Murray Barnett

Is Kings League giving us a glimpse into the future of sports broadcasting? Gerard Pique’s Kings League has made many industry headlines over the last few years around their challenger football format, rule quirks and streaming first approach. One aspect that I think has gone under the radar is their post-game shoulder coverage. ‘After Kings & Queens’ is a live show which goes out on YouTube after each game week and is almost more akin to a gaming stream than a sports broadcast. From 6 - 7 different feeds shown at once to in studio debate mixed with game highlights and a blend of ex-pros and influencers. Yes it feels simple on the surface but it’s a totally different experience to what we are used to in traditional sports. And it works really well, attracting audiences of up to 350k with streams of 2 - 3 hours in previous shows. They have nailed the modern sports audience experience not just on the pitch, but off it too. I expect we’ll see many more take this model of live shoulder content. P.S At Dizplai we LIVE for helping brands, broadcasters and sports organisations unlock future forward ways to engaged younger audiences using live content. DM me to find out more.

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Broadcast TV is under so much threat that reports of a merger between one or more of the UK’s public service broadcasters are being floated, yet sport is keeping the linear flame alive for FTA and Pay-TV alike. In the UK alone, broadcast TV figures have sunk by over 25% in less than a decade – yet sport is the bubble that refuses to burst. Sport continues to attract large audiences keen to share the national/international experience and contrary to broader consumption trends, this includes a healthy swathe of young people too. Fears that young people are no longer interested in sport are overblown. As analysts at Enders point out, sport is now a growing proportion of all under-35s’ live TV set viewing: 17% in 2023, actually up from 7% in 2015. How can we explain this? I agree with the author that in a world of content driven by algorithms and subcultures, sport is a glue that bind us together. It helps, too, that it has to be watched live. But Enders also credits broadcasters and leagues “for maintaining sport’s appeal in a changing media landscape”. That I feel is critical. Sports broadcasters are successfully innovating the product on screen. Gamification modes, innovative camera angles and point-of-view shots are all adding to the drama and resonating with the young. Long may that continue! https://lnkd.in/eV7VDpCd #sportsbroadcasting #netinsightnimbra #remoteproduction #livecloudproduction

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It’s two weeks since YouTube creator group Beta Squad played AMP (including megastar Kai Cenat) in a football match streamed live on YouTube. The game drew 750k concurrent live viewers and since then has racked up 7.4 million views, a further 3.5m of the Goals & Highlights reel and that’s before counting the thousands of fan-created videos across YT and TikTok. Whilst the Sidemen and King’s League attracted more live viewers on YT, this event surpassed expectations and certainly delivered on drama which always helps. The game ended 6-6 before being called off amid a pitch invasion - and proceeds went to their nominated charity, The Water Project, and shone an important light on their cause. A charitable cause, drama, football and YouTubers - perfect ingredients for Gen Z and A. And that’s why the numbers are worthy of calling out, because the majority of watchers, rewatchers, sharers and remixers of the content will have been under 25. Those viewers will have also gone on to engage with much more AMP, Kai Cenat and Beta Squad content since. But will they have engaged with much more official football content? Maybe, (it is now the Euros afterall) but if they have, those fans will have had to access it across a number of different platforms and networks. Barriers that young football fans don’t like. So what can we learn from a bunch of YouTubers capable of eliciting such attention to their football content (immersion Matt Hymers) and surrounding chatter in the form of thousands of shared videos amongst their fan communities in way that established clubs, networks and broadcasters would love? Well, it’s YouTube - Gen Z and A’s first-choice video platform whose growth is outpacing that of TV. Amongst online Gen Zers YouTube reaches 95% and crucially - for creators like MrBeast, AMP and Sidemen - it is their primary platform. Cenat too is big on YouTube but also Twitch - and that’s the point, these creators are UGC platform natives. According to Qustodio younger demos spend 70+ minutes a day on YT, it’s their ‘TV’ and they aren’t going back. Gen Z and A are increasingly engaging with sport on ROBLOX too where they are spending over 2 hours per day. Again, platform native, fan-made football games outperform the official ones (see my previous post about FIFA World here https://lnkd.in/gR_FFCfd) so if creators like MATS/Play!Studios can create Super League Soccer with 15k concurrent users when I wrote this vs. the 20 (twenty) players in FIFA’s experience it’s time to acknowledge that on the whole, younger demographics are not being served by the traditional organisations. By leveraging these platforms better, and listening to what young people want of sports, we stand a chance of more effectively connecting with, and inspiring, the next generation to watch, play, attend and love it.

