Alon Werber’s Post

When it comes to the new world of sports streaming of leagues and sports that previously had little or no coverage, there are few statistics to show future size and growth rates. This is all new territory. There is no question, however, that the potential is huge. Most of the industry is still unaware that the secret to commercial success lies not in attracting huge audiences, which is very difficult. The secret sauce is devising and implementing multiple, incremental sources of income while minimizing production costs - exactly like the solution Pixellot offers. Read more about it in our new blog post >>

From the Super Bowl to the Olympics, streaming is reshaping the way sports fans watch and engage with sports—meaning advertisers need to recalibrate how to connect with fans. Check out our recent blog post with The Drum on what brands should be considering when advertising as people's favorite athletes take the screen. 📊🏅 👉One key tip: the 30-second ad spot isn’t the only option. Brands can enhance sports fan experiences by advertising directly on the Home Screen and including a countdown clock or QR code to order food for the game! 🍕📲 Read it here: https://hubs.ly/Q02zxx-P0

Warner, Fox, Disney To Launch Streaming Sports Joint Venture: Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney are planning to launch a new streaming joint venture that will combine all their sports programming "under a single broadband roof," reports Variety. The move "will put content from ESPN, TNT and Fox Sports on a new standalone app and, in the process, likely shake up the world of TV sports." From the report: The three media giants are slated to launch the new service in the fall. Subscribers would get access to linear sports networks including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ABC, Fox, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, truTV and ESPN+, as well as hundreds of hours from the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL and many top college divisions. Pricing will be announced at a later date. Each company would own one third of the new outlet and license their sports content to it on a non-exclusive basis. The service would have a new brand and an independent management team. The concept surfaces as traditional media companies are grappling with the migration of sports -- the last TV format that generates steady crowds and sustained ratings -- to streaming venues. The concentration of top sports under one roof would be significant. Between them, ESPN and Warner have most rights to the NHL and the NBA, while Fox, Warner and ESPN control at present the majority of rights to Major League Baseball. Only the NFL would enjoy a large presence with entities that are not a part of the joint venture, with "Sunday Night Football" at NBCUniversal, "Thursday Night Football" at Amazon and a Sunday afternoon game at CBS. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Warner, Fox, Disney To Launch Streaming Sports Joint Venture: Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney are planning to launch a new streaming joint venture that will combine all their sports programming "under a single broadband roof," reports Variety. The move "will put content from ESPN, TNT and Fox Sports on a new standalone app and, in the process, likely shake up the world of TV sports." From the report: The three media giants are slated to launch the new service in the fall. Subscribers would get access to linear sports networks including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ABC, Fox, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, truTV and ESPN+, as well as hundreds of hours from the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL and many top college divisions. Pricing will be announced at a later date. Each company would own one third of the new outlet and license their sports content to it on a non-exclusive basis. The service would have a new brand and an independent management team. The concept surfaces as traditional media companies are grappling with the migration of sports -- the last TV format that generates steady crowds and sustained ratings -- to streaming venues. The concentration of top sports under one roof would be significant. Between them, ESPN and Warner have most rights to the NHL and the NBA, while Fox, Warner and ESPN control at present the majority of rights to Major League Baseball. Only the NFL would enjoy a large presence with entities that are not a part of the joint venture, with "Sunday Night Football" at NBCUniversal, "Thursday Night Football" at Amazon and a Sunday afternoon game at CBS. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Warner, Fox, Disney To Launch Streaming Sports Joint Venture: Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney are planning to launch a new streaming joint venture that will combine all their sports programming "under a single broadband roof," reports Variety. The move "will put content from ESPN, TNT and Fox Sports on a new standalone app and, in the process, likely shake up the world of TV sports." From the report: The three media giants are slated to launch the new service in the fall. Subscribers would get access to linear sports networks including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ABC, Fox, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, truTV and ESPN+, as well as hundreds of hours from the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL and many top college divisions. Pricing will be announced at a later date. Each company would own one third of the new outlet and license their sports content to it on a non-exclusive basis. The service would have a new brand and an independent management team. The concept surfaces as traditional media companies are grappling with the migration of sports -- the last TV format that generates steady crowds and sustained ratings -- to streaming venues. The concentration of top sports under one roof would be significant. Between them, ESPN and Warner have most rights to the NHL and the NBA, while Fox, Warner and ESPN control at present the majority of rights to Major League Baseball. Only the NFL would enjoy a large presence with entities that are not a part of the joint venture, with "Sunday Night Football" at NBCUniversal, "Thursday Night Football" at Amazon and a Sunday afternoon game at CBS. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

