A guy with a scarf

Few considerations (somewhat personal) about this latest blog post from Ably: 1. I have pitched tennis in that region at least three times and never was able to win, still a scar in my long career, and there are some. Happy to collaborate with someone who did that, successfully. 2. If you have, at any time, worked with me on creating realtime sport fan facing digital experiences (Rauno De Pasquale, Christiano Coraglia, amongst many), you know how obsessed I was/am about UX (holistically), low latency, scale and the reliability of our products. 3. That is why when I saw Ably's Data Broadcast platform I immediately thought: "Why didn't I saw this before" or for most of it "Why was this not existing at those times!!!". We would have avoided a lot of brain power usage, endless programming challenges, sleepless nights, constant CDN cache configurations scares, late night carton box pizzas (not a big fan), juggling millions of fans. We did manage to create some outstanding experiences, nevertheless. But... True story. Here is Ably's post: https://lnkd.in/dMRBtXy3 Eleanor O'Neill Faye McClenahan Hannah Smallman Alex Buhaenko Jodie Pinkowski Matthew O'Riordan #realtime #sportstech #data #lowlatency #scale

For episode 46 of Retention Zone, I interview Martijn van Horssen, founder of 24i and serial entrepreneur (now with Marketlyft), who shares his extensive experience in the streaming industry and offers valuable perspectives on customer retention, technological innovation, and cross-industry learning. This is what he had to say: 1?? Evolution is key: The streaming landscape is always changing. Adapt or get left behind! ?? 2?? Customer retention is gold: It's not just about getting subscribers, it's about keeping them! ?? 3?? Go multi-platform: More touchpoints = less churn. Simple math! ?????? 4?? Data is your best friend: Use it to really understand your audience. You might be surprised! ???? 5?? AI is the future: From recommendations to retention strategies, AI is changing the game. ?? 6?? Look beyond streaming: Some of the best ideas come from other industries. Think outside the box! ?? 7?? Get personal: A video message from the founder when someone tries to cancel? Game-changer! ?? Remember Martijn's words: "It's not the strongest or smartest that will survive, but the one most adaptive to change." ?? Retention Zone is presented by Cleeng Hosted and produced by Carlo De Marchis: A guy with a scarf Gilles Domartini Benedicte Guichard Alexis Ga? Kirstin White Hjalmar Koedijker Alex Regan Joachim Bergman Chris Welsh Olga Sp?nu Maarten Jacobs Reaves Carrington Jessica Anguiano #StreamingMedia #FAST #WomenInSports #MediaIndustry #RetentionZone

Last week in AI

??? It's still the weekend so I can talk again one of my many side projects... ??? "Let's Kick the Rules: Rebel Soccer" - A Book for Young Football/Soccer Lovers! ??? This time with help of my AI friends Miles & Faye I have create an engaging podcast ??? ?? What's it about? Written for kids 7 and up, "Let's Kick the Rules" follows a group of young soccer players who reinvent the game with wild and wacky rules. But it's more than just crazy soccer - it's a tale of inclusivity, creativity, and the joy of play. ?? Available on Amazon in English and Italian links in the comment section. Listen to the full podcast below! #RebelSoccer #ChildrensBooks #YouthSports #Inclusivity #SportsStories

??? Weekend-style News: "Let's Kick the Rules: Rebel Soccer" - A Book for Young Sports Lovers! ??? I'm embarrassed to announce the release of my new children's book, "Let's Kick the Rules: Rebel Soccer"! A mix of my own experience as a dad of a 9 years old player and innovation a-la Kingsleague. Available on Amazon in English and Italian links in the comment section. As someone who's spent years in professional sports, I wanted to create a story that captures the true spirit of the game for young players. ?? What's it about? Written for kids 7 and up, "Let's Kick the Rules" follows a group of young soccer players who reinvent the game with wild and wacky rules. But it's more than just crazy soccer - it's a tale of inclusivity, creativity, and the joy of play. Key Features: ?? Fun, imaginative story for young readers ?? Promotes inclusivity and teamwork ?? Encourages creative thinking ?? Reminds us all about the true spirit of sports While written for children, this book is also a great read for: ? Parents looking for positive sports stories ? Youth coaches seeking fresh perspectives ? Educators interested in sports-themed literature ? Anyone who believes in the power of play! Let's inspire the next generation of soccer lovers. Get a copy for the young athletes in your life and join the Rebel Soccer revolution! #RebelSoccer #ChildrensBooks #YouthSports #Inclusivity #SportsStories

