On The Pulse - 14.03.24

As we edge closer to the heart-pounding excitement of March Madness, keep your finger on the pulse with the latest breakthroughs and insights from the world of sports tech.

Industry latest

• Carlos Alcaraz triumphed over Rafael Nadal at the Netflix Slam in Las Vegas, captivating a full house of 9,489 spectators. Netflix is venturing into live-streaming events, with preparations underway for a bout between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. This marks their third live event, underscoring the streaming giant's commitment to sports. Previously, they secured a monumental 10-year, $5 billion agreement for the rights to WWE Raw pro wrestling, starting in 2025. Read more here . What’s next?
• PGA Tour ???Celebrity + Athlete Investment. Lebron James, Drake, Chris Pratt - what do they have in common? They are now investors in PGA Enterprises, heating up the competition with the other men’s professional golf tour, LIV Golf. Celebrities and athletes investing in sports enterprises, bringing not only financial backing but also increased visibility and fan engagement to the ventures they support. Read more here .
• “Clarkonomics”? March Madness is right around the corner, and after Caitlin Clark’s performance and record breaking games, basketball analyst Deb Antonelli came up with this term to explain the impact she has had in the sport. There was a significant boost on the economic and viewership aspects of women's basketball, from unprecedented attendance records to ticket prices for Iowa games increasing by 224%. Viewership on women's college basketball got a 103% boost, surpassing previous records and even outperforming NBA matchups in the same time slots. This surge of interest in women's basketball, driven by Clark's achievements, has led to it becoming a coveted asset in ESPN's new eight-year media rights deal with the NCAA, indicating a substantial economic impact on the sport. Read more here .
• Record-Breaking WNBA Finals Game 4. The showdown between the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals broke viewership records, drawing an average of 889,000 viewers — a 124% increase from the previous year and peaking at 1.3 million. The 2023 Finals on ESPN platforms became the most-watched in two decades, with an average viewership of 728,000, up 36% from 2022. The entire 2023 postseason was the most-viewed in 16 years. This underscores the growth potential and rising viewership impact of women's basketball, both at the collegiate and professional levels, enhancing the value of media rights and the importance of effective content production and sharing. Read more here .

Content of the month

???Take a look into the pieces of content that caught our eye in the past weeks.

• Matteo Marchi , the Photographer & Brand Manager for Virtus Segafredo Bologna always manages to take storytelling in sports to the next level. Over at Sony Italia they seemed to agree, sharing this collaboration post between both accounts.?You can also check how ScorePlay changed his workflow (and the rest of the team’s) here .

• ?????? ?????????? ??????????????. We are getting the second LeBron James x Liverpool FC jersey collaboration. Being part owner of the football club, this is the second year where he collaborates with the team to bring a new look to the sports world. Here’s how LeBron and Virgil van Dijk wore them:

• Welcome to Wrexham? Welcome to the US! After partnering with Ally, the female team of the club who is 95% owned by Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds is coming to the United States this summer. Take a look at the “press conference”:

• 4th kit is the charm? FC Metz teamed up with artist Paolo Del Vecchio to create a 4th kit with Kappa. The inspiration? A linen canvas where Paolo painted the logos and sponsors of the club. So special that they only produced 500 jerseys for sale.

See you in two weeks. Stay creative ??