I know this news broke last week, but I wanted to take a few days to read and gather my thoughts on the topic. A joint venture between Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Disney to launch a streaming service for sports is is undeniably a headline grabber. On paper, combining ESPN, TNT, and Fox Sports under one digital roof promises a revolutionary shift in how we consume sports. But, as someone entrenched in the sports media landscape, I find myself oscillating between optimism and skepticism. The ambition to centralize sports streaming, offering everything from NFL to NBA, MLB, and NHL under a singular app, is a bold move. It addresses the fragmentation frustrating many sports fans, providing a potential one-stop-shop solution. But there is some key information / details missing in my opinion. Pricing, for instance, remains a big question mark. With speculations suggesting a cost higher than a regional sports network but lower than full-blown digital packages, affordability and value proposition become key factors. Will consumers see enough benefit in consolidating their sports subscriptions to justify another monthly expense? Moreover, the joint venture's success hinges not just on solving a business problem but on genuinely enhancing the sports streaming experience for fans. It leads one to ask: Is this venture truly about serving the consumer's best interests, or is it an elaborate strategy to navigate the shifting sands of sports media rights and declining cable subscriptions? History shows that media joint ventures, while promising on launch, often face tumultuous paths, Hulu's journey being a prime example. As this new sports streaming venture unfolds, one can't help but wonder if we're setting the stage for a similar saga. I still think this will potentially reshape the sports media ecosystem, so call me cautiously optimistic yet vigilant. The promise of a unified sports streaming platform is enticing, but its execution, sustainability, and true value to sports fans remain to be seen. Let me know what you think. Is this joint venture the future of sports media, or are we looking at a well-intentioned misfire?

Streaming and Sports: An Inevitable Future? I've been working in media for a few years, and if there's one thing no one has yet found the ideal solution for, it's how to improve a sports broadcast and the best way to deliver it to the end consumer. From the tech side, no streaming service can broadcast games in real-time or near-real time compared to open TV. This means we still haven't overcome the "notification before the goal" problem – and we all end up in groups activating the creative "airplane mode" solution. From the broadcasting perspective, streaming offers greater flexibility, with fewer restrictions and traditions, allowing for innovative formats and deliveries that benefit the consumer. But, at the same time, it still presents a higher level of friction than traditional options, whether due to usability or cost. We see streaming services adopting models with advertising and integrating it into their offering, also to incorporate sports programming on their platforms. We witness co-licensing agreements between “traditional” and non-traditional vehicles. And we see hybrid models emerging every day. A recent example is the flood of criticism that the American service Peacock (NBCUniversal) received for buying the exclusivity of one of the most important NFL playoff games. The issue even reached the American congress: "How much profit do Goodell (NFL commissioner) and NBC need to make at the expense of working Americans?" asked Democratic Congressman Pat Ryan in an open letter. In the end, the passion for sports won, and the broadcast achieved an audience of 23 million devices, an absolute record. Another approach was the special NFL game that Prime Video broadcast on Black Friday. Unlike usual, it was open to everyone with an Amazon account, not just Prime members, and featured a new experience of personalized advertising tailored to the viewer's profile – and even with the possibility of making purchases without taking your eyes off the screen. According to AdAge, each 30-second advertising spot cost 880 thousand dollars, double the usual price for such broadcasts. The truth is that sports will never stop being what unites the masses, what takes them away from day-to-day problems, and what gives many a sense of community and family. I don't know what the future of sports broadcasting will be, but I hope that, regardless of where it evolves, it continues to be delivered with increasingly innovative models for those who love sports. And you, what do you prefer, traditional TV or streaming?