?? Friday recap, my latest interviews and videos: 1. A guy with a scarf episode with Manchester United's Dave Lipp https://lnkd.in/dZ3xkuTQ 2. Retention Zone episode with Giles Tongue, for Cleeng https://lnkd.in/d2bYECBb 3. Untangling AI interviews at SportsPro AI London https://lnkd.in/dxkdyix5 4. Realtime Fan Engagement AI podcast, for Ably https://lnkd.in/duYWktzM 5. Retention Zone episode with Christy Tanner, for Cleeng https://lnkd.in/d5uew9sv Subscribe to A guy with a scarf newsletter to stay updated: https://lnkd.in/dH-YvK4i #ai #sportstech

Ep. 45: Dave Lipp - Navigating Manchester United's Direct To Consumer Strategy For this episode of A guy with a scarf, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dave Lipp , who leads Business Development and Strategy for Direct-to-Consumer initiatives at Manchester United. Our conversation explored the club's evolving approach to fan engagement in the digital age, the challenges of global brand management, and the impact of emerging technologies on sports marketing. 1?? Direct-to-Consumer Strategy: Manchester United is focused on creating a more personalized relationship with fans globally. 2?? E-commerce as a Foundation: A significant initiative has been bringing e-commerce operations in-house. 3?? Data-Driven Decision Making: The club is investing heavily in data infrastructure to better understand and serve its fan base. 4?? Balancing Digital Engagement and On-Field Performance: While digital engagement is crucial, Dave emphasized that on-field success remains paramount. 5?? Global Market Approach: The US market is a key focus for Manchester United, with strategies tailored to the unique aspects of American sports fandom. 6?? AI Integration: Artificial Intelligence is already impacting operations at Manchester United. 7?? Fan Retention Challenges: While the club excels at measuring transactional retention, Dave acknowledged the need for better understanding long-term fan engagement. 8?? Innovation with Core Values: Dave stressed the importance of balancing innovation with the club's core mission. Mike Armstrong gets a quote, and Toronto too. Also, Mancunian music. #sportstech #football #club

"The fan engagement ecosystem is increasingly complex and multidimensional, requiring organizations to be agile and adaptable in their strategies to meet the evolving needs of the ‘fluid fan.” This is one of the key takeaways from sports media industry veteran, Carlo De Marchis, who recently delivered a thought-provoking keynote at our Fan Engagement Summit. He also talks about the dilemma of balancing social media and owned platforms, and the impact that immersive experiences and AI have on fan engagement. Carlo recorded a video of the full presentation and has also highlighted his key points here ??

Ep. 45: Engaging Fans with Real-Time Tech - An Overview of Ably ?? As you may know i have recently started a collaboration with Ably for the Realtime Fan Engagement initiative, as I really believe that what they have is very useful to many of in sport and media tech. ??? To share more about what they do I thought of (again) asking for the help of my good AI friends Miles and Faye and recorded a podcast to deep dive, instead of boring you with feature lists. ???? They break down Ably, a real-time technology platform (fully API-based) that's powering next-level experiences for everything from live sports to esports tournaments, online auctions, and even live concert experiences! ?? They cover all the cool features Ably offers, like live chat with real-time reactions, personalized push notifications, and dynamic data broadcasts that keep fans glued to the action. ?? They even explain how Ably handles those massive traffic spikes without crashing. (Talk about a game-changer! ??) ??? Have a listen here below! Link to their Realtime Fan Engagement API and features in the comments. Eleanor O'Neill Faye McClenahan Hannah Smallman Alex Buhaenko Matthew O'Riordan #realtime #fanengagement #sportstech

?? Retention Zone Ep. 45: Christy Tanner (II) - The Evolution of FAST: Excellence, Purpose, and Women's Sports Key takeaways from our conversation: ?? FAST channels are growing, but quality matters more than ever ?? Women's sports are outperforming expectations on FAST platforms ?? Fans of women's sports are equally male and female ?? Lack of viewer data remains a major challenge for content creators ?? Platforms are becoming more selective about the channels they carry ?? There's a critical need for excellence and purpose in media creation Christy's call to action: "If you don't care about what you're putting out into the world, then go do something else." ?? What are your thoughts on the future of FAST channels and streaming media? Let's discuss in the comments! ?? Retention Zone is presented by Cleeng Hosted and produced by Carlo De Marchis: A guy with a scarf Gilles Domartini Benedicte Guichard Alexis Ga? Kirstin White Hjalmar Koedijker Alex Regan Joachim Bergman Chris Welsh Olga Sp?nu #StreamingMedia #FAST #WomenInSports #MediaIndustry #RetentionZone