Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Interviews with Industry Leaders: Matt Stagg, Director of Mobile Strategy at BT Sport

20/11/2019

The Pay-TV Innovation Forum is a global research programme for senior pay-TV and content executives, developed by NAGRA and MTM, and designed to catalyse growth and innovation across the global TV industry, at a time of tremendous change and disruption.

As part of the programme, we are publishing a series of interviews with leading TV industry executives from around the world to explore their views, perspectives and experiences of innovation. In this interview Matt Stagg, Director of Mobile Strategy at BT Sport, shares his views on the relationship between mobile and pay-TV platforms in the provision of sports content.

What role does mobile have to play in the world of sports broadcasting?

There are so many different use cases for mobile in sports broadcasting but, in all of them, BT's main ethos is always to put the fan at the heart. For example, we're more focused on using smartphones as a second screen to show additional content that enhances the experience when audiences are watching sports on the big screen - rather than letting the smartphone detract from the big screen or the stadium.

Augmented reality for sport, in the home and in stadia, is an area where we can maximise the impact of technology, starting with the phone, but eventually evolving into XR (Cross Reality) experiences using wearables such as glasses or headsets. I think thats going to result in some really exciting fan engagement opportunities in the future.

Of course, if you are a sports fan, theres nothing better than being in the stadium itself, but we can do a lot more to enhance the live viewing experience on mobile. For example, if your seat is behind the goal at one end and theres a penalty at the other, we can put you right where the action is, in real time.

How important will 5G be in the future development of the industry?

One of the key reasons I joined BT Sport was to leverage the fact that were a mobile operator that also has a sports production facility and a broadcast business. As a result, we are constantly looking for new opportunities to leverage 5G and drive higher fan engagement. 5G is much more spectrally efficient than previous technologies and has already given us more capacity. However, despite various claims that 5G will enable viewers to watch content in 4K on mobile devices and, in such a way, transform the market, we don't think it will. Distributing 4K content to mobile devices would be a waste of spectrum, and it's expensive.

I believe the most exciting use case for 5G is in enabling remote sports production. It can potentially save a lot in costs by enabling us to edit and produce the content offsite rather than always having a production team onsite. And that cost saving means broadcasters can cover more action, and show more content. We can also use the technology to be more creative in what we show - we can take cameras to places we haven't been before, and give fans access to angles that were not possible before.

Do you expect to see more new sports services entering the OTT and pay-TV space?

Yes and no. There is an emerging trend around successful sport production companies leveraging their market position and existing capabilities to expand their offerings or launch new services. For example, BT just won the sports production contract with Amazon in the UK.

This requirement for production expertise is a significant barrier to entry: tech giants cant enter the market and get up to speed straight away. BT was one of the quickest companies ever to get a sports production facility up and running, but even then it took us nine months to do it. There is a very limited number of people with the necessary production skills in the UK, and the fragmentation in sports rights' ownership is spreading them even more thinly. This is especially true as rights buyers want to attract the best production talent, given how much they invest into acquiring rights.

What are the most exciting future trends in the industry?

There are interesting applications for machine learning and remotely operated cameras, but they are still in their very early days. The most interesting near-term trend for me is object-based delivery of sports content, where we start giving the viewer objects, packages and templates that enable them to create their own version of what they are watching. For example, hardcore Moto GP fans may choose to have half of their screen filled with statistics, graphics and other information that we offer them. With 5G enabling more creative production and more options at the consumption end, there will be a level of bespoke, personal programming that's never been possible before. I'm very optimistic that this will help all fans of all types of sport to have better viewing experiences.

Find out more about the Pay-TV Innovation Forum and download its special report on The Global Market for Premium Sports OTT Services.

Meet with us at SportsPro OTT Summit in Madrid or contact us to find out how we can help you to adapt to the changing sports OTT environment.
LINK: https://dtv.nagra.com/interviews-industry-leaders-matt-stagg-director-...
See more stories from nagra

Most recent headlines

03/06/2024

Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...

28/04/2024

Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with URSA Broadcast G2

Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...

29/03/2024

XenData Announces Media Portal for its LTO and Cloud Archive Solutions

XenData Announces Media Portal for its LTO and Cloud Archive Solutions Brie Clayton March 29, 2024 0 Comments XenData, the provider of cutting-edge da...

29/03/2024

Autodesk Maya and 3ds Max 2025 Released With Time-Saving New Toolsets

Autodesk Maya and 3ds Max 2025 Released With Time-Saving New Toolsets Brie Clayton March 29, 2024 0 Comments Autodesk Flow Production Tracking and Flo...

29/03/2024

Dalet to Demo AI-Enabled Production, Automation and Monetization at NAB Show

PARIS Dalet has announced that during the 2024 NAB Show (booth #W1713), attendees can experience firsthand Dalet's collaborative, AI-enabled workflows that ...

29/03/2024

DirecTV Inks Deal to Carry 2024 Colorado Rockies Games

DENVER AND EL SEGUNDO, Calif. DirecTV has announced a new agreement with Major League Baseball that will allow Colorado Rockies fans to see this season's ga...

