2018 Trends in Sports Tech: Wearables, fan engagement and story telling

The sports industry is an interesting space and one often misunderstood by those who sit outside it. For example, everyone thinks sports executives operate in a world awash with cash (if only) when, in truth, its real currency isn’t financial, it’s a mix of passion, brilliance, hope and fan loyalty. The tech that taps into these are the ones most likely to succeed.

Another conception about sports, with which I take issue, is that it is quite a static space. Certainly, there is a tangible ‘blazer brigade’ in some quarters, who block innovation for unfathomable reasons but, if the Sports Technology Awards’ entries are anything to go by, it is a sector which is both highly innovative and dynamic.

One of the joys of being involved with the Awards – and its latest venture – The STA Start Ups, is that entries reveal what trends to look forward to (and what over-hyped tech is unlikely to be bothering the masses any time soon). With this in mind, here are the Sports Technology Awards team’s predictions for 2018

Wearables

When we launched the Awards, wearables were the hot topic with the category leading the volume of entries by a very big margin. Whilst the value of this market has tripled over the past four years, to an estimated US$5.8bn, this growth has been in the non-elite portion of the market.

With a few exceptions, popular wearables measure steps, sleep and hydration, which has value for the mass-market, especially with the rising degree to which wearables have integrated into kit. However, elite players are now concerned with insights, such as DNA-led metrics. When wearables catch up with this, expect some exciting disruption in the space.

Performance Analytics

The propensity and the range of analytics recently launching is staggering and is set to continue. However, the space is getting crowded rapidly, with a consequence that it is also getting increasingly niche; as with wearables, we expect the market will rationalise quickly.

An additional consideration in this space is the role of broadcast, with a lot of companies creating software expecting to leverage the broadcast market however, the data ownership coming increasingly to the fore (i.e. who owns athletes’ stats and how public should these be made) how feasible this revenue stream is remains to be tested.

Athlete Welfare

Governing bodies are increasingly under moral and financial pressure regarding athlete welfare, so the market to provide solutions opens up. The way sport is managed makes technology the perfect way ‘go to’ since it sits neatly with governance protocols – i.e. solutions can be standardized, tracked, measured and universally imposed.

The clearest gap for technology to help is with head injury, both as an immediate way of dealing with an in-competition incident but as future-proofing athletes from the range of issues increasingly associated with head trauma. Whilst this is the most pressing welfare consideration, it isn’t the only one; NGBs need to be seen proactively taking preventative steps on matters such as child safety, doping and mental health soon.

Fan Engagement

‘Putting fans front and centre of the sports experience’ is a well-worn phrase but it’s something brands remain committed to. The challenge is that as fans become ever-more sophisticated, engagement solutions need to match this. This is where AR and business analytics will continue to have an impact and, whilst there are some interesting activations using VR, it is highly unlikely to see widespread adoption any time soon.

Video and Story Telling

From the NBA’s Rapid Replay to the ability for all broadcasters to snip and upload action socially in seconds, video has lost none of its power.

Over the past few years, the trend was to try and get ever-shorter but, more recently, people are waking up to the fact that sports fans (even Millennials) are engaged by a story, regardless of duration. In other words, tell a tale well and the audience will stay with you. The tech that enables this will continue to flourish.

These are what we believe to be the things that will be significant in 2018. Sports innovation may be a speedboat, but the sector tends to be more of a super tanker so whilst topics like cryptocurrency, Blockchain and AI will doubtless be the subjects of editorial regularly, as things stand, we can’t see them impacting the sector meaningfully in the next 12 months.

About the contributor

Rebecca Hopkins is the CEO of the Sports Technology Awards Group

iSportconnect founder Sree Varma joins jury of Euroleague Basketball startup tech challenge

Euroleague Basketball, together with University of La Salle-URL’s innovation park, La Salle Technova Barcelona, announced today that they are jointly launching the EB Tech Challenge, an initiative that aims to connect some of the world’s most innovative startups ready to disrupt the sports industry by providing solutions to existing or future challenges for sports organisations.

The Euroleague Basketball Tech Challenge, powered by La Salle-URL, is sending out an open call to start-ups to apply for the opportunity to attend an intensive week of collaboration, where they will meet top executives of both organisations, as well as a powerful roster of leaders in the sports business, entrepreneurship and investment communities.