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For those involved in live sports streaming, how do you handle the common concern from teams and clubs that streaming will reduce ticket sales and affect attendance? What strategies have you found effective in overcoming this hurdle and showcasing the added value live streaming can bring? #livestreaming #sports #uk #livestream #socialmedia #ppv

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**Matchday Moments Launches Multinetwork SIM for Superior Live Stream Performance** Matchday Moments, a leader in live sports broadcasting, is proud to announce its latest technological advancement: the integration of Multinetwork SIM cards. These SIM cards are capable of connecting to one of four major UK networks—EE, Three, Vodafone, and O2—ensuring unparalleled network flexibility and reliability. The Multinetwork SIM is a game changer for professional broadcasting, allowing Matchday Moments to switch seamlessly between networks based on coverage, ensuring consistent connectivity in even the most challenging locations. Whether in urban arenas or rural venues, this technology ensures a strong, stable signal for uninterrupted live streams. In addition to the Multinetwork SIM, Matchday Moments leverages advanced network bonding technology, combining the bandwidth from multiple networks to deliver higher speed and redundancy. The inclusion of Starlink satellite technology further strengthens the offering by providing high-speed internet in remote areas where traditional networks may struggle. This powerful combination guarantees that viewers and customers experience live sports streams with zero buffering, delivering the best possible viewing experience for fans around the world. By adopting these cutting-edge technologies, Matchday Moments reinforces its commitment to high-quality, professional broadcasting, setting a new standard in live sports streaming. #livestream #livestreaming #livesports #ppv #payperview #sportsstreaming #matchdaymom

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I had a fantastic conversation with Michael Shields, exploring how anime isn’t just a genre but a powerful storytelling medium. We discussed Crunchyroll, our passionate fanbase, and how anime shapes and connects cultures globally. #anime #cruncyhroll #sonypictures #storytelling #DigitalMedia #NextinMedia

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Recently seen on James Cridland Radio Trends Newsletter https://lnkd.in/djrvCwzP Where do we get new radio talent? I enjoyed a discussion on social media recently about how people got their first radio show on a big station. For people my age, it was normally an overnight shift. It’s hard these days to find new talent: since overnight shifts don’t exist, either being networked in, or being run by a computer. There seems very few ways to get on-air via a quiet shift that very few people will hear. However, BBC Radio 1 (new music + CHR) has a much better plan: to use the period between Christmas and New Year to put new talent on the air. If you’re quick, you can get your application in. “Radio 1 want to hear from DJs and presenters with previous radio experience, be it in community, hospital, student or local radio.” This is a great idea: and exactly the type of thing that the BBC ought to be doing. A great way to find new talent, and also (coincidentally) a way to fill your schedules during a holiday period. Such a great plan - and in its first four years it’s already seen thirteen participants doing additional shows on the station. One for youth public radio stations everywhere? https://lnkd.in/d3gWbVuv #radio #audio #newtalent #nextgen