The Ultimate Sports Streaming Play? 📺   In an announcement of something that I believe is long overdue, Fox Corporation, ESPN, and Warner Bros. Discovery are paving the way for what could be the mother of all sports streaming services. By uniting their forces, they are prepared to launch a comprehensive platform featuring ESPN, ABC, TNT, Fox, and others. This service, which will boast rights to major leagues such as the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Hockey League (NHL), National Basketball Association (NBA), and pivotal college sports, is expected to make its debut later this year. Its goal is to transform sports media consumption by bringing together a variety of live sports content into one bundled service. 🏈 ⚽ ⚾ 🏒   This joint venture is timely, emerging as a direct response to the mass migration from traditional cable to streaming services, demonstrated by moves like NFL Sunday Ticket’s exclusive partnership with YouTubeTV.   ✅ I am genuinely optimistic about what this platform will offer to both broadcasters and sports enthusiasts worldwide.   The media industry's venture into sports streaming has often resulted in a fragmented landscape, reflecting the very cable bundle structure it sought to dismantle. This new bundled approach has the potential to mitigate subscriber exhaustion by centralizing content offerings.    If proven successful, I also anticipate an increase in streaming services and partnerships designed to satisfy the specific preferences of different audience segments. Not every platform will be able to secure premium subscription rates, but we should see a significant expansion in the choices available to consumers. We have always seen the competitive landscape of media, these companies finally recognized that a solitary approach may not be the most effective tactic, given the substantial investment required for acquiring customers and content.   Ultimately, success of this streaming platform will likely depend on its pricing structure and its ability to navigate local blackout restrictions—a persistent hurdle for the industry.   Listing all the networks involved really drives the point home— ESPN, ESPN2, SECN, AACN, ESPNEWS, ABC, FOX, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, truTV, ESPN+, and more.    Do you think this consolidation makes sense? How do you think this will affect existing linear broadcasts once launched? 🤔

Here's a draft LinkedIn post based on the article summary: --- 🏆 The Streaming Game Gets a New Player: Venu Sports Enters the Arena 🏆 As an industry expert, I've been closely following the launch of Venu Sports, a new streaming service backed by media giants Fox, Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery. This development brings both excitement and challenges to the ever-evolving streaming landscape. Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ Venu offers ESPN, FOX Sports, TNT, and more for $42.99/month 2️⃣ Targets "cord nevers" but faces competition from established services 3️⃣ Lacks major sports events from NBC and CBS 4️⃣ Challenges in differentiating in a crowded market 🔍 Industry Implications: • Consolidation of major players signals a shift in strategy • Highlights the importance of content exclusivity in streaming wars • Underscores the challenge of pricing in a saturated market The launch of Venu Sports reflects the industry's recognition of sports content as a key driver for streaming subscriptions. However, its success will hinge on effectively communicating its value proposition to a target audience that may already be satisfied with existing options or alternative viewing methods. This move also raises questions about the future of traditional cable packages and how streaming services will continue to evolve to meet consumer demands. 💡 What do you think? • Can Venu Sports carve out a niche in the crowded streaming market? • How might this impact other streaming services and traditional cable providers? • What strategies could Venu employ to attract its target audience? Let's discuss in the comments below! Your insights could shape the future of sports streaming. #StreamingWars #SportsMedia #DigitalTransformation #MediaIndustry --- Call to Action: Interested in diving deeper into the future of sports streaming? Join my upcoming webinar where we'll explore these trends and more. Register now: [Insert Link]