Pioneering Sports Tech and Media: Insights from Ciaran Quinn In a recent episode of "A Guy with a Scarf", I sat down with my old friend Ciaran Quinn to discuss his fascinating journey in the world of sports, technology, and media. The conversation spanned over two decades, highlighting the evolution of the industry and the challenges faced by pioneers like Ciaran. Quinn's foray into sports tech began in 2000 when he co-founded Veo, a company that helped U.S. digital companies enter the...

The sports world descended on Dusseldorf earlier this week for SportsInnovation 2024, a flagship event organized by DFL, the German Football League. The gathering showcased cutting-edge technologies and immersive fan experiences that promise to reshape the beautiful game in the years ahead. "I think we are finally at the level where we will be able to judge if the idea we had in the past are good ideas or not," I remarked while speaking at the event. "The thing that we have imagined, the...

Dyn: Innovating the Sports Streaming Ecosystem in Germany Andreas Heyden, CEO of Dyn, a new German streaming platform, shares his journey and insights into the world of sports streaming in an engaging interview. With a background in the internet and video-on-demand business since 1997, Heyden has been at the forefront of digital transformation in the sports industry. His experience at DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH, the governing body of Bundesliga, has given him a unique perspective on the...

SportsInnovation Showcase: Bundesliga Embraces TechnologyI recently had the pleasure of interviewing Hendrik Weber from the DFL Bundesliga about the upcoming SportsInnovation event in Düsseldorf on March 20-21, 2024. The DFL is organizing the third edition of the conference to showcase the latest innovations and technologies impacting football and sports.What makes SportsInnovation unique is how it combines a traditional conference format, including international expert speakers and an...

Matt Stagg brings over 20 years of digital innovation leadership in the media and entertainment industry. He has driven mobile, immersive, and digital transformation strategy for prominent brands like BT Sport, Warner Bros. Discovery, EE, and more. His extensive industry background informs his nuanced perspectives on aligning emerging technology with media business opportunities. How Can AI Streamline Media Production Workflows? According to Matt Stagg, a pragmatic approach is needed rather...

⚽ 🔢 Sports Data Emerging as Strategic Priority for Leagues 🏟 Just having breakfast in New York, with Christian Holzer of Sportec Solutions AG and we were discussing how sports data is becoming a top strategic priority for major leagues. So I thought... this is A guy with a scarf episode! As Holzer explained, "There is everywhere sports data available now in every kind of level. And I think he also mentioned it quite well, that the ownership and the control that the leagues are now seeking...

The “Godfather of FASTs” Recounts The Rise of Free Streaming TV Alan Wolk earned the moniker “Godfather of FASTs” for coining a now ubiquitous industry term, but his influence extends far beyond a clever acronym. Wolk recently traced the origins and rapid maturation of the free, ad-supported streaming TV services now known as FASTs. As the co-founder of TVRev recalls, it started around a decade ago when companies like Pluto TV seized on an opportunity for streaming comfort food programming....

Rethinking Sports Media for the Next Generation of Fans Veteran sports media executive Sebastien Audoux recently shared his thoughts on innovations needed to engage the next generation of fans. Speaking on the “A Guy with a Scarf” podcast, he highlighted five areas where rights holders and broadcasters must embrace change to stay relevant. French Football Media Rights While the focus has been on money, Audoux argues “how are we going to storytell french football” is more important...

The Media Cartographer Evan Shapiro on Reinventing Our Relationship with Work I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Evan Shapiro, a veteran media executive turned author and consultant, on my podcast “A Guy with a Scarf.” Shapiro is the creator of the Media Universe Map, a visual representation tracking the market value of major media companies. We covered several pressing topics: the state of the media industry, the integral role of sports media, Shapiro’s own health issues, and the...

YouTube Offers Big Potential for Sports Industry, But Often Overlooked In a recent interview on the podcast “A Guy with a Scarf,” Paola Marinone, CEO of BuzzMyVideos, discussed how sports organizations can better leverage YouTube in 2023 and beyond. She highlighted that while YouTube brings massive audiences across demographics and countries, it remains an underestimated platform in the sports world. Marinone outlined four key "recipes" sports entities should consider to capitalize on...

Building a Fanbase in the Digital Age As Juventus FC’s Chief Marketing Officer, Mike Armstrong outlined that a key focus is growing the club’s global supporter base. With over 400 million fans internationally, football clubs require sophisticated digital marketing practices. “The goals are twofold - help build the audience base on the B2C side; and on the B2B side, attract partners and sponsors,” Armstrong explained. He emphasized that today’s supporters demand rich entertainment and...

🤖 At AI Heroes, an event organized by Synesthesia in my own city Torino, I talked to the CEO Riccardo Recalchi 🤖 Bringing Together AI Innovation and Industry in Torino Founder and CEO Riccardo Recalchi explained that they created AI Heroes to continue Torino's legacy of innovation by bringing together the local AI research community and industry. As an AI solutions provider grounded in academic research ourselves, we understand the importance of technology transfer between academia and...