Start-ups will benefit from mentoring, networking and conference sessions with renowned industry specialists, where they will be able to validate their concepts and potentially prove them in real environments. The Tech Challenge week will be hosted at Euroleague Basketball headquarters and the facilities of La Salle-URL in Barcelona.

Start-ups may present any projects that fit within any of the target topics, with the only requirement to be eligible being that such projects are technology-centered and bring creative and innovative solutions and opportunities for professional leagues, clubs, sponsors and sports organisations in general.

The selection of the finalists will be performed by a panel of renowned professionals, including:

Jordi Bertomeu – President & CEO, Euroleague Basketball
Josep M. Santos – General Manager, University of La Salle-URL
Adam Kelly – Senior Vice President, Head of Sales Worldwide, IMG Media
Salvador Alemany, President, Abertis
Sree Varma – Founder & CEO, iSportconnect & iSportconnect Capital
Luis Vicente – Founder & Chairman, 3vs Sports Partners

Sree Varma said: “I am thrilled to be part of such a prestigious judging panel. Technological innovation is a topic close to my heart – as it is key to iSportconnect’s ongoing success – and I cannot wait to see what the competition entrants have in the pipeline.

“iSportconnect Capital is always on the lookout for new projects and an investment opportunity or two may even arise from what I expect to be a fantastic event.”

“Since its early days, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have always stayed committed to innovation and disruption to empower growth and find new ways of improving the game and better connecting with fans.” Jordi Bertomeu, President and CEO of Euroleague basketball said. “We are glad to partner with the prestigious University of La Salle-URL to create an ecosystem that allows the leagues and its clubs to accelerate change and growth through creativity, innovation and technology.”

Josep M. Santos, General Manager of La Salle-URL, said: “At La Salle Barcelona Campus we are always striving to innovate. The EB Tech Challenge is a fantastic opportunity to discover new innovations and explore opportunities, and to make a difference in the sports startup world.”

If you are a startup and ready to disrupt the sports business industry, this is your chance! For more information, visit techchallenge.euroleague.net or download the brochure here.

About Euroleague Basketball

Euroleague Basketball is a global leader in the sports and entertainment business, devoted to delivering superior European club leagues under a unique and innovative organizational model. Owned and managed by some of the most successful and historical clubs in the world, EB manages the continent’s two premier men’s basketball competitions, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup, as well the sport’s premier under-18 showcase, the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT. Euroleague Basketball competitions bring the elite of European basketball to all five continents with broadcasts in over 210 countries and territories, and to the entire sports community through its OTT platform EuroLeague TV. EB also organizes a series of community and educational programs. Its ground-breaking corporate social responsibility program One Team features 40 clubs that have already made a difference in the lives of more than 12,000 participants. Its Sports Business MBA trains future professionals in sports management.

About La Salle Campus Barcelona-URL

La Salle, an institution with more than three hundred years of history, is founding member of Ramon Llull University, offering specialized university programs in Architecture, Engineering, Business Management and Animation and VFX. With a clear international vocation, it’s connected into 60 Lasallian university centers in 77 countries in the world, more than 1 million students and 10 million Alumni. La Salle clearly bets for Entrepreneurship, through La Salle Technova Barcelona, an innovation park and accelerator for technologically based start -ups.

Guinness PRO14 appoints ROS Nutrition as official nutrition partner

The Guinness PRO14 rugby competition has appointed ROS Nutrition as its official nutrition partner for the next two seasons.

As part of the partnership, ROS Nutrition will kick-off their association with a significant presence on n eye-catching presence on PRO14’s social media accounts where they will provide nutrition tips and supply prizes for giveaways.

Dermot Rigley, Commercial and Marketing Director for PRO14 Rugby, said: “ROS Nutrition have a great energy about them with their innovative approach to their business and commitment to high-quality products.

“We share those same values when it comes to creating an environment for our teams to thrive in so that they and their players can succeed in the colours of their clubs and their countries.

