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Happy Friday!

It’s almost time for the new Formula 1 season to get under way and there are plenty of narratives forming ahead of the curtain raiser in Bahrain, including an interesting innovation set to be debuted by McLaren Racing…

In today’s five, I’ll cover that in a bit more depth, as well as touch on some other highlights which caught my attention from across the industry… 👇

Jake Paul claims half a million PPV buys for fight with Fury 🥊
McLaren to debut display tech, creating new F1 sponsorship possibilities 🏎
PGA Tour approves ‘radical’ changes to 2024 designated events ⛳️
Spotify doubles down on personalisation with launch of new features 🎶
Chelsea owner Boehly interested in buying Ligue 1’s RC Strasbourg ⚽️

Thanks to Dan, Alexandra, Paul, Nick, and Alex for all liking Tuesday’s newsletter on Computer Vision.

Jake Paul claims half a million PPV buys for fight with Fury 🥊

Despite suffering his first career loss on Sunday against Tommy Fury, YouTuber-turned-fighter Jake Paul has found solace in how successful the event turned out to be, revealing on his podcast that the fight generated over 500,000 pay-per-view buys:

"I guess the silver lining is that the pay-per-views are off the charts," Paul said. "Probably going to be the biggest fight of the year. It's going to be hard to contend with. Maybe [Ryan] Garcia and [Gervonta] Davis. It's probably coming at over half a million buys. Still totalling everything. So the business is great."

Chris Mannix @SIChrisMannix

On his podcast, @jakepaul says his fight against Tommy Fury generated more than 500,000 pay per view buys. Prices varied based on markets -- in the U.S. it was $50, in the UK it was $19.95, etc -- but that would be a smashing success.

McLaren to debut display tech, creating new F1 sponsorship possibilities 🏎

McLaren Racing is set to become the first F1 team to bring innovative dynamic digital sponsor panels to their car on race day.

Working alongside Seamless Digital, Louise McEwen, Executive Director, Brand & Marketing, explained to Sports Pundit that the light-weight panels present the team “with an opportunity to provide creative advertising opportunities to our partners,” and an ability to change messaging whilst the car is out on track.

The team previously trialled the system during free practice sessions at the US Grand Prix last season but have “spent time extensively testing this technology in the background before introducing it to the car [for a race].”

McLaren’s Primary Partner, Google, will be the first partner to benefit from the technology but they “are hoping to expand this unique offering to more of our partners in the future,” with “ambitions to roll this technology out to other parts of the car and other touchpoints.”

Vincenzo Landino @vincenzolandino

Amazon kindle tech will revolutionize corporate sponsorships in Formula 1. Check out how McLaren is leveraging this unique display technology to take their branding efforts to the next level. 👇

PGA Tour approves ‘radical’ changes to 2024 designated events ⛳️

PGA Tour approves changes to 2024 designated events, eliminating halfway cut and reducing field size

Golf’s PGA Tour has announced changes for eight designated events on the 2024 Calendar which will feature smaller fields of between 70 and 78 and no cut at halfway.

These changes, which will not apply to the Tour's marquee events such as majors, FedEx Cup tournament events and the Players Championship, are designed to ensure the big names play in all four rounds.

However, it has also been pointed out that in doing so, the designated PGA Tour events will now more closely compare to the model implemented by the rival tour, LIV Golf – the Saudi-funded breakaway circuit which uses a 54-hole format and no cuts.

Dan Rapaport @Daniel_Rapaport

So next year we’ll have 10ish PGA Tour events with no cut and limited fields of mostly the same players. Definitely an easier product to sell to advertisers and sponsors. Guys can play their way in, sure. But, it must be said, it does sound awfully similar to another golf tour.

Eamon Lynch @eamonlynch

PGA Tour approves radical schedule changes, reducing fields in elevated events and ending cuts https://t.co/4Bi7WULrah via @golfweek

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Spotify doubles down on personalisation with launch of new features such as AI ‘DJ’ 🎶

Ahead of Spotify’s upcoming ‘Stream On’ event (Wed 8^th March), they have announced the launch of an AI feature called ‘DJ’ which will “know you and your music taste so well that it can choose what to play for you.” It will also talk to you, sharing commentary and trivia between songs, like a traditional radio DJ would.

That’s not all though. Spotify is expected to shift its home feed strategy away from playlists and towards a vertical swipe experience (similar to Tiktok). This will place more emphasis on individual songs and podcasts and ensure users are immediately served content upon opening the app – boosting discoverability for new artists and podcasters in the process.

Spotify News @SpotifyNews

Introducing DJ ✨ An entirely new way to play your @Spotify, powered by AI. Now rolling out to Premium users in the U.S. and Canada. Head to Spotify now to meet your DJ.

P.S. It’s worth noting that the company also made the news recently as it is testing ways for artists to gate exclusive content/access based on NFT/ token ownership. The idea of token-gated experiences is still in early stages but could eventually change the way that artists engage and reward superfans.

Chelsea owner Boehly interested in buying Ligue 1’s RC Strasbourg ⚽️

L’Équipe has reported that Chelsea FC co-owner Todd Boehly appears to be considering a bid for Ligue 1 club Racing Club Strasbourg as he aims to grow his football portfolio in Europe.

Boehly and his consortium, which includes US private equity firm Clearlake Capital, are interested in buying a 100% of RC Strasbourg and have reportedly even held talks with the club’s President Marc Keller about an acquisition.

The conversations come as little surprise as many of Europe’s top teams are seeking to cash in on the economic player trading benefits that come with multi-club ownership (despite a warning from UEFA that it could damage the game’s integrity).

L'ÉQUIPE @lequipe

Les propriétaires américains de Chelsea s'intéressent de près à Strasbourg : ow.ly/zk7z50N2hSH

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