A guy with a scarf

SportsInnovation Showcase: Bundesliga Embraces Technology
I 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 exhibition area, with live football matches being played right in the Merkur Spiel-Arena stadium. This allows technologies to be demonstrated and tested in real-world conditions. As Hendrik explained, "You have actual, real football players playing on the real grass and scoring real goals... You can not only talk about PowerPoint slides, but you actually talk about stuff which is actually happening."
The event focuses on three key innovation pillars: next generation broadcasting and content, digital fan experience & stadium experience, and sports performance. These pillars are interconnected, with technology advancements in one area often impacting the others as well. On the first day, Bundesliga CEO Stefan Merkel will kick things off with a keynote on how he assesses the role of innovation in sport in general and what are his predictions for the future of football in particular.
Later sessions will explore how to leverage digital technologies to enhance the fan experience. On the final day, the emphasis shifts to sports performance, officiating, and how clubs and federations can harness technology for training and tactics. Excitingly, the event will feature an afternoon of American football in partnership with the NFL, demonstrating the Bundesliga's interest in learning from other sports.
The Bundesliga has a strong track record of pioneering new technologies. As Hendrik noted, "Bundesliga tries for a long time to push on the technology side of it and also innovation where the boundaries a little bit and really try to be kind of in the forefront of where the development is." By hosting SportsInnovation, the league aims to bring partners and other stakeholders together to prototype and co-innovate, while sharing knowledge with other leagues and federations. It's a collaborative approach to moving the whole industry forward.
One fascinating area of innovation that will be highlighted is the rapid advancement in player and ball tracking capabilities. Hendrik described how just a few years ago, trackers could only monitor simple X, Y, Z coordinates of players represented as a center of mass. Tracking the ball was tricky due to its small size and fast movement. But now, the Merkur Spiel-Arena will feature over 100 sports technology cameras from leading providers like Hawk-Eye, ChyronHego, Second Spectrum, and more.
The latest systems can track 20-30 limb segments per player, or even provide "mesh tracking" with 10,000+ data points mapping to a 3D player silhouette. This unlocks applications for automated offside calling, injury prevention, and granular performance analysis. By installing all the major tracking systems in one place, the event offers a unique opportunity for side-by-side comparisons and validation.
Another key topic will be the role of academic research in sports innovation. A dedicated masterclass featuring speakers from the MIT Sports Lab, FIFA, and the Technical University of Munich will explore how to bridge the gap between academia and industry to accelerate progress. The event will also showcase the latest in mixed reality and immersive media experiences, with speakers from the NFL, MLB and tech providers.
While I'm personally looking forward to moderating two of the panels, I'm also excited to experience the technology demos first-hand and soak up insights from the diverse range of international speakers and attendees. With the sessions all conducted in English, the event promises to bring together a global community to shape the future of the game.
Although the invite-only event is already at capacity, its collaborative and open ethos is admirable. As Hendrik articulated, the Bundesliga's aim is for SportsInnovation to transcend any single league or federation and drive the whole industry forward: "SportsInnovation 2024 can be entitled the multisports edition as we will see representatives and showcases from more sports and leagues than ever before, including all American professional leagues."
With that expansive outlook, I have no doubt that the ideas and innovations exchanged in Düsseldorf next week will have a profound impact not just on football, but on the entire sports industry for years to come. I'm thrilled to play a small part in the conversation.

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.

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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. By packaging older licensed content into linear channels viewable for free, they essentially adapted the early cable TV model for the internet era.

Wolk himself catalyzed the category by branding these ad-supported platforms with a catchy name. “I coined a term that has become very popular,” he explains. “At the time, we were calling all the SVOD services flixes...And then there's this other weird category, Pluto and Tubi and Xumo. And they're not the same as Hulu because they're free, so free. Ad-supported became fast, started calling them the flixes and the fasts, and then fast just took.”

According to Wolk, Roku then kickstarted a pivotal change by launching The Roku Channel. Major TV manufacturers followed suit in making FASTs central to the smart TV experience. As Wolk puts it, “Seeing that Samsung, LG and Vizio possibly in that order, I don't remember, I'm not sure. But they all said, hey, what a great idea. We should do this too. And they did.”

With free channels bundled directly into internet-connected sets, FASTs have become integral offerings on modern televisions. And key players have diverged from earlier models. While Pluto TV, Tubi and Xumo have been acquired as standalone branded apps under major media parents like Viacom, Fox and Comcast respectively, TV manufacturers have centralized free content within smart interfaces.

Besides the prominence of built-in options on sets from the likes of Samsung and LG, Wolk highlights several other recent evolutions in the wider FAST ecosystem:

As Wolk summarizes, “They’re really coming into their own right now.”

Besides updates in the core FAST landscape, Wolk also weighed in on the migration of sports streaming given his longstanding analysis of media trends.

In terms of major U.S. leagues, he sees potential fallout from fragmentation across various Direct-to-Consumer offerings. While diehard fans may subscribe to everything, more casual audiences could lose interest amid what Wolk calls a “money grab.” Nevertheless, he believes faster-growing, younger-skewing sports like soccer represent strong streaming opportunities - hence the value behind Apple's recent deal for MLS rights.

Having conceived the category’s common shorthand to start with, Wolk speaks authoritatively on FASTs’ promising trajectory. “They’re really coming into their own right now,” he observes. And with free ad-supported viewing becoming integral for internet-connected TVs, the Godfather of FASTs will no doubt remain an influential voice guiding developments. If the last decade marked the origins of modern FASTs, they seem primed to become even more prominent in the future according to the man who named them in the first place.

A Turning Point ArrivesAdditional DevelopmentsOutlook for Sports StreamingThe Future According to The Godfather of FASTs

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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 YouTube opportunities:

"It's not going to be that way forever...But now it's really a matter of really double down on quantity and frequency that really pays off," she said.

In summarizing why sports industry players turn to her company BuzzMyVideos for YouTube solutions, Marinone said they provide the "technology to do the boring but very important stuff" like optimization while also advising on strategy. She pointed to their self-serve FullScore platform as well as custom enterprise services.

As Marinone concluded, "There is potential for you to be making like new rich in terms of audience or new revenue..." But only by asking the right questions first. Sports entities that dismiss or overlook YouTube may be leaving money on the table along with next-gen fan connections. By following her "recipes," teams and leagues can level up their YouTube game.

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