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Thursday Is For The Future At The NAB Show

“We can continue to create content, but it will be about creating loyalty that dictates how and if users consume it.”

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The final day of the 2019 NAB Show in Las Vegas was all about what is on the horizon. Two panels I attended really stood out to me and I want to share my takeaways with you.

The first was about how mobile broadband can enhance the in-car experience for radio listeners. The NAB’s VP of advanced engineering David Leyer showed examples of in-car apps that he and his team have developed with the input of both the auto industry and NAB members.

Nearly every car manufacturer has their own proprietary platform and all of those platforms can support apps. David and his team have been sponsoring workshops to get auto industry executives and broadcast executives together to talk about what each one needs from those apps.

His presentation showed examples of radio apps that could provide more than just your typical station information. They can read the host’s Twitter feed to the driver, they can dial a call-in number directly, they can show embedded, actionable ads sold by the broadcaster.

All of it is possible because of mobile broadband, and all of it can lead to a better listener experience and more station revenue.

DTS Radio is a product already available in Europe and will come to the US next year. It turns any radio station into a Sirius XM experience, because when a driver leaves a station’s over-the-air range, DTS will give him or her the option to continue listening to the station via stream.

It doesn’t open up a new world of possibilities. It just makes the existing possibilities easier to take advantage of. That means it opens up a whole new audience for broadcasters and sellers to take advantage of.

The other panel that stood out was about the way brands engage customers and create communities on social media. It was lead by Countable founder and CEO Bart Myers, and it admittedly was at least 50% an advertisement for Countable, an interactive platform that creates communities for brands and celebrities that allow them to bypass a 3rd party social network.

Bart’s reasoning for developing the Countable site and app was interesting though. In the last 8 years, Facebook has decreased a user’s reach to its total audience from 26% down to 1%. Bart saw a company that was more interested in pushing its new products and building its own audience than innovating to remain a valuable business tool.

The other interesting point Bart made about Facebook was the real lack of value that any brand engagement actually has on its platform. What do likes actually do for a business? A like doesn’t mean that the user consumed your content.

What Bart is pushing for is social networks that exist on the brand’s own platform, whether it is embedded in their site or a new social site developed specifically for one brand. His presentation focused on how interaction that has value can lead to deeper engagement and brand loyalty. He used an example that his company had developed for famous attorney Erin Brockovich, who has become an outspoke activist for the victims of the California wild fires.

On her site, users can click a link to directly email their state and federal representatives. They can sign up for alerts and links to live videos whenever a bill related to wild fire relief is being discussed. It is truly a community of like-minded individuals that Brockovich now owns and can utilize for her next cause.

The future seems to be all about control. We can continue to create content, but it will be about creating loyalty that dictates how and if users consume it.

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Eric Bischoff Ends ‘Strictly Business’ Podcast; Launches New YouTube Show

Bischoff and Conrad Thompson will continue to produce Bischoff’s main podcast, 83 Weeks, however, an additional show which Bischoff was doing with Jon Alba, Strictly Business, will come to an end.

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Graphic for Wise Choices with Eric Bischoff

Eric Bischoff, the former Turner Broadcasting executive who famously beat WWE in ratings with WCW for 83 consecutive weeks has ended one show and launched another. Bischoff and Conrad Thompson will continue to produce Bischoff’s main podcast, 83 Weeks, however, an additional show which Bischoff was doing with Jon Alba, Strictly Business, will come to an end.

“Unfortunately, this week’s episode of Strictly Business with Eric Bischoff will be the last edition of the podcast,” said Alba in a post on his X account. “Eric’s schedule is loaded these days, and for good reasons, he’ll [be] putting his efforts into other endeavors.”

One of those endeavors will be a new YouTube show, Wise Choices, which Bischoff has already debuted. Bischoff said he and Alba’s schedules were getting tougher to align and that his new show will be a solo project he can produce based on his own schedule.

“Trying to align my busy schedule with Jon’s busy schedule and then if we wanted to have a guest on, we had to coordinate with that person’s schedule,” Bischoff said. “It was just getting too difficult and now, for the first time, I will do a solo project and be on my own.”

Bischoff’s first solo YouTube show focused on his reply to AEW owner Tony Khan who posted on his X account in reply to Alba’s post on Strictly Business coming to an end, “Sunsetting this fraud of a business podcast before the next AEW media deal is a wise choice.”

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‘Saving Sakic’ to Premiere in U.S. April 17 on ESPN+

The documentary follows the high-stakes saga that ensued when Colorado Avalanche Chairman/CEO Charlie Lyons was blindsided by an attempt to sign away the captain of his team, Joe Sakic.

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Graphic for Saving Sakic

Prime Video and NHL Productions revealed the trailer for the upcoming original hockey documentary ‘Saving Sakic’ premiering on April 16 for Prime members in Canada and April 17 for ESPN+ subscribers in the U.S. 

The documentary follows the high-stakes saga that ensued when Colorado Avalanche Chairman/CEO Charlie Lyons was blindsided by an attempt to sign away the captain of his team, Joe Sakic. With only seven days to raise $15 million to save his star, Charlie finds a lifeline from an unexpected place – Hollywood.

Joe Sakic garnered a slew of accolades over his 20-season NHL career, first for the Quebec Nordiques, who selected him in the first round of the 1987 NHL Draft, and later for the Colorado Avalanche after the Nordiques relocated to Denver. In Colorado, he captured two Stanley Cups, won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, and the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs. As part of NHL’s Centennial celebration in 2017, Sakic was voted one of the 100 Greatest Players in League history.

‘Saving Sakic’  is directed by Jay Nelson with executive producers Steve Mayer, Ross Bernard, and Craig Axelrod for NHL Productions and Gary Cohen for Triple Threat TV. Saving Sakic joins sports content on Prime Video, including original documentaries Chosen One: Alexandre Daigle, Giannis: The Marvelous Journey, KelceAll or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs, and Sportsnet on Prime Video Channels.

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Saquon Barkley to WFAN’s Tiki Barber: “Don’t Feed Into the B.S.”

Barkley said any narrative that he chose to go to Philadelphia over staying with the Giants is incorrect because New York never offered him a contract.

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Logo for the New Heights podcast and a photo of Saquon Barkley

Former New York Giants and current Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley made an appearance this week on New Heights, the podcast hosted by Travis and Jason Kelce. In addition to several football related topics, Barkley spoke about his war of words with WFAN host and former Giants running back Tiki Barber.

After Barkley signed with the Eagles on a three-year, $37.5 million deal, Barber said that Barkley was “dead to us,” referring to New York Giants fans. Barber has said those comments were more about what the fans were thinking and were “tongue-in-cheek.” Barkley came back at Barber on social media and said he was a “hater” since he came to New York.

In explaining what made him upset about Barber’s response, Barkley said he didn’t think it was right to be attacked by a former player.

“I love seeing NFL guys, I love seeing OGs, I love seeing you guys, you have a platform, this is a place where you know ball, you can talk, you can educate fans,” Barkley said. “Maybe use that time to show, ‘Maybe this is why Saquon is going to Philly’ … the business side of it, use that to show, I’m not saying you got to have loyalty to me because I don’t care for that, to be honest, but you are an ex-NFL player, an ex-NFL athlete, don’t feed into the B.S., let fans do that, they’re supposed to do that, they’re emotional.”

Barkley said any narrative that he chose to go to Philadelphia over staying with the Giants is incorrect because New York never offered him a contract.

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