Here Are The STA Startup Winners

The STA Startups, part of the Sports Technology Awards Group, in conjunction with Presenting Partner, Sportradar, revealed its 2019 winners today.

In keeping with the nature of the sector, the line-up of emerging stars was revealed by video stream (see video below) across a series of global channels, including Yahoo Sport.

The winners were:

  • Deal of the Year – Vald Performance’s Acquisition of ForceDecks
  • Best Seed Funded Business – Guided Knowledge: the Next Generation of Wearables
  • Best Crowdfunded Business – Incentive Games
  • Series A Funded Businesses – Adrenaline Hunter
  • Series B Funded Businesses – LiveLike
  • Best New Concept – Danu Analytics: a Smart Injury and Performance Analysis System

There was fierce international competition under the scrutiny of a 20-strong panel of industry-leading judges, including Gfinity’s Amanda Lawson, UEFA’s Daniel Marion, the LMA’s Richard Bevan and the FEI’s Stéphane Schwander.

Rebecca Hopkins, CEO of the Sports Technology Awards Group said ‘The Startups serve a highly exciting and dynamic part of the sports technology sector; our aim is to create valuable, third-party endorsement for young companies, which gives winners a tangible commercial edge in a competitive industry. The judges observed that this year’s entries were as diverse as they were exciting and global, and we look forward to great things from them all.’

Adam Azor, Sportradar’s Director of Product Marketing, added ‘The partnership between the Sports Technology Startups and Sportradar is one that is extremely important to us; innovation and startups go hand in hand and Sportradar has built its business on the foundation of innovation. We believe startups and their evolution are the future of our industry, so we are committed to staying closely aligned to them.’

Here’s what the winners do:

  • Vald Performance (Australia): Vald Performance’s human measurement systems are used to improve athlete performance and welfare
  • Guided Knowledge (UK): Guided Knowledge creates wearable technologies which observe and assess a user’s performance in 3D; custom, expert advice is delivered in real-time via a mobile app
  • Incentive Games (UK): Incentive Games is a B2B software developer which creates innovative, engaging, accessible games which help businesses acquire, retain and monetise customers
  • Adrenaline Hunter (France): Adrenaline Hunter is the first booking platform for extreme sports and adventure travel worldwide
  • Danu Analytics (Ireland): Danu Analytics has created a gait analysis system for injury and performance management
  • LiveLike (United States): LiveLike’s live streaming platform is a white label product that allows broadcasters to stream regular or interactive content to end users, under their own brand, on mobile and VR

For more information about the Startups or the STA Group, click here

ESPN Rolls Out First Sports Betting Show

With the U.S. regulatory regime changing, ESPN is launching its first-ever sports betting show on March 11.

The Daily Wager, with sports betting news and information, will be an hour-long show running Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. ET, and it will also be streamed live on the ESPN App.

The show will be hosted by  ESPN sports betting analyst Doug Kezirian (in photo), who will be joined by experts, analysts and reporters from various sports for discussion of analytics and point spreads, and how the day’s sports news affects betting.

“ESPN’s mission is to serve sports fans,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN Executive Vice President and Executive Editor, Studio Production. “The sports betting environment has changed, and interest is increasing at unprecedented levels. ESPN is going to have a strong and vibrant presence across our platforms, and the launch of Daily Wager is the next step in what has already been underway for some time.”

Discussion and expert analysis will be combined with ESPN’s stats and information resources and the television screen will be modified to include graphics related to sports betting news, lines and information.

Sports wagering experts will be making picks on the program. But ESPN reporters and analysts will only be offering info and insights. Making their picks remains a no-no..

William Hill Moving Fast In American Sports Market

William Hill has been quick to grow its American business following the legalisation of sports betting in the USA.

The UK-based betting company’s business is now live in six states, with access secured to 17 states in total, and a 34% market share by revenue across all seven regulated states in these early stages. Net revenue from existing American business was up 42%.

Overall, William Hill, with about 2,3000 betting shops in the UK, on March 1 announced group net revenues up 2% to £1.621 billion in the latest financial year, while operating profit slipped 3% to £266.8 million.

William Hill CEO Philip Bowcock said the company has been “first out of the blocks in all states that have regulated sports betting.”

In a statement on the American outlook, the company said: “Through carefully selecting strategic partners and key suppliers in the US we have been able to diversify into all states currently regulating sports betting and have the ability to expand quickly into other states as they regulate.”

