Rachel Hoagland

So digital can have real world outcomes. Behaviour change can stretch across commercial and social needs.

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PENN Entertainment, Inc has announced that ESPN Bet will soon be seamlessly integrated into the ESPN and theScore apps across North America. This development means users will be able to track their bets, including all legs of parlays, live within these popular media platforms. The integration also includes personalized betting offers, real-time odds updates, and various wagering options, all designed to enhance the overall user experience. https://lnkd.in/eDWnHXrj Personalization is becoming increasingly important for betting platforms to differentiate themselves in a crowded market. If you're looking to elevate your sports betting platform, check out my recent article where I discuss strategies for creating a standout user experience: https://lnkd.in/eWXPqMkJ #DataArt #DataArtMedia #sportsbetting #bettingnews #sportsbusiness #sportsbiz 

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For the amusement industry, I noticed that a lot of FECs dumped their existing VR products when Godzilla was announced last November - other than GZ, I haven't been hearing about positive movement elsewhere within this segment(in terms of new sales or strong earnings, but I might have missed a report since few like to share that data in our biz). Hearing that the AVP is "non-existent" as a force in VR gaming though, reminds me off all the hype we were hearing about it back in January, with grandiose claims that it was going to "replace laptops" and the like. Aside from the quick pivot on that language to "well, it's a dev kit for the future," don't automatically bank on a product's success just because of the company who made it. Apple has had numerous failures over the years, as has every big company. While a strong track record of successes is generally a good guide to use for predicting the future, there are no guarantees. It also doesn't mean that the inherent issues found in face wearable tech just magically go away. https://lnkd.in/gDdfk8_q

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🤔 Had an insightful conversation this week with thought leaders across gaming, entertainment, consumer goods, and web3. A consistent theme emerged: Even in a partner-driven consumer model, your engaged community and fans are your most valuable assets. Partners want you to bring the best fans, users, and community to the table to help drive their business. By focusing on what truly drives fans, keeps them engaged, and gets them talking about the brand, you create real demand and strengthen those partnerships. A fan-focused strategy is essential to long-term success. Build for your fans, launch for them, and thrive with them. Who are you building for? #fansfirst #gaming #web3 #blockchaingames

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🏀 NBA Poised to Revolutionize Sports Media with Amazon Prime Video Deal In a groundbreaking move that is set to reshape the landscape of sports media, the NBA and Amazon Prime Video are on the verge of finalizing a deal that will make the streaming service a primary home for league games. This landmark agreement, as reported by executives with direct knowledge of the talks to The Athletic, is expected to span at least a decade and commence with the 2025-2026 season. Under the proposed framework, Prime Video's package is anticipated to include a significant number of regular season and postseason games, potentially even some conference finals. This move underscores the NBA's commitment to defining itself for the next frontier of viewing, with streaming at the forefront. Alongside Amazon, ESPN/ABC is also expected to secure a deal with the NBA, with the expectation that the network will retain the rights to the Finals for the duration of its contract. Like Amazon's agreement, ESPN's new contract is projected to span at least a decade. As the NBA's current nine-year deals with ESPN and TNT Sports, valued at an average of $2.6 billion, are set to conclude after the 2024-2025 season, the league is actively seeking to diversify its media partnerships. While the NBA prefers to have three companies involved in its new deals, it has not ruled out the possibility of adding a fourth. The advancements in talks with Amazon and ESPN have left incumbent Warner Bros. Discovery, whose network TNT Sports has been a long-standing partner of the NBA since 1984, to compete with Comcast-owned NBC for the likely last package of games. Although Warner Bros. Discovery has the right to match deals, NBC could attempt to structure an agreement in a way that makes it challenging for its rival. To accommodate the inclusion of a third partner, the current packages are expected to be slightly pruned. In one arrangement, ESPN is likely to reduce its coverage from around 100 games to approximately 80, as indicated by executives briefed on the talks. Amazon's regular-season games could potentially be slotted on Thursday nights, a time period where it already has a strong presence with its NFL coverage from September to early January. In recent years, the NBA has strategically moved its games off Thursday during this period to avoid direct competition with the NFL. Additionally, Amazon is expected to secure significant playoff inventory and has expressed interest in acquiring global rights, aligning with the NBA's negotiating strategy of synchronizing its domestic and international deals to end following the 2024-2025 season. As the NBA, Amazon, and ESPN are all under the impression that they will successfully complete deals, the pressure now falls on TNT Sports and NBC, with its streaming service Peacock, to vie for the remaining package. #sportsbiz

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https://lnkd.in/ec9KCizM great advice from a great coach in moving beyond transactional leadership to be successful

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🏀 Breaking News: $76 Billion NBA TV Deal Fast Approaching 📺 As the NBA nears a monumental $76 billion media rights deal with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon, showcasing a seismic shift in sports broadcasting, Transmit's recent SportsPro StreamTime podcast episode couldn't be more timely. In it, our Co-Founder & CPO Scott Young, alongside advertising expert Paul Gelb, delve into the future of sports advertising. This episode provides crucial insights into how brands can leverage these evolving platforms. From the synergy between ad-supported and subscription models to the impact of streaming innovations, these discussions are essential for understanding the future landscape of sports advertising. As the NBA deal illustrates, the value and complexity of sports media rights are escalating, making it a critical time for advertisers to assess their strategies. Tune into our podcast for expert analysis and forward-looking perspectives that align with these groundbreaking developments. 🎧 Listen now and join the conversation about the future of sports advertising in this new era! https://lnkd.in/eRdA5FUx #NBA #MediaRights #SportsAdvertising #FutureOfSports #TransmitLive

