Warriors co-Owner PETER GUBER after a longtime stint as a movie producer "has reinvented himself as a sports owner and investor," as in the five years since he, co-Owner JOE LACOB and other investors paid $450M for the team, they have turned "from perennial losers into a model franchise," according to a Q&A with Andy Lewis of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The 73-year-old Guber, who also is a minority owner of the Dodgers plus owner of several minor-league teams, discussed the Warriors' "magical season, [and] the future of TV sports (hint: virtual reality)." Excerpts of the Q&A are below:
Q: How do sports people and Hollywood people compare?
Guber: The audiences for movies and television are all passengers. The fans in sports own the team. The people that run the teams also are radically different. The movie business is 14 weeks (at a time). Everyone says they bond, but they never see one another again. Ever.
Q: In 10 years, will I be watching virtual reality sports and movies?
Guber: Much sooner you will be watching everything you would have had to go into the stadium to watch.
Q: Will we see an end to the bundling of cable channels?
Guber: Viewer choice and viewer control is the ultimate element of the digital revolution. But that doesn't mean that the value proposition won't be there.
Q: Would you want to be involved in an NFL team in Los Angeles?
Guber: No, I own the MLS Los Angeles Football Club (coming in 2017). I'm excited because there's a lot of global relationships that can grow out of that. When you look at American football, it's a very expensive sport. The stadiums are very, very expensive. You operate them nine days a year (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 7/3 issue).