Damien O’Sullivan, Business Development Manager for ROS Nutrition, added: “PRO14 Rugby and ROS Nutrition are a natural fit. You need to have so many different physical and mental skills to succeed on the rugby pitch while possessing a nutrition plan that helps provide the best preparation and recovery possible.

“The Guinness PRO14 contains close to 300 international players and we share that aspiration of being at the elite level when it comes to sports nutrition. Since 2013, ROS Nutrition has stood for: Responsible, Original and Superior.”

Betfred Super League extends broadcasting deal with beIN Sports France

Super League (Europe) has agreed a new broadcast deal with beIN SPORTS for the French territory. The renewed agreement will see the relationship between the Betfred Super League and beIN SPORTS continue for a further two years until the end of the 2019 season.

As part of the partnership, beIN Sports France will continue to televise all Catalans Dragons home games and additionally show a selection of televised games from the Betfred Super League and the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup.

Rugby Football League interim Chief Executive Officer, Ralph Rimmer, said: “Once again it is superb that beIN Sports France will continue to show all of Catalans Dragons home fixtures in the Betfred Super League.

“beIN Sports France is a great broadcaster and we are delighted that they will also show a selection of games from the Betfred Super League and Ladbrokes Challenge Cup over the next two years.

“beIN SPORTS have been a broadcast partner of Super League (Europe) for four years now and we look forward to the successful partnership continuing and ensuring the best of the sport is shown to a wider audience.”

Yousef Al-Obaidly, Deputy CEO of beIN Media Group, added: “This new agreement strengthens beIN Sports France’s multisport portfolio and reaffirms beIN Sports as the home of Rugby League.

“We are delighted to continue our partnership with The Rugby Football League and to support the continued growth of this discipline in France through our premium coverage.”

Do you want to stay ahead of the broadcast curve? Sign up to iSportconnect’s first Masterclass of 2018 now!

Major League Soccer awards expansion club to Miami

With an extraordinary ownership group at the helm and an agreement in place to build a world-class soccer stadium, Miami has officially been granted a Major League Soccer expansion team, Commissioner Don Garber announced today.

The club will be owned by a local and global group of entrepreneurs: global soccer and cultural icon and former MLS player David Beckham; Marcelo Claure, Sprint CEO, SoftBank board member and long-time Miami-resident and entrepreneur; Jorge and José Mas, the Miami-based leaders of telecommunications and construction giant MasTec; Masayoshi Son, founder and CEO of SoftBank; and entertainment entrepreneur and manager, Simon Fuller.

“It is with tremendous pride that we welcome Miami to Major League Soccer,” said Commissioner Garber. “With David Beckham, Marcelo Claure, Jorge and José Mas, Masayoshi Son and Simon Fuller leading the way, we know the right people are in place and the time is right for Miami to become a great Major League Soccer city.

“This ownership is committed to bringing Miami the elite-level soccer team, stadium and fan experience it richly deserves. We look forward to working with the entire organization on a strategic and successful launch for Miami’s MLS club.”

“Our mission to bring an MLS club to Miami is now complete, and we are deeply satisfied, grateful and excited,” said David Beckham.

“Our pledge to our fans in Miami and around the world is simple: your team will always strive to make you proud on the pitch, our stadium will be a place that you cherish visiting, and our impact in the community and on South Florida’s youth will run deep.”

Miami’s team will play in a privately developed, 25,000-seat state-of-the-art stadium in the city’s urban core.

The stadium will be designed by Populous, the global firm that has created MLS stadiums in Orlando, Houston, Kansas City and Colorado, along with Audi Field (opening this year in Washington, D.C.), and Allianz Field (opening in Minnesota in 2019). Populous has also worked on many of the top soccer venues around the world, including the new stadium for Tottenham Hotspur, opening this year, and the expansion of Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium in 2015.

Eleven Sports secures live rights to all LaLiga matches in Belgium

Eleven Sports has agreed an improved three-year partnership with LaLiga to extend its coverage of the Spanish football league in Belgium.

The new agreement means that fans will not miss a minute of the action as all LaLiga matches will now be available on Eleven Sports. Under terms of the previous deal, Eleven showed up to six LaLiga matches every weekend.

The improved partnership will commence at the start of the 2018-2019 season and includes exclusive highlights, near live clips for social media and regular magazine style shows to engage fans outside of the match experience.