🤖 At AI Heroes, an event organized by Synesthesia in my own city Torino, I talked to Leonardo Chiariglione father of MP3 and MPEG MPAI Launches New AI Standardization Effort At the recent AI Heroes event in Torino, Italy, Leonardo Chiariglione, renowned as the "father of MP3", discussed his latest endeavor - establishing standards for artificial intelligence (AI) to enable mass production of AI-powered applications. Chiariglione spearheaded the creation of the widely adopted MPEG (Moving...

🤖 As artificial intelligence advances rapidly, universities must evolve to equip students with the interdisciplinary knowledge and critical thinking skills to succeed, explained Guido Saracco, rector of Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy’s first technical university established in 1859. Saracco highlighted the profound impacts AI can have across industries. “With generative AI, this is going to be even more impacting and it’s going to change a lot of jobs, even in a very fast way. It’s...

The stunning rise and fall of companies like OpenAI reveal what happens when governance fails to keep up with exponential growth, says Professor Davide Sola, an expert on scaling tech companies. ⬆ Sola points to OpenAI as a prime example. Just 18 months ago it was a small research project. Today, after unlocking ways to commercialize powerful AI, it has over 700 employees and has attracted over $1 billion in revenue. “But was the infrastructure, including the governance, built 18 months ago...

I recently interviewed streaming industry expert Dan Rayburn to get his candid perspectives on the state of the market. From economic headwinds to overhyped capabilities, Rayburn shared insightful and unvarnished takes. Here are the key themes that emerged and why they matter: Momentary Gains Belie Structural Challenges Amid the hype around streaming wars, Rayburn urges focusing on long-term sustainability over quarterly fluctuations: “We’re playing chess, not checkers, and we care about...

The Nitto ATP Finals is one of the biggest events on the tennis calendar, bringing together the top 8 singles players and doubles teams to compete for the coveted year-end title. Behind the scenes, it takes months of preparation and hundreds of people to pull off this world-class tournament in Turin, Italy. I spoke with Matteo Gambuto, the Venue Director for FITP, the organization responsible for setting up and running the ATP Finals. He gave insight into the massive undertaking of...

Bringing the Excitement and Energy of Live Tennis to Fans Worldwide Introduction: I recently had the opportunity to speak with Chris Cicirello, who has worked at Wasserman Experience for 10 years bringing dynamic live experiences to tennis fans at the ATP Finals. Wasserman Experience has collaborated with the ATP since 2007 to amplify the action on the court through immersive entertainment and technology. The Goal: As Cicirello explained, "This aims to really complement it with the energy...

Here are some of the key takeaways from the interview with Adam Hogg: The ATP Finals is the ATP Tour's marquee event that they fully own and control. It serves as a "shop window" to showcase innovations in tennis and sports entertainment. The goal is constant improvement through embracing new technology, attracting more fans, and boosting engagement each year. Major additions this year include new camera angles and expanded fan experiences. Strong coordination with the city of Turin fully...

Here are some key takeaways from the interview with Mark Epps: The ATP Tour launched an official poster NFT for the 2022 ATP Finals to bring web3 to a wider tennis audience. Fans can purchase a physical and digital version. A key focus was making the web3 experience accessible for mainstream fans. The poster costs $50, checkout is easy, and no crypto expertise is required. For the ATP, the biggest potential of web3 is building deeper fan loyalty and engagement. They envision an on-chain...

Bruin Capital George Pyne founded global sports investment firm Bruin Capital in 2015. Bruin Capital has invested in companies operating across 16 countries. As Pyne stated, "Our portfolio companies operate in 16 countries, we do business in 50, and we work with almost every major federation and club in the world." Sports as a Valuable Asset Class Pyne sees tremendous value in sports as an investment asset class. As he explained, "Sports as an asset class has been very durable. Over 30...

The future is TBD. Richard paints a complex picture with no simple answers on where sports media is headed. If broadcast declines, how will leagues replace those revenues? Betting, subscriptions, something else? The future business models remain a huge open question. Fans are frustrated. Sports leagues take heed. Richard paints a concerning picture of fans turning to piracy out of irritation with the fractured, complex and expensive options for watching sports today. The Premier League and...

In the interview at the World Football Summit, Jenna Trabulus, newly appointed VP of Client Strategy and Delivery at Next League, shares insights on evolving fan engagement and the emerging dynamics in the sports industry. Jenna is excited about her role at Next League, where she will work on refining digital experiences for major sports entities like the NFL, XFL, NASCAR, and the US Olympic Committee. She sees tremendous potential in global football, particularly women's football, and is...

Esports, or competitive video gaming, has exploded in popularity over the last decade. Major games like League of Legends, Overwatch, and Call of Duty have millions of fans worldwide who watch professional gamers compete in tournaments for huge cash prizes. To learn more about the business side of esports and where the industry is headed, I spoke with Alyson Walker, Chief Commercial Officer at OverActive Media. Her company owns major esports franchises and is hosting the Overwatch League...

I spoke with Yvonne Harrison, CEO of Women in Football, about the alarming findings from their latest survey on the state of gender equality in the football industry. In this hard-hitting interview, Yvonne reveals the stark statistics around discrimination, harassment, bias, and more that show women still face major barriers. Over 80% of women experience discrimination at work in football. We discuss why so few women feel able to report issues, the critical need for allyship from male...