Sports Loft Podcast

Sports Loft
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Sports Loft Podcast

On the Sports Loft Podcast, we talk to the innovators shaping the future of the sports industry. Our guests include tech pioneers building groundbreaking companies, leading executives from the world’s biggest teams and leagues, and investors driving advancements in sports, media and entertainment.

  1. 12/16/2024

    The ICC: Innovating at the Cricket World Cup.

    Finn Bradshaw, Head of Digital at the ICC, joins Andy and Charlie on the Sports Loft podcast. Having worked previously with Cricket Australia and in tennis at the Australian Open, Finn now drives the digital agenda at the ICC and has events such as the Cricket World Cup to look after. So we were keen to dig into how the ICC is looking to innovate and adopt new technologies.   In our latest episode with Finn Bradshaw:   Innovating at the Cricket World Cup Why the challenge for cricket in America is not building an audience, but having the right product? How did the ICC work with influencers such as Jomboy during the World Cup and what did they learn? Why did the ICC partner with existing games on Roblox rather than building their own? How did experiences on the Apple Vision Pro help with partnership discussions? What were Finn’s biggest learnings from getting 4million viewers on the ICC TV app?   How the ICC uses different social platforms Why are Facebook and Instagram the best marketing platforms ever built? Which platform has the best analytics? Why did match highlights only go on Meta channels up until 2023 and why change? How does Finn balance the need to build audiences on their own channels vs getting the reach on social?   Running proof-of-concepts at the ICC How does the ICC test ideas before rolling them out more broadly? How did the ICC test vertical video? What did the learn and how did they adapt? How have POC’s built trust with internal stakeholders, sponsors and partners? Why is it important how you measure success for POC's? Why has senior backing been so important for implementing a “test and learn” approach?

    50 min

  2. 11/22/2024

    VRTL: Scaling in person fan experiences to a global audience

    Courtney Jeffries is CEO of virtual events platform, VRTL. She describes herself as a “recovering Sports Exec” having worked at the Raiders, Pac-12, MSG and then moving into startup life at Satisfi Labs. VRTL is used by the likes of Atlanta Falcons, ESPN, NY Rangers, Tottenham Hotspurs and Wolverhampton Wanderers.   In this episode with VRTL’s CEO:   The revenue opportunity from driving engagement with non-match attending fans Are fan engagement strategies too focused on in-venue and matchday? Have teams already saturated their local market? How much more do engaged fans spend than non-engaged fans? Why the playbook for engaging fans in-venue should be extended to fans globally?     Creative uses of the platform in both the UK and US How are Premier League teams using the platform to engage with their global fans? How are the Minnesota Vikings using VRTL to give extra value to season ticket holders? How is an F1 team looking to connect hardcore fans in discussion with car engineers? How did ESPN use the platform to drive conversations around a new 30 for 30 documentary? Are sponsors leveraging a team’s virtual events or are they putting events on themselves?     Combining versatility with the ability to scale Why does “one size fits all” not work in the sports industry? How have fan’s expectations changed post pandemic from a generic zoom call to a “special” experience? Why are the virtual autographs so popular? How will CRM integration enable events to be more targeted? Why making the experiences scalable is so important to teams? How much “handholding” of customers is currently required and at what point will the platform be viewed as “self serve”?     Early adopters, pilots and opportunities in music Why is it important to work with teams who want to be early adopters? Why are UK teams more likely to try things in-season than their US counterparts? Why is sports a “copycat” industry and why is this a benefit to tech companies? How important have pilots been in helping conver teams into customers? Can sports be a beach-head to expand into other industries? What is the opportunity in music and film?

    45 min

  3. 10/24/2024

    Trajektory – a holistic view of sports sponsorship

    With Yanni away in Hawai'i (working on the IRONMAN World Championship, rather than competing in it) Charlie took the reins of the podcast this week, welcoming Alex Kerr, CEO of Trajektory, to chat about sponsorship analytics in the sports industry. We’ve been tracking his company – which uses advanced AI and a dynamic valuation method to deliver more accurate media analytics – for a while, so it was great to get Alex on to dig into the business. Along with our Head of Strategy, Andy Selby, Charlie and Alex explore the significance of data in driving revenue for both rights holders and brands, dig out success stories from Trajektory's client base, and explore the balance of providing a SaaS service and supporting customers through hands-on customer success teams. Based in Chicago, the company works with major brands and teams across the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS. Timestamps: 06:15 – Intro to Trajektory 11:00 – Client successes 14:30 – Understanding brand objectives 22:00 – Innovations around in-venue data tracking 28:30 – Serving both sides of the market 34:30 – Getting granular on reporting 39:00 – The culture at Trajektory