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English Premier League ops in-house - a sign of things to come? "Premier League clubs have agreed to establish their own in-house media operations business bringing to an end a 20-year relationship with production company IMG. The decision to bring all international media content production and distribution in-house follows a unanimous vote at a Premier League Shareholders’ meeting today (Friday). The service has previously been run in partnership with IMG under the name Premier League productions." Is this a sign of a big shakeup coming to the world of football and sports? As markets mature and new business opportunities saturate, how else can you drive stronger margins? One of the things is bringing services in-house, to be able to increase margins by cutting out expensive third-party providers. The IMG deal comes to an end, are the Premier League also looking beyond their latest renewal with Sky and thinking about becoming distributors of their own rights and going D2C? With the proliferation of #streamingmedia and #streamingplatforms I think the Premier League amongst others will start looking at their business models and wonder whether they can just distribute the content themselves. It's not like the old days where they needed satellite or cable infrastructure, the costs to set their own #streamingplatform would be reasonable when looking at ROI. We could well see a move to make the #EPL the exclusive distributor of English football in the UK and beyond. There clearly advantages in going D2C with greater margins and convenience because while Sky has most rights, its not exclusive, with rights shared with TNT. Having everything in one place would also win points with consumers. There is a danger though. Going D2C would mean assuming all responsibility for distribution, and if things go wrong, the penalties would be severe. The EPL has been shielded by this through their SLAs with the distribution providers, who take the risk. It's the danger of jettonising long-term partners like IMG and potentially Sky, they're not just a costly middle-man, they have years of operational expertise. As we saw with Netflix's transmission of the Tyson-Paul fight, its not an easy business to deliver #livesports streaming seamlessly, especially when they're popular and CDNs get saturated. Secondly, the EPL is itself a middle-man who pays the football clubs #broadcast revenue. If they take control of their own distribution, many of the clubs may question why they don't also do that. They could sell their rights D2C and boost their own platforms. It may even be beneficial to the consumer, as they could pay per match, rather than the current #subscriptionmodel where they have access to lots of matches. So, the EPL and others should tread carefully around these in-housing services. They are ripe with opportunity, but laden with risk. #television #sports #tvindustry #football #paytv #livetv #broadcasting #mediaindustry #monetization #streaming #cdn

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For anyone working in - or interested in - the industry of sports media, I recommend this from Ryan Cassella. We hear so much about ‘fragmentation’ in sports media - fragmentation of rights, platforms and audiences. But part of the answer to fragmentation lies, perhaps ironically, in collaboration - one of Ryan’s key pillars, along with storytelling and technology. Sport must leverage all three pillars to deliver stories that have meaning to the widest possible global audience. #sportsmedia #production #storytelling #broadcast

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And another ... M xx H2O RACING AND DAZN ANNOUNCE GLOBAL BROADCAST PARTNERSHIP * Deal to cover broadcast of H2O Racing’s tentpole properties UIM F1H2O and UIM ABP Aquabike * H2O Racing will join an ever-growing range of content on DAZN which is available to fans for free * This global non-exclusive deal will bolster H2O Racing’s global platform and offer DAZN users access to a truly innovative sports property London, 22nd August 2024 - H2O Racing is thrilled to announce a ground-breaking partnership with DAZN, the leading global sports streaming platform. This collaboration marks a significant milestone as DAZN will bring its innovative coverage and unrivalled global reach to the F1H2O World Championship and the Aquabike World Championship. Starting from the next races, (UIM F1H2O Grand Prix of Shanghai China and UIM ABP Aquabike Grand Prix of Lake Toba Indonesia) DAZN will offer fans unparalleled access to all the thrilling action of both championships. This includes live broadcasts of every race, the highlights, promo and event clip and all the other contents that will enhance the viewing experience for audiences worldwide. DAZN is building the ultimate sports destination, providing fans with a single frictionless platform to access live and on-demand content from the most exciting sports events globally as well as socialise with other users, bet, play games and buy tickets and merchandise. With its industry-leading tech and commitment to delivering high-quality experiences for everyone, everywhere, DAZN is revolutionising the sports fan experience. The partnership with DAZN is a testament to the growing popularity and appeal of the F1H2O and Aquabike championships. It represents a significant step forward in expanding the global reach and visibility of these exciting sports, bringing them to millions of new fans around the world.