Anouk Mertens, Managing Director, Belgium, Eleven Sports, said: “The three year extension of this partnership is evidence of the strong foundations we have built with LaLiga in Belgium by engaging dedicated fans through extensive live action and in-depth, pre and post-match studio and pitch-side analysis.

“Eleven Sports is available in every home in Belgium and we are delighted to offer all fans the opportunity to enjoy every match from one of the world’s top sports leagues.”

Melcior Soler, director of the audiovisual department at LaLiga, added: “Eleven Sports offers fans in Belgium fantastic coverage of LaLiga and we’re pleased to extend our partnership to ensure fans won’t miss a minute of the action.

“Our partnership has grown significantly since 2015 and we look forward to bringing fans in Belgium more from the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and Griezmann, as well as their local heroes such as Thomas Vermaelen, Yannick Carrasco, Adnan Januzaj and Andreas Pereira.”

READ MORE: Melcior Soler – Audiovisual Area Director of LaLiga – discusses social media, TV broadcasting and brand direction

Arqiva launches new Central Processing Platform for channel to platform market

Arqiva, a communications infrastructure and media services company, has announced the launch of a new Central Processing Platform for channel delivery within the broadcast industry.

Against a backdrop of constant change, insatiable consumer demand and evolving audiences, the scalable platform plans to bridge the gap between channel or content and provider – handling content aggregation, technical processing and delivery of new channels in a single place.

Alex Pannell, Commercial Director, Satellite & Media at Arqiva, said: “In today’s data-driven TV market, deep insights offer exciting opportunities to tailor services, packages and content to audience tastes and expectations. But the broadcast industry has to be able to respond quickly and nimbly if it wants to take full advantage of this.

“Through Arqiva’s Central Processing Platform, customers will have access to thousands of channels, from every corner of the globe – all already processed and primed for delivery from one central location – so they can continue to build their business to match evolving demand.”

The Broadcast Masterclass will bring together industry thought leaders 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.

Register your interest now!

Directors’ Club: iSportconnect adds UN Women’s Nuala Walsh and Sport England’s Jennie Price CBE to ‘Women in Sport’ panel

iSportconnect is delighted to announce that Nuala Walsh and Jennie Price CBE have been added to the speaker lineup for the Women in Sport Panel, which will take place at the upcoming Directors’ Club on March 7.

Through the panel we want to commemorate the International Women’s Day week which ​​celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Panel discussion topics are set to focus on the importance of gender equality, the root of bias and discrimination behaviour and why it touches all in sport.

Walsh is set to bring significant value to the content programme, courtesy of her role as Board member of UN Women (UK), the only global entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, and that as Chief Marketing Officer at Standard Life Aberdeen.

Additionally, Walsh serves as a member of The Football Association’s Inclusion Advisory Board and works with the IAAF on achieving equality in athletics.

Price will offer delegates expert insight too, having served as Chief Executive Officer of Sport England since April 2007. Under her leadership, Sport England has seen the number of people regularly participating in sport grow by 1.6 million people since London won the bid to host the Olympic Games in 2012.

Price also led the team that commissioned the multi-award winning ‘This Girl Can’ campaign, which received substantial support and acclaim.

There will also be a one-on-one interview with Steve Brown, Chief Executive Officer at the Rugby Football Union, providing those in attendance with a unique insight into one of British sport’s biggest governing bodies.

A series of networking sessions will ensure there is ample opportunity to debate industry best practices, discuss business opportunities and forge new relationships. Chatham House rules will be strictly adhered to, promoting a free exchange of ideas within the room.

The venue and full speaker lineup for the event will be confirmed in due course.

What makes iSportconnect Directors’ Clubs so special?

  • Events are open exclusively to Director/C-Suite level executives at sports rights holders, sponsorship brands and broadcasters.
  • Capacity is capped at 150 delegates allowing intimate access to key decision makers in the sports industry.
  • No agencies or press can attend and, as we follow Chatham House Rules, all discussions will remain confidential.

Please contact Chris Edbrook (chris@isportconnect.com) to register your interest in attending

ITTF and Table Tennis England announce British Airways partnership

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and Table Tennis England (TTE) have today announced a new partnership with British Airways (BA).

