LaLiga’s New Play: Mobile Game Aims to Score with Next Generation ⚽️
Plus Nadal and Alcaraz to face-off in the Netflix Slam, and Sportradar look to embrace data and AI use-cases beyond fan engagement
Welcome to Sports Pundit, the sports business newsletter delivering better gifts than Santa Claus (or at least than your work secret Santa)! 🎅🏼
In today’s email;
LaLiga Launch ‘Land of Goals’ ⚽️
Netflix’s DIY Approach to Live Sport 🎾
Embracing Data and AI in the NBA 🏀
Thanks to Ari for being the latest guest to come on the Sports Pundit Podcast and to all of you who have listened and shared kind messages about the pod. It means a lot!
Best wishes,
Andy 😊 🙏
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TOP STORY
LaLiga’s New Play: Mobile Game Aims to Score with Next Generation ⚽️
LaLiga Entertainment has unveiled its latest digital venture with the release of 'Land of Goals', a unique mobile game seeking to blend the excitement of football with an immersive adventure experience.
The game offers players an unprecedented opportunity to engage with their favourite LaLiga stars in a virtual world brimming with challenges and magical elements.
In the game, players embark on a journey through various maps inspired by the Spanish entertainment resort, PortAventura World. As they progress, players unlock new maps, facing increasingly complex tasks. The game also allows players to customise their experience with a range of items, from LaLiga club jerseys to unique, fantasy-inspired gear.
Further distinguishing itself from the plethora of mobile football games, 'Land of Goals' features a career mode where players can hone their skills and compete either in 1v1 matchups against LaLiga stars or in 3v3 team settings.
The game was already available on Google Play and the App Store in select markets for its soft launch phase and is expected to rolled-out globally very soon.
Sports Pundit says
🤔 The launch of this game exemplifies the evolution happening within the sports and entertainment landscape.
We are increasingly seeing the format of traditional sports mixed with digital (and physical) entertainment, creating new opportunities for fan interaction, as well as brand expansion.
In 2021, PortAventura World opened the world’s first LaLiga-themed restaurant, called LaLiga TwentyNine’s, and launched a mobile game called ‘The Beat Challenge’ as part of its partnership the league.
At the time, PortAventura World invested €10m in the new restaurant and mobile game, with plans to invest further in developing a new LaLiga-themed attraction, and to eventually create a LaLiga theme park (they’ve recently announced similar plans with FC Barcelona, too).
Cleverly, the new mobile game, Land of Goals, furthers this partnership, providing an engaging entry-level touchpoint for a global, young audience - who are the prime audience in this case, both as potential visitors to the park and as future fans of the league.
Read More: Rollercoaster Ride: FC Barcelona partner with PortAventura to design themed attractions 🎢
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OPINION
Why buy media rights when you can build your own? 🤔
Netflix has announced its next live sports event; "The Netflix Slam."
The spectacle will feature a showdown between tennis legend Rafael Nadal and his compatriot, and current world No. 2, Carlos Alcaraz.
The highly-anticipated event is scheduled to be broadcast on March 3rd, 2024, live from the Michelob Ultra Arena situated within the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
While the Spanish tennis stars Nadal and Alcaraz are set to be the main attractions, Netflix has hinted at revealing more players and match-ups in the near future.
This has left Nick Meacham, CEO at SportsPro, asking the very reasonable question, “Why buy media rights when you can build your own assets?”
He also shared a few other interesting observations regarding the streaming giant’s approach to live sports so far, including that;
To date they're leaning into assets that can provide supplementary marketing return for existing content i.e. documentary series. This provides a whole layer of additional value on top of the traditional acquisition or retention metrics most platforms would use.
Given the scale of their audience (245m+ global subscribers), they give something no one else can provide - unrivalled reach and scale for any event.
If they do move into a new era of live sports rights acquisition, they'll likely play a different game re: traditional content acquisition. [Instead, they’ll] use their scale as a huge drawcard for those sports properties to leverage the reach for sponsorship over paying huge rights fees.
