A panel looking at future opportunities in sports covered everything from technology and gambling to OTT broadcasts during the second day of the CAA World Congress of Sports. Here are a few of the main takeaways:
DATA & DOLLARS: Combining tech and gambling at a sports venue is the “Holy Grail” for teams, said Ticketmaster Chief Commercial Officer & Head of Sports Greg Economou. “The economy around it is so huge, you have to think it will increase,” he said. “It’s the next wave. We have to be very vigilant about how we install it.”
EXPANDING MEDIA: NASCAR and ISC Exec VP/Chief Innovation & Development Office Craig Neeb said the next generation of media opportunities is “something we think about every day." Neeb: "Our current media rights are through 2024. How will fans want to consume the product then? How do we expand the platform, are they selective, who are the right partners and how do we go to market with that?” American Gaming Association Senior VP/Public Affairs Sara Slane, added, “Legalized sports betting has opened up a new category: media rights and streaming. A new category for sports betting in how you stream to the sports book provider.”
WHAT’S NEXT FOR ESPORTS: The panel unanimously said esports is the sport that is best poised for growth. Economou pointed to the vast numbers playing and watching competitive video gaming. “There are 100 million users of League of Legends alone,” he said. “It’s a massive scale. How that industry gets its arms around it is yet to be seen, but there’s no stopping it.” Delaware North Exec VP & Chief Development Officer Maureen Sweeny said, “We have an ownership position in an esports team. We continue to struggle with the monetization side of it, but it’s real.”
INSIDE THE PARK: The swiftly changing fan behavior at live events generated a lively discussion. Sweeny noted that fans do not necessarily want to sit in the stands and may not be interested in watching the action. She pointed to the Australian Open and said, “There were 15,000 seats you could purchase, but there were 93,000 people in the park area who just wanted to participate in F&B and entertainment.” Economou said this behavior is causing headaches for teams who ask, “How do we retain those subscriptions? You’ll see changes over time. You might have people come into the game but they’re sitting in a bar the team owns but they’re not sitting in a seat.”
Quick Hits:
* Elite Team Holdings CEO and Pro Football HOFer Tim Brown, on using technology to track players during events: “Maybe I’m too old school, but most players I know wouldn’t want that chip in their shoulder pads, the thing in your helmet. You want to play the way you know how to play. The minute you play the way someone else wants you to play is when injuries come into play.”
* Sweeny, on the future of sports facilities: “If a team’s not looking to build an entertainment facility around their arena, they better look into it.”
* Brown, on prop bets on players during games: “It’s not good at all. Players have enough pressure on them as it is. How do they keep these guys from being involved?”