As part of the agreement, BA will serve as the official airline partner of the 2018 ITTF Team World Cup, which is set to be held in London later this year.

Thomas Weikert, President of the ITTF, said: “We are delighted to welcome an iconic, global brand such as British Airways to the ever growing table tennis partner family.

“Our sport has global reach and high levels of fan engagement, attributes that can help brands such as British Airways to connect to audiences around the world. We look forward to a fantastic event in February.”

With a global TV viewing audience of over 355 million during the 2017 World Table Tennis Championships, and some matches featuring in the top 10 watched sporting events in China for 2017, table tennis will help BA to promote its brand in key territories.

Noella Ferns, Executive Vice President Greater China and the Philippines for British Airways and Iberia, added: “We are very excited to be working with a sport like table tennis which is incredibly popular around the world and of course in Asia.

“We have very specific targets for partnership activities and have been impressed by the approach and opportunity that ITTF and Table Tennis England colleagues provided. We wish all teams the best of luck, and look forward to a great event.”

Cities, organising committees and international sport federations commit in record number to the SportAccord Convention 2018 exhibition

With twelve weeks until the SportAccord Convention takes place at the Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre, Thailand from 15 – 20 April 2018, 77% of exhibition floor space has already been snapped up for the upcoming event.

The only annual sports business convention where all the international sport federations (IFs) are guaranteed to attend. Exhibitors include international sport federations, organising committees, cities and regions and make up over seventy-five percent of total exhibitors providing organisations involved in the business of sport ample opportunity to connect with these industries.

Joining SportAccord Convention 2018 as an exhibitor for the seventh time, Andrew Gettig, VP of International – Connor Sport Court said, “It is important for us to continue the momentum gained in Aarhus and previous editions, and position our company at the heart of the SportAccord Convention. We truly believe in its value and see the Convention as a unique platform that allows us to connect with the leaders of Olympic and non-Olympic sport movement, organising committees and host cities in one easy to navigate place.”

International sport federations, cities, and businesses interested in attending can book an exhibition booth online or discuss their requirements and options with the sales team.

The venue layout for SportAccord Convention 2018 has been designed to optimise networking opportunities for both exhibitors and delegates with access to the conference auditorium and official meeting rooms via the exhibition area which are all on one level. Exhibitors will also have access to the SAC networking mobile app to contact delegates, arrange meetings, and keep up-to-date with the latest news at the SportAccord Convention.

Nis Hatt, Managing Director of SportAccord Convention said, “The SportAccord Convention prides itself on providing an event that meets the needs of our partners, exhibitors, and delegates. This year’s exhibition promises to deliver that with dynamic feature area zones, a larger SAC Café including the Speakers Corner and an easy to access conference auditorium, only minutes away from the exhibition.”

The exhibition area will feature an all-new ‘Relaxing Zone’ for delegates which will incorporate a surprise element guaranteed to rejuvenate delegates. In addition, the exhibition area will also provide a touch of Thai culture with its special ‘Thai Pavilion’ which will include a variety of local Thai attractions.

Hatt went on to say: “Combine this opportunity to connect with sporting business leaders and the optimised exhibition layout, I am not surprised that our community has once again embraced the SportAccord Convention and that over 2/3’s of the exhibition floor space is already reserved.”

‘Enhanced’ booths remain the ‘go-to’ booth for SportAccord Convention with a variety of sizes and configurations still available. Entry-level booths will start at 6m² and include 4 delegate passes (increasing with booth size), graphics, TV, chairs, table, information counter, Wi-Fi, power, lights and carpet).

Registration for SportAccord Convention 2018 is in full-swing and organisations are encouraged to secure their delegate passes at CHF 2,500. Many delegates and organisations have already committed to attend the SportAccord Convention 2018 and passes are selling out.

The SportAccord Convention World Sport & Business Summit provides a unique platform for leaders from international federations, cities, and industry to meet and discuss the business of sport. The annual 6-day summit also includes an extensive Conference programme and is host to all the Stakeholder General Assemblies attended by their Members. The SportAccord Convention also offers many other social and networking opportunities as part of its Official Schedule.