With an estimated attendance of more than 175,000, the International Consumer Electronics Show once again took over Las Vegas with a heavy dose of glitz and futuristic technology. And never before has sports had as much of a presence at or connection to the show, a notion NBA Commissioner Adam Silver crystallized when he said, “this show is now 50 years old, but 10 years ago, nobody was talking about sports leagues at CES. But you walk the floor now, and there’s so much technology relevant to what we’re doing, particularly with wearables and so forth … it’s now part and parcel to what we’re about.” Here are some of the products and developments that caught our eye:
Live sports discovery and curation
■ WHAT IS IT? Finding the game you want to watch amid a mushrooming media landscape is a challenge, particularly when considering nearly 11,000 sports events were broadcast nationally in the U.S. in 2016. That figure is up by half from just five years ago and more than twice the level of a decade ago. So new tools such as Turner Sports’ Catch Sports mobile
application, LG’s webOS smart TV platform, and Samsung’s new Sports service on its TVs are designed to make it easier for fans to find their favorite teams, athletes and events, customized to their own markets.
■ WHO SHOWED IT? Turner Sports, LG and Samsung were among the key exhibitors of content discovery products but many other manufacturers, programmers and distributors have been aggressive in developing similar search and recommendation tools. “We believe it solves a legitimate problem in the marketplace,” said Turner Sports President Lenny Daniels of Catch Sports.
■ WHO’S EXCITED BY IT? Anybody who’s had trouble locating the game they want to listen to or watch.
■ HOW MUCH WILL IT COST? In nearly every instance, the products are free or come included with the TV or cable box itself.
■ WHAT ARE THE HURDLES? In addition to linear TV, sports content discovery tools ideally must also account for numerous other platforms including over-the-top streaming video, mobile apps, podcasts, and terrestrial and satellite radio, including local affiliates.
Under Armour’s recovery sleepwear
■ WHAT IS IT? A new line of “athlete recovery sleepwear” includes specially designed fibers aimed at boosting circulation during sleep and bodily recovery. The product is endorsed by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
■ WHO’S EXCITED BY IT? In a CES keynote address, Under Armour CEO and founder Kevin Plank said sleep will represent a key business line for the company. “I am as excited about sleep as I was about the first Under Armour T-shirt,” Plank said.
■ HOW MUCH WILL IT COST? $79.99-$99.99 depending on the specific product for men or women.
■ WHAT ARE THE HURDLES? Many factors can influence the quality of sleep, most well out of Under Armour’s control, leaving the product somewhat vulnerable to being perceived as snake oil. The product is also far more costly than what most people spend on what they wear to sleep. But with an increasing recognition across the sports and health industries on the importance of sleep, Under Armour’s entry represents a potentially influential beachhead.
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Tom Brady is in bed with Under Armour’s new line of sleepwear.
Photo by: UNDER ARMOUR
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FitBit
■ WHAT IS IT? The dominant player in fitness trackers has made much of its name and business on the recreational market. But the San Francisco-based company is now targeting the elite and professional sports market, using industry partnerships to extend its brand. Among them are a recent alliance with 2K Sports to create video game enhancements in the ultra popular “NBA 2K17” as a reward for users’ real-life fitness activity, and endorsement deals with pro athletes such as Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes.
■ WHO’S EXCITED BY IT? Many of the major sports leagues took meetings with FitBit at CES, intrigued by its plans, and FitBit itself believes it can also play a role in the sports industry’s emerging data revolution. “All of the leagues are trying to put all this together,” said Tim Rosa, FitBit senior vice president of global marketing. “The NBA now has a wearables committee. MLB approved some wearables for training. Others are doing similar things. Not all of our trackers would necessarily work in a game setting. But we think we can be part of the conversation.”
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Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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■ HOW MUCH WILL IT COST? FitBit trackers typically retail for $60 to $230, and provide online and mobile support.
■ WHAT ARE THE HURDLES? FitBit’s strategy counters most fitness-oriented companies that begin their development by aligning with elite athletes and pro organizations, and then use those associations to target the broader public.
Majestic Athletic’s Swing IQ smart apparel
■ WHAT IS IT? The long-sleeved baseball shirt is embedded with three motion sensors that provide more than 4,500 data points per swing, and full 360-degree tracking of wrists, shoulders and hips. The product is a different application of baseball motion sensors from competitors such as Blast Motion and Zepp that have sensors on the bat itself.
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Photo by: INTEL
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■ WHO’S EXCITED BY IT? VF subsidiary Majestic is a lame duck in its association with Major League Baseball, with the league’s on-field uniform contract going to Under Armour in 2020. But the Swing IQ apparel takes a trend toward ever-smaller motion sensors in sports analytics, and makes them largely unnoticeable within the shirt. The product was also developed in partnership with Intel, itself making a huge play within sports. And like many other connected fitness products, the Swing IQ shirt will be backed by online and mobile training tools.
■ HOW MUCH WILL IT COST? $199.99, with availability in April.
■ WHAT ARE THE HURDLES? The product is significantly more expensive than its key competition, and even with Intel’s technology assistance, the product is outside Majestic’s core competency. But it is aiming to overcome those factors by yielding a larger trove of data to users.