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At SVG Europe’s Create Share Engage conference With Jordan Williams New ways to monetize sports content within the world of social media are being discussed. Is Social a new route to monetisation? Or could it be mostly just a new marketing platform? How the shift to online is enabling new consumer channels - Direct to fan engagement is a key lead. And how, when we think of live sports, we often gravitate towards just a few sports and often just the top tiers. But that viewing is now fragmenting as viewing portals shift away from the traditional Pay TV model. There are so many organisations below the top tiers who want to engage their fans too! Innovative clubs are looking to tie together both their media offerings together with club membership benefits. Some smaller organisations are coming together to create a scale that allows them to achieve more. Methods of viewing are shifting. And younger viewers are driving that change. Fan engagement techniques and editorial choices such as 9:16 and playful editing are being used to help grow on-line and social engagement. Short-form content is well known to be key for Social channels. But “Long-Form” content is a growth area - But you have to realise that, for TikTok, Long-Form means video length of approximately 1 minute. At the core of fan engagement, is often Data. So many types of data is what sports fans demand. Data that drives the advertising industry. Data that drives betting revenue streams. Ultimately though, the players and athletes are the assets. And although data is key, without the players, the sports video business is nothing. #CSE2024 #NetInsight #SocialMedia #LiveEvents #ContentMonetisation

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✈ The journey to Lisbon has begun. 📺 If you are interested in betting content, audio and visual, that keeps customers on your site, and betting, when sport is live, let's meet up and have a chat. Email me at [email protected] or message me here. 👍 The best way to engage your customer is to entertain your customer. Let me tell you how we do that at Sports Broadcast Media #SBCLisbon #SBCSummit #SBCEvents #SBC #iGamingindustry #iGamingnews #bettingcontent

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Every company founder has a story to tell, and in the case of the Connected TV Marketing Association, there’s quite a tale to tell. In ‘Beam Me Up, The Future of Smart TV - Battle for Control' (Ch 7), I share with readers the 7 year legal battle and fight to control the CTVMA during the global streaming wars. For those of you who don’t know, there were over a hundred people involved in our foundation, and many of whom are prominent, well known, leading industry figures in entertainment, business, broadcasting, advertising and finance, who will all receive special mentions in my upcoming book #StreamingWars 💣

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Sky goes full in on #streaming "Sky in the UK is to launch a new sports streaming offering, Sky Sports+, that will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service Now and a revamped Sky Sports mobile app. Launching this August, Sky Sports+ will offer a much broader range of sporting content via concurrent live streams, the mobile app and a dedicated new channel, at no extra cost to subscribers, according to Sky." This will start like most other SVOD platforms, in alliance with the #paytv side, the big difference here is that the pay-tv partner is Sky's main business. It clearly doesn't want to cannibalise its business, and so its offering it for free to its subscribers. "Customers with a full Sky Sports subscription will have immediate access to Sky Sports+ across Sky Glass, Sky Stream, Sky Q, and Now. As part of the Sky Sports+ launch, Now members will also be able to pause and rewind live sports content for the first time." How will it outreach to non-subscribers? And, will this influence a slow migration away from Sky's #traditionaltv platform? The platform offers more than what Sky's pay-tv platform currently offers, allowing "Sky Sports+ will have the capability to show up to 100 live events via concurrent streams, while a dedicated Sky Sports+ linear channel will showcase a selection of the best live sport, according to the pay TV broadcaster." It will also offer more football matches "the launch of Sky Sports+ coincides with the start of a new long-term partnership with the English Football League (EFL), with over 1,000 EFL games a season featuring every team more than 20 times, and every Championship club on at least 24 occasions." I wonder if this includes the blackout games, those games in the UK blacked out to promote going to stadiums to watch games. If so, that could be a real game-changer. Now, it seems Sky is shifting away from Pay TV. It won't be immediate, it's not pushing its clients at all in any direction, its trying to facilitate convenience for existing legacy clients, as well as innovation for them and new clients. However, it may well seem to be an inevitable shift towards #streamingtv #streamingplatforms #television #tvindustry #skysports #livesports #livetv #livefootball #sports #sky https://lnkd.in/eVe2r-qp

