repeat the analysis every month to isolate uncharacteristic and exceptional results. This activity will help you get the most from the four retries that credit card issuers prefer you not exceed.
Experiment with retry patterns. Look for the best days of the week and the best date in the month to retry cards. Hint: it’s not Thursdays in countries where payday is usually Friday or the 31st of the month when payday is usually the 1st. Instead, explore over time to find a pattern that delivers better results for your customer base.
Be persistent.Keep your eyes on the cost for retrying and the success rates. Dig into the response codes to gain insight into why the payment failed in the first place and why some retries worked and others didn’t. Know when it makes sense to retry a transaction more than the recommended four times without annoying your customers with “update your billing and addresses” notifications.
The do-it-yourself approach to passive churn reduction can be difficult and time consuming. And success may be limited. The last step I recommend? Outsource when you need it. Use Vindicia Retain. As detailed in the actionable eBook “How to crush passive churn and boost subscription revenue,” subscription businesses can follow one of two approaches to manage passive churn caused by declined payment transactions: the “do-it-yourself” approach or work with a payment expert like Vindicia.