This announcement is yet another nail in the coffin of traditional sports properties who believe historical value would be a drawcard to sports fans over the new influencer era of sports and entertainment events that continues to be more prevalent across the world. (Misfits, Kings League, Netflix events, etc.).
HIGHLIGHTS
The Players Fund have added Jessica Ennis-Hill, Allyson Felix and Nikita Parris as partners, vowing to empower women in investing and entrepreneurship 🏋️♀️
The NFL is to play a regular season game in Brazil in 2024 and to double international games beginning in 2025 🏈
Cristiano Ronaldo has joined a group of investors who’ve committed over $40 million to the development of UFL, a new free-to-play soccer video game 🎮
Panini have launched the first Women's Super League sticker album after striking a partnership with the FA 🎴
Guinness has agreed a groundbreaking partnership with the Six Nations Rugby spanning the women's and men's championships 🏉
Endeavor invests in Chess.com with WME set to handle representation and brand partnerships ♖
DAZN has launched a free tier in Germany, showing a mix of live and non-live matches free of charge. This will be rolled out across other markets throughout 2024 📺
TAPPING INTO DATA
Off-the-Radar: Leveraging Data and AI Goes Beyond Fan Engagement 🤖
During this year’s NBA season, Sportradar is leveraging data analytics and innovative technologies more than ever in a bid to enhance the fan experience.
They have, for example, developed a virtual stadium experience, which allows fans to interact with the game in new and exciting ways.
However, Sportradar’s use of AI-driven solutions to provide real-time data, statistics, and insights isn’t just enabling a more engaging basketball experience for fans. The technology is also being applied to help teams and players to make more informed decisions, and to improve their performance.
Through Sportradar’s Synergy Sports platform, for instance, teams can unlock more informative, highly detailed reports, all connected to video – thanks to the accompanying tracking data which is being collected and processed.
These reports, grouped into primary categories such as Shots, Drives, and Picks, are then delivered within 30 seconds of action occurring on the court and used to inform decision making in near real-time by coaches and players.
Sports Pundit says
🤔 It’s important to recognise that the application of AI and data analytics is not only going to enhance the fan experience, but also revolutionise team strategies and player performance analysis, too.
Executives across various sports should all be paying attention to these various use-cases for adopting AI and how it can utilise tracking data, as this opens new revenue streams and has the potential to improve their overall product, too (by recruiting better, reducing injuries etc.).
As sports become increasingly data-informed, executives will need to invest in data analytics and technology to remain competitive and to cater to the evolving demands of fans and stakeholders.
It’s clear that companies like Sportradar (as well as Sony) have recognised this in both their business approaches and in how they are working with the NBA, who serve as an early blueprint for leveraging data for success across each of these various departments.
Read More: Keeping Score: Bridging Rivalries to Win in an AI-Powered Future 🤖
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THE PODCAST
Want to hear more from my conversation with Ari?
We discuss the development of drone technology, robotics, and AI, solving problems for partners and tapping partners to solve problems, engaging with fans away from broadcast TV, esports as a talent funnel and engagement tool, and much much more.
Listen to the full podcast via the link below - and I’d love to hear what you think!👇
JOB BOARD
Sport Engagement Coordinator - Team GB (London, UK)
Senior Manager, Head of Wellness Advisory, Central Business Services - Deloitte (London, UK)
Manager, Enterprise Loyalty and Membership Strategy - Fanatics Events (New York, US)
Manager, Partnership Marketing - US Soccer (Atlanta, US)
Manager, Athlete Marketing - Red Bull (Dallas, US)
Do you have a job you’d like to promote to the amazing readers of this newsletter? Drop me a note at andy@sportspundit.co
SOCIAL CLUB
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So far, it has achieved that goal. We’ve had 40+ attendees at the past three events in London and has even seen the concept expanded to Los Angeles and New York 😀🗽
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