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Does television get the credit it deserves for the contribution it makes to advertisers’ profitability? Commercial broadcasters in the UK have come together to collaborate in an initiative which will demonstrate the positive relationship between TV viewers and advertising outcomes. In this asiCast, Sameer Modha, Measurement Innovation Controller of ITV, discusses with asi’s Research Director Richard Marks the development of Lantern, the multi-outcome measurement panel being set-up by Channel 4, Sky and ITV. This collaboration is regarded as essential to provide advertisers the persuasive evidence of everything that television delivers and to ensure that it gets the credit it deserves. It recognises that for many there is a move away from a world determined by de-duplicated reach to one determined by outcomes. #advertising #television #outcomes #roi

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What are the major trends in podcasting and in audio more generally? Ahead of his session at this year’s asi conference, James Cridland, the Editor of Podnews and its weekly companion Podnews Weekly Review, talks to asi’s Research Director Richard Marks about how he got started with the daily email global briefing on developments in podcasting and on-demand audio. They discuss the rapid rise in on-demand audio listening, with podcasts increasingly available on multiple platforms – ‘wherever you listen to your podcast’. This is also leading to the development of programmatic advertising and techniques to measure its effectiveness. How are radio broadcasters reacting to the challenges posed by independent podcast publishers and platforms like Spotify? Some broadcasters are looking to keep all their content within their own app, safeguarding the user data and building a relationship with their listeners. Most, however, are trying to reach the largest possible audience by making their content available everywhere. James will be speaking at this year’s asi International Radio & Audio Conference in Venice on November 6th. Rockie Thomas Daryl Battaglia John Carroll

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#ITVX record month - the value of localisation "ITV’s Euro 2024 coverage, along with a new season of Love Island and a selection of new dramas drove record streaming numbers in June for ITVX, with 375.8 million streams across the month, making it ITVX’s best ever month in streaming, up 54 per cent year on year." It's hard to remember almost 2 years when ITVX was about to launch, there were big questions about its viability in an increasing competitive space, dominated by #global #svods #avods However, ITV has taken the #streaming world in the #UK by storm, and keeps going from strength to strength. It had huge success with the Post Office drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office. Now, with the #euro2024 tournament, viewing was always likely to go up, but it's hardly an anomaly, its on the back of consistent strong performance for ITV. "The 19 Euro 2024 matches on ITV in June were streamed just under 84 million times, with the current season of Love Island up to 76 million streams after 28 episodes, which is up 10 million on the comparable point in the season last year. Including streams to previous seasons which are also available on ITVX, Love Island has delivered over 80 million streams across June. New dramas pulled strong audiences in June including The Flash, the DC superhero series and Arrow spinoff, darkly comedic crime thriller Bay of Fires, and the UK premiere of Orphan Black: Echoes starring Krysten Ritter and Keeley Hawes. Commissioned dramas including Red Eye and Douglas Is Cancelled continue to grow and were also top performers in the period." Yesterday, I posted about Tubi's entrance into the UK, and the huge name they bring. However, ITV has a real mix for UK audiences. They have the big films from Hollywood that will always have an audience. They also have UK commissioned series, reality TV, as well as benefitting from years of presence in the market, with its series and shows having ingrained following in the UK, as any local service would. While the #streamingmedia space seems to get crowded, and competition is intense, its easy to think those with the deepest pockets will eventually triumph. That's not the case. Apple TV is maybe the best example, with cash to burn, but has not threatened #Netflix's domination of the SVOD market. Just because big US global streamers set their eyes on the UK, it doesn't mean that they will be successful. #Localisation is the key driver of growth and success across the world, Netflix has invested heavily in local production, and this has helped them maintain their top spot around the world. I predict there will be no global model, Netflix may lead worldwide, but after that, local players will dominate in their markets, beating out some of the global streamers, because they have their ear to the ground, and target their audience, rather than relying solely on mass appeal. https://lnkd.in/efSc6rqh #tvindustry #mediaindustry #creativeindustries #streamingplaforms