As well as having an established brand name in the States through its existing Nevada business (begun in 2012), William Hill became the first business to agree a sponsorship deal with a major American franchise, with the Vegas Golden Knights of the NHL, and it has a similar agreement with the New Jersey Devils of the NBA.

PewDiePie Joins Most Influential Athletes List

Soccer again dominates the list of the most influential athletes in the world on social media in February, according to pioneering spontech research company Hookit, with six active footballers and one retired hero among the top 10, with Lionel Messi back of Barcelona back on top.

Three of the stars play in LaLiga in Spain (for three different teams), two for PSG in France and one for Manchester United.

The exceptions were Tom Brady of the NFL’s New England Patriots, who guided his team to victory in the Super Bowl at the start of the month, MMA champ Conor McPherson… and PewDiePie.

In broadening our view of sport to include digital competition, we also need to adjust our definition of sports personalities, and no one illustrates that better than the Swedish YouTuber, whose real name is Felix Arvid Kjellberg.

Known for his Let’s Play commentaries on video games, PewDiePie recently signed a high-profile endorsement deal with gaming mega-brand GFUEL, which calls itself the “official energy drink of esports.”

Formula 1 To Speak At iSportconnect’s 2019 Broadcast Masterclass

iSportconnect is pleased to announce that Yath Gangakumaran, Director of Corporate Strategy and Business Development at Formula 1, will be speaking at our 2019 Broadcast Masterclass on Thursday 4th April. The event will be held at Fieldfisher in the City of London, and will bring together senior level executives in the industry to focus on new ways for media companies, rights owners and technology partners to prosper, thrive and grow as the digital revolution continues to disrupt the sports broadcasting market.

Yath leads the Corporate Strategy and Business Development department at Formula 1, providing long term strategic direction for the sport as it undertakes a fundamental shift in approach to better engage fans around the world. The remit is extremely broad, covering all aspects of the organisation from Commercial and Motorsports to Corporate projects. Example Strategy projects include developing the plans to grow in key target markets, assessing prospective race locations and determining new formats for racing. On the Business Development side, his team creates new initiatives that provide incremental commercial return for Formula 1, such as the unique MIT business conference partnership.

Prior to Formula 1, Yath was a Senior Strategist at Sky Sports working on channel development, sports rights assessments and business development. He was also a Strategist at Channel 4 and began his career at professional services organisation, PwC, as a Strategy Consultant advising media and sports organisations on corporate strategy and commercial due diligence.

With a maximum of 150 invite-only delegates, iSportconnect provides a media/agency free opportunity to network with influential senior-level sports business executives. We are famous for our intimate and relaxed environment, encouraging ideas exchange and helping to introduce you to the right new connections.

To register your interest in attending the 2019 Broadcast Masterclass, please contact Chloe McCombie at info@isportconnect.com

Invitation Policy: The Broadcast Masterclass is a complimentary event for iSportconnect members who are from governing bodies, sports teams, brands and broadcasters. There is no fee to become an iSportconnect member. No sports agencies, professional service providers & suppliers are allowed.

For limited partnership opportunities, please contact Hugo Millns at info@isportconnect.com

 

Tokyo 2020 Sets Strict No Smoking Policy

All the venues for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be 100 percent smoke-free, the organisers announced yesterday.

At most sporting venues in Japan, there are designated areas for smokers to use but this will not be the case at Tokyo 2020.

“Based on the development of the law and regulations and guidance from the IOC, Tokyo 2020 has decided to adopt a stricter non-smoking policy to protect the health and safety of athletes, spectators and officials,” the organisers said in a statement.

A similar policy to that enacted during the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

Unlike at London 2012 and Rio 2016, there will not even be designated smoking areas outside of venues.

In 1964, the last time Tokyo hosted the Summer Games, the event actually had a tobacco sponsor, and one cigarette brand even featured the Olympic rings on its packet.

In his book Olympic Turnaround, former IOC Marketing Director Michael Payne recounted that “one of the most successful licensed Olympic products ever produced” was the Olympias brand of cigarettes,designed to generate funds to support the organisation of the 1964 Tokyo Games. Olympias generated over $1 million in revenues for the Organising Committee.

