CES 2018: How the Explosion of Distribution Platforms Is Changing the Way Sports-Media Creators Deliver Content Panel session addressed Turner's plans for UEFA, the growth of VR, social-media best practices, and more By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Monday, January 15, 2018 - 2:21 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
With a heavily fragmented content landscape, as well as a shift in distribution outlets, sports-content creators are finding it increasingly challenging to connect with fans across a growing number of platforms. At CES 2018 last week, a Sports Business Innovation panel presented by Turner Sports addressed how creators from broadcasters to social influencers to technology providers to athletes are leveraging social-media channels, virtual reality, and next-gen technology to reach fans and viewers in new ways.
A Sneak Peek at Turner's Multiplatform Plans for UEFA
In August, Turner Sports announced a landmark deal with UEFA to broadcast Champions League games in the U.S. and launch a new direct-to-consumer OTT service based on the global soccer property. Turner Sports COO Matt Hong described how Turner plans to distribute UEFA content across a variety of platforms, not just linear television.
From left: Turner Sports' Matt Hong, Ben Soffer of @Boywithnojob, Intel's James Carwana, and NFL player Victor Cruz
It really is interesting to look at how we're going to cover a new property like UEFA today vs. when we had a property like the NBA 10 years ago, when I first joined Turner, he said. The easiest way to say it is that we always are looking at every platform and then trying to optimize whether it's for live games or for shoulder programming, what's the best content to put on television, to put on digital, and to put on social. Once we begin to make those decisions - which are a combination of business factors like audience and reach and economics and where our sponsors want to be and where they feel like they can best reach users or marketers can reach customers - then we'll look at optimizing for those platforms.
Hong also noted that, in growing the Champions League in the U.S., Turner is looking to use a model similar to its treatment of the NBA over the years.
I think part of what made Turner appealing to UEFA was, if we can run the playbook that we've managed to run for the NBA for UEFA and have that sport grow in terms of interest and audience in the U.S., then they would be happy and we would be happy, he said. With more platforms, we're able to customize content for affinity groups. So, if Bleacher Report is trying to target a European fan of football, then it's able to do so in a much more customized way via social handles than it is by a one-size-fits-all television broadcast.
Bleacher Report Goes Global
When Bleacher Report's first European office opened in London four years ago, it was intended to serve as a gateway to reaching more UK and European fans. However, Hong said, rather than becoming a regional content creator, the London office quickly became the Bleacher Report's primary provider of global soccer content - not just in Europe but across the globe.
What it's turned out to be is that, actually, all of the world football content is produced in that office and then targeted for other places, he explained. So it's targeted not only for European football fans but also for fans in the U.S. That's the promise of digital and of social: that you're able not only to target marketers but also, as content creators, to target much more specifically because you've just got more customized platforms to be able to do so.
VR Comes of Age on the Hard Court With Intel, Turner
Virtual reality was another hot topic for the panel. Turner and Intel detailed their new multiyear deal to create VR content beginning at NBA All-Star, as well as plans to build on the VR experience created at the NCAA Final Four last year.
Ultimately, our goal is to give fans an opportunity to feel like they've got the best seat in the house, to feel like they're sitting there courtside, said James Carwana, VP, Intel Capital/GM, Intel Sports, Intel. We'll start that off at All-Star weekend, and we'll be doing a game of the week thereafter. I think it's an evolution. I think we're all figuring out how to innovate an experience in a head-mounted display that is appropriate for that device and working very closely with Turner and making sure that, every week, it adds new features: improve, improve, improve. I'm really excited for the experience that we're going to be able to deliver.
Hong also addressed how Turner's VR strategy for the NBA has changed over the years. Last season, NBA Digital (jointly managed by the NBA and Turner Sports) teamed with NextVR to produce one live game per week in VR. Initially, the goal was to create a wholly immersive experience that felt nothing like a traditional game telecast. However, as time progressed, Turner and the NBA realized that incorporating elements of the TV broadcast were integral to a high-quality VR experience.
The idea [originally was] doing immersive in VR, but then, when we started to do it, we realized there's a lot of really good things about a television broadcast that you're missing out on if you're in the arena either actually or virtually, said Hong. You're missing out on the play-by-play, [what] the color [commentator is] saying, the stats. There's no ability to replay the play that just happened. So we've refined this partnership over time to take the best of what you would get if you were in the arena with the best of a produced TV feed if you were at home, and that's what you'll see from Intel and Turner in 2018 both for NBA and for NCAA. It's combining the best of
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
CES 2018: How the Explosion of Distribution Platforms Is Changing the Way Sports-Media Creators Deliver Content Panel session addressed Turner's plans for UEFA, the growth of VR, social-media best practices, and more By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