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From briefing to live event in under a month When the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) & Little Dot Studios approached us at Dizplai to help with The Hundred draft, it was an opportunity to which we couldn't say no. Our mission? Deliver a digital-first broadcast that not only looked stunning but also fostered a two-way conversation with new and existing fans. The goal was clear: engagement drives the narrative. And no biggy, but there were a few variables involved: 75 picks 885 players 8 teams 16 squads Here's what we did: - Custom graphics:  Bold, responsive, easily digestible on any device whilst capturing the vibrant essence of The Hundred. - ⁠Interactive Elements: Creating an inclusive, interactive space for fans, with real-time updates from YouTube live chat and social media platforms integrated directly into the broadcast. - Customised Dizplai Platform: We adapted our platform to handle real-time bespoke data from the draft efficiently. This meant rapid updates for "pick alerts," "team snapshots," and "full squad overviews" could be executed with minimal input from the production team. - ⁠Automation and Ease of Use: We build simple, one-click actions for updates during the live draft, significantly reducing the risk of errors and delays. - ⁠Leveraging Existing Infrastructure: By integrating with the existing digital infrastructure of The Hundred and ECB, we maximised resources without the need for extensive new hardware investments. - ⁠Sponsor Integration: We smartly wove sponsor branding (Sage) and ticket promotions into the graphics, adding commercial value without compromising the user experience. The result was a sleek, engaging live show that not only met the tight deadline but also provided a platform for dynamic fan interaction with over 100,000 tuning in. Not bad for just over 3 weeks! #sportsbiz #sportsindustry #broadcast

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Freely only recently launched, scoops HbbTV Association award "The internet delivered TV platform, established by the UK’s public broadcasters, picked up Best Technology Innovation in an HbbTV Application, Best Use of HbbTV for Content Discovery, Best Marketing or Promotion of an HbbTV-Based Service and Judges’ Award: HbbTV Newcomer of the Year." "“With Freely, Everyone TV have both demonstrated the power and effectiveness of the HbbTV OpApp, and how collaboration between broadcasters can bring compelling ‘all streaming’ services to consumers,” said the judges." This is a testament to the Freely/Everyone TV team's efforts clearly, but also this idea behind it that brings its own success. The bringing together of #publicservice #broadcasters and pooling their content, IP and brand power already boosts content discovery, as people search for this content and find it under one roof. Hopefully this early success will convince the #psbs to keep faith with the idea and put more effort into ensuring its success. For a market like the UK, but generally across Europe, with a strong psb presence, but facing challenges from global #streaming it's important that there are more alliances on this front. I predict we'll see more in the private sphere, so it’s important the public sphere is prepared too. Times have changed, and while there continues to be a healthy rivalry between BBC and ITV for primetime spots, its more and more becoming a matter of broadcasters competing with #streamingplatforms for eyeballs, with on-demand a bigger and bigger factor. The #tvindustry needs to see this, and psbs in my opinion should consolidate as more (whilst not losing their individuality) to continue to remain relevant in changing times where generations cultural references in terms #television are moving away from #traditionalbroadcast #tvchannels even beyond VOD world contained in the traditional TV ecosystem itself and onto #socialmedia I'm personally heartened that Everyone TV is making this important move. The use of HbbTV standard means that it can connect to #smarttv even non-smart TVs as long as there is a set-top box, and being a great bridge to those not fully connected to the digital sphere. #television #mediaindustry #creativeindustries #innovation #ukmedia #broadcastmedia #broadcasting

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