Payne wrote: “A popular Japanese cigarette brand, Peace, ran a promotion where each package was sold with a numbered premium ticket. This entitled anyone drawing a winning ticket to claim a prize of a further 365 packs. Even back in the 1960s, marketers realized that the Olympic rings could draw consumers’ attention to a product. Every packet of Peace cigarettes, carried the Olympic emblem.”

Juventus Enjoys Jump In Product Sales

Merchandising revenues have soared for Juventus in the first half of the 2018-19 financial year, in the first season with Cristiano Ronaldo in black and white.

Income from products and licenses was €26,51 million, up 81% over the same period in the previous year.

However, the cost of products rose by even more, according to Calcio e Finanza.

Juventus paid €12.18 million for products to sell in its retail outlets and online, an increase of 107% on the comparable period last year.

Juventus and Inter Milan are neck and neck in terms of sponsorship revenues generated during the first six months of the 2018-19 financial year.

Juventus took in €61.4 million in sponsorship and advertising, up 42% from the first half of 2017-2018.

Inter earned €60.7 million (via Inter Media and Communications), up 41%.

During the period, Inter’s revenue included €5.3 million from main sponsor Pirelli and €5.0 million from technical sponsor Nike.

New Zealand Denies World League Has Green Light

New Zealand Rugby CEO Steve Tew has said that no plans have been agreed on for the launch of a new international league of rugby nations.

The New Zealand Herald revealed this week that World Rugby has been negotiating the establishment of a 12-team World League to kick off in 2020.

The 12 nations would be the current Six Nations (England, France, Italy, Scotland, Ireland and Wales) and the current Rugby Championship sides of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina, plus Japan and USA, which would be invited to join the Rugby Championship group.

The plan would apparently leave Fiji, Samoa and Tonga out in the cold.

In a statement, Tew said: “World Rugby have been proactive and bought an idea to the table, we have been refining it over several months and a positive spin off has been some real commercial interest in backing it.“

“Having said that nothing has been decided, we have not agreed to anything at this stage and have always been working to the March World Rugby meetings as the next opportunity to discuss the details.”

“There’s no simple solution to this, but New Zealand Rugby remains committed to working through the proposals with the right people in the room.”

Leadership Masterclass: “Let’s Think About How We Make Decisions”

Calculating risk and probabilities is a fundamental part of business and being able to anticipate future trends, or even what’s likely to happen next week, has never been tougher than in these hazy days of Brexit.

For delegates at the first iSportconnect Leadership Masterclass in London next week, all the uncertainty is very much good news. It will give a timely resonance to the presentation by our guest speaker Trevor Charsley, an economist, who is the Senior Markets Advisor at global payment and risk management solutions company, AFEX.

“Are people really aware of the decision-making process and the biases that they have?” he wonders.

That will be a jumping-off point on March 6, when Trevor will share his insights on risk, decision-making and leadership. Without giving too much away, he offers a preview in the video below.

To learn more about the Masterclass, click here.

To sign up for the event, contact Chloe McCombie at info@isportconnect.com

Spain’s Famous Stadiums Are Opening Up To Women’s Football

Athletic Femenino recently broke the record for attendance at a Spanish women’s football match with 48,121 spectators at one of LaLiga’s showcase stadiums.

With encouragement and support from LaLiga, a growing number of clubs across Spain are taking the decision to stage women’s matches inside stadiums typically reserved for the men’s side, with increasingly impressive results.

None more so that San Mamés in Bilbao, where the new attendance record was set on Wednesday 30 January. A total of 48,121 were in the stands to see Athletic Femenino, the sister team of LaLiga’s Athletic Bilbao, take on Atlético Madrid in the Copa de la Reina. This attendance also surpassed anything that the men’s side had achieved up to that point in the LaLiga season.

Speaking after the game, María Tato, Deputy Secretary of Athletic Club, said: “Athletic Club fans want to see women’s football, they want to support women and they understand that it has a home here. We want this match to leave a footprint and start a movement that extends throughout Europe and the rest of the world.”

San Mamés will not be the only major stadium to stage the women’s game for the first time this year. Real Sociedad, another club in the Basque region, opened its Anoeta stadium to its women’s team in February, attracting more than 21,000 spectators.

Espanyol de Barcelona’s RCDE Stadium is also preparing to welcome their women’s team. Their Liga Iberdrola match against Atlético Madrid will be held at the 41,000-capacity venue in mid-April.

To read the full story, click here.