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Electronic Arts (EA) College Football is back..... The 1st CFB title in a decade officially launched last week and sold a reported 2.2M of its Deluxe Edition ($99.99). Players who purchased the Deluxe copy gained access to the game 3 days early, proving the gaming community is willing to shell out more of their money to get a head start on games they want to play. (Source: IGN) CFB is a generational game, with older gamers (me) looking to relive our glory days. The bigger opportunity for EA is engaging a younger generation of players who have never played a CFB title. Combining nostalgia with innovation around one of America's most popular sports (28% increase over the last 5 years) will prove to be a winning strategy for EA. I had the pleasure of sharing some insights with Front Office Sports around the game's launch and expectations. 🏈 https://lnkd.in/gwEZRSUP rEvolution #gaming #sportsbiz

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The crazy thing is many of us (and myself included) believed that streaming should have created a whole new value chain that released more for the sports industry as the avid fan was able to truly acquire what they wanted. Few of us (across sports/media/tech) really understood how much the implosion of the bundle would negatively impact the industry. The one element I have always stated is that after the great unbundling will be the great consolidation… it’s the history of business. So I expect more and more streaming and less old form broadcast (especially as new streaming tech enables better anti piracy in the future) BUT I expect more concepts like Venu or streaming bundles to appear to provide better value both for the customer and business. The trick as always is to have strong beliefs but to be open to new information to adapt and change your opinion and when you do… move. Life and business (and fandom) is never straight line.

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Last week, Sportico announced that former NBA player Metta World Peace and Boost Mobile CEO Stephen Stokols were launching a $100M sports tech fund called Tru Skye Ventures. The fund will target: • Sports tech companies • Digital media platforms • Health & wellness innovation Metta World Peace joins several former NBA players who are in the VC space including: • Andre Iguodala • Michael Redd • Carmelo Anthony • Omri Casspi • Steve Nash The emergence of the athlete-vc model is intriguing and we'll start to see more of this happen mainly due to: • Access to deal flow and opportunities • A mutual value add • Long-term upside and wealth generation • A need to diversify 📩 Subscribe to the Vetted Sports newsletter to get more insights and news at the intersection of sports, technology, and investing → https://lnkd.in/d7G8due3

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Discovery is the worst thing that could have happened to Warner Brothers. Discovery went massively into debt to merge Warner Brothers away from AT&T. WBD's merger debt was $46 billion. They cut that down by about $15 Billion by sacrificing things across the Warner Brothers, WB Pictures, HBO, and Warner Animation slates. They didn't seem to cut much from Discovery. Now WB is mulling the sale of all or part of WBIE (aka WB Games). This is damn sad. I used to use WB as the example of the one Hollywood studio that got game dev and publishing consistently right. Back in the day, WB bought IP, assets, and studios from Midway including Surreal, Snowblind, Monolith, and NetherRealm along with venerable Midway & Atari IP & franchises. Key IP included Mortal Kombat, Rampage, Spy Hunter, NBA Jam, Cruis'n, NFL Blitz, Defender, Joust, Robotron: 2084, Gauntlet and the Rush series. WB grew smartly with internal development and publishing. WB published a range of titles across genres, sizes, and monetization for PC, Console, Handheld, and Mobile. WB was consistent. Now WBIE/ WB Games appears to just be an asset for WBD to unload to reduce debt. And this could be in whole or in part. Sigh. What a waste. ----- GameDeveloper: "Report: WB Discovery looking to sell off games, other divisions to prevent total breakup. Game franchises like DC and Mortal Kombat may once again be up for sale as Warner Bros. Discovery tries to make some money." (Justin Carter) (Aug 6, 2024) Warner Bros. Discovery's dire financial straits may lead to it selling off various "smaller assets" as a means to avoid a complete "nuclear option" corporate breakup. Financial Times, senior management like CEO David Zaslav are considering selling off its video game division. That side of the business includes original franchises WBD acquired (Mortal Kombat) and long-running transmedia brands (DC, Harry Potter). Since merging with Discovery in 2022, WBD has repeatedly affirmed its desire to stick around in video games, particularly live-service. It saw a big success in 2023 with Hogwarts Legacy, followed by the modest MultiVersus and disappointing Suicide Squad in 2024. According to the outlet, selling its games may be the one sale WBD could make without triggering complications, both legally and content-wise. The company recently lost out on media rights for NBA games and is re-rebranding its Max originals back to HBO. Notably, this is the second time this decade that WB Games has been up for potential sale. Back in 2020, when Warner Bros. was still owned by AT&T, parties like Microsoft and Take-Two were interested in buying the interactive division. At the time, a potential deal would've been valued for as much as $4 billion. If WB Games were to be sold off now, it's unclear for how much, given the performance of its aforementioned 2023 and 2024 games, along with Monolith's incoming Wonder Woman title." GameDeveloper: https://lnkd.in/gXuYt6Cq #gameindustry #wbd #wbie #wbgames #warnerbros

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