    43 min

  4. 09/27/2024

    ADvantage VC: Investing in early-stage tech companies

    In this episode of the Sports Loft Podcast, hosts Yanni Andreopoulos and Andy Selby are joined by Sam Schmelzer, Partner and COO of ADvantage VC, to dig into early-stage investment in sports-focused technologies.  ADvantage focuses on three areas of the sports tech ecosystem: fan engagement, the connected athlete and derivative sports, which spans fantasy, gaming and e-sports. As such, the its portfolio includes the likes of Greenfly, the short-form content distribution platform; Tappp, which enables commerce, betting and interactive polling to sit alongside live sports on a single screen; and Infinite Athlete. ADvantage tends to lead investment rounds for Series A and B companies, with cheque sizes ranging from $2-5 million and $4-8 million, respectively. Timestamps: 06:00 – The ADvantage thesis 12:00 – The role of strategic LPs  18:00 – Evaluating sports tech startups 24:00 – Fan engagement technology 30:00 – Emerging sports leagues as investment opportunities 36:00 – How ADvantage is looking at AI in sports

    44 min

  5. 09/11/2024

    AudioShake: using
AI to take control
of audio content

    This week, Yanni and Andy chat with Suzanne Kirkland about how the company uses AI to separate audio into its “stems” or component parts, giving organisations more control over their audio and video assets. In sports, that means tweaking levels or replacing unwanted sounds to make content libraries more usable. But the tech, which was born out of a love for homemade karaoke, also has powerful applications across TV, film and the music industry. Timestamps: 08:30 – Intro to AudioShake 15:45 – How the tech alters the content creation process 19:00 – Speed of processing and real-time 23:00 – The reaction of the sports industry 30:00 – Karaoke and the company's founding 33:30 – The business model   39:30 – Real-time audio splitting  45:30 – Training the AI models

    49 min

  6. 08/28/2024

    OpusClip: using AI to turn your content into viral shorts

    In this week’s episode of the Sports Loft Podcast, Yanni and Charlie sit down with Shubh Jagani, head of enterprise solutions at OpusClip, the AI startup that can turn long-form videos into viral clips with just one click.  Today, every organisation – from sports teams to media giants – needs a constant stream of engaging social media content. OpusClip makes that possible, helping clients like VoxMedia, Seattle Seahawks, FloSports, Memphis Grizzlies and Juventus to transform their video libraries into shareable clips, to engage their existing audiences and find new fans. Over the course of the conversation, we cover the companies inception and growth, its relevancy to the sports and entertainment industry, and the company's new product, ClipAnything – which allows users to effortlessly generate specific moments from any video using natural language prompts. Timestamps: 07:00 – Introduction to Opus Clip and Clip Anything 13:00 – Use cases of Opus Clip in sports organisations 16:45 – Opus Clip's virality model 31:00 – How ClipAnything works 36:30 – Model training 40:21 – Company growth 45:30 – The market's acceptance of AI

    46 min

  7. 08/14/2024

    OneCourt: using touch to help blind fans engage with sport

    On this episode of the Sports Loft Podcast, hosts Yanni and Charlie sit down with Antyush Bollini, COO and co-founder of OneCourt, a groundbreaking company making sports more inclusive for fans who are blind or visually impaired. OneCourt has developed a haptic device that allows fans to feel live action through trackable vibrations, revolutionising the way sports are experienced. The company, spun out of the University of Washington, recently partnered with T-Mobile and Major League Baseball to showcase their innovation at the MLB All-Star Game and are on the verge of launching a new device with improved features. There's also an angel round underway, with the likes of Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, heading up the cap table. Timestamps: 05:00 – Developing the One Court haptic device 15:00 – Testing and piloting the technology 24:15 – The market 32:30 – The role of audio 37:45 – Partnership with T-Mobile and MLB at the All-Star Game 45:00 – The journey ahead 49:45 – OneCourt's angel round

    54 min

  8. 07/31/2024

    The power of vertical video: Insights from Storyteller’s founder

    In this episode, the Charlie and Yanni chat with Bob Thomson, the founder of Storyteller, a company that enables brands to integrate vertical video stories into their apps and websites. They discuss the rise of vertical video formats like Stories and Reels, the power of narrative in sports, and how Storyteller helps sports teams and rights holders deliver engaging content to fans. Storyteller is a platform that helps clients create and deliver vertical content in a compelling and personalised way. Clients, such as the LA Rams and FC Barcelona, have seen positive results in terms of increased engagement and video views after implementing Storyteller. The platform also offers opportunities for commercialisation, including sponsored content and full-screen ads. Timestamps: 07:00 – Overview of Storyteller   08:16 – The rise of vertical video    19:39 – Creating vertical-specific Content   23:32 – The components of the Storyteller platform   29:00 – Success stories: LA Rams and FC Barcelona   33:00 – Monetising content and selling merchandise   38:00 – Building partnerships   49:00 – The dream client

    50 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

On the Sports Loft Podcast, we talk to the innovators shaping the future of the sports industry. Our guests include tech pioneers building groundbreaking companies, leading executives from the world’s biggest teams and leagues, and investors driving advancements in sports, media and entertainment.

Information

  • Creator
    Sports Loft
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    80
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2020 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Sports Loft Podcast

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