29/03/2024

S&P: Media, Telecom M&A Plunges to 13-Month Low

S&P Global Market Intelligence has released new data showing that dealmaking in the North America for media and telecom companies remains in the doldrums....

29/03/2024

NAB Show: Pebble Launches PRIMA Software Platform

EPSOM, Surrey, UK The automation, content management, and integrated channel specialist Pebble, has announced that it will be launching a new software platform ...

29/03/2024

Gray Television to Air Arena Football League Local Games

ATLANTA Gray Television Inc. has inked a multi-year agreement with the Arena Football League to bring Saturday arena football games over-the-air to local audien...

29/03/2024

Scandal!: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Scandal!: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African webs...

29/03/2024

Generations: The Legacy - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Generations: The Legacy - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The So...

29/03/2024

Uzalo: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [video]

Uzalo: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [video]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African website...

29/03/2024

Meet the busker aiming to play at every London tube station

Meet the busker aiming to play at every London tube stationAustralian singer-songwriter Dan Tredget is aiming to become the first person to busk at every London...

29/03/2024

Streaming today: The Wages of Fear' on Netflix - 29 March 2024

Streaming today: The Wages of Fear' on Netflix - 29 March 2024Looking for something to watch tonight? Check out all the new streaming releases from all you...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Uzalo: Minenhle makes a huge mistake, because of nerves

Tonight on Uzalo: Minenhle makes a huge mistake, because of nervesDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie Uzalo on SABC 1...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Umkhokha: Nokubonga learns the devastating news about her womb

Tonight on Umkhokha: Nokubonga learns the devastating news about her wombDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie Umkhokha...

29/03/2024

Tonight on House of Zwide: Soka shares a job opening with Nkosi

Tonight on House of Zwide: Soka shares a job opening with NkosiDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie House of Zwide on ...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Scandal: A mother is torn between history and truth

Tonight on Scandal: A mother is torn between history and truthDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie Scandal! on e.tv on...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Muvhango: Reneilwe discovers some damning evidence proving her suspicion

Tonight on Muvhango: Reneilwe discovers some damning evidence proving her suspic...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Skeem Saam: Lehasa turns on the one guy he should be leaning on

Tonight on Skeem Saam: Lehasa turns on the one guy he should be leaning onDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie Skeem S...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Generations: Palesa proves she still has some heart

Tonight on Generations: Palesa proves she still has some heartDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie Generations: The Le...

29/03/2024

Thales Announces Partnership with Saporo in Belgium to Empower Organizations with Enhanced Cybersecurity Resilience

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn This collaboration brings together Thales' e...

29/03/2024

Avoid Collaboration Concerns

By Craig Anderton As the universe of Studio One users grows, so do opportunities for collaboration. But your collaborator may not be using the same version of ...

29/03/2024

Muvhango: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Muvhango: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African webs...

29/03/2024

Gqeberha: The Empire - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Gqeberha: The Empire - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South...

29/03/2024

My Brother's Keeper: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

My Brother's Keeper: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The Sou...

29/03/2024

Umkhokha: The Curse - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Umkhokha: The Curse - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South ...

29/03/2024

Skeem Saam: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Skeem Saam: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African s...

29/03/2024

House of Zwide: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

House of Zwide: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episode of South African soapie House of Zwide on The South African...

28/03/2024

No votes for all

Out of an estimated 20,000 journalists in Pakistan, less than one thousand are women according to a recent Gender Disparity Report published by the Internationa...

28/03/2024

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know 8 Women Filmmakers With Shorts at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival

A still from Jasmin Baumgartner's Bye Bye, Bowser, which screened as part ...

28/03/2024

The Best Shared Storage For Video Production

alt= class=wp-image-12214 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Best-Shared-Storage-EVO-logo-960x540-1.jpg/> Embarking on a cinematic journey or crafting a ...

28/03/2024

Future-Proofing the B-52

L3Harris is upgrading critical electronic warfare systems to ensure the iconic aircrafts spectrum superiority for decades to come....

28/03/2024

Supporting the RCAF for more than 25 Years with L3Harris' WESCAM MX-Series

L3Harris' WESCAM MX-Series EO/IR systems have supported the RCAF for more than 25 years....

28/03/2024

ENCO to Add AI News Anchor to Qimera Virtual Production Set

NOVI, Mich. During the 2024 NAB Show, ENCO will be showcasing an AI-driven virtual anchor delivering live news from a realistic 3D virtual news set....

28/03/2024

Johan de Nysschen Named President and CEO of ARRI Americas

MUNICH ARRI has announced that Johan de Nysschen has been put in charge of the ARRI Americas team as president and CEO ARRI Americas Inc....

28/03/2024

Fubo Inks Carriage Deal with YES Network

NEW YORK The YES Network and FuboTV have reached a multi-year carriage agreement that will allow Fubo to launch YES in its Pro base channel plan in time for YES...

28/03/2024

Dalet to Demo AI-Enabled Production, Automation and Monetization at NAB 2024

PARIS Dalet has announced that during its 2024 NAB showcase (booth #W1713), attendees can experience firsthand Dalet's collaborative, AI-enabled workflows t...

28/03/2024

Blackmagic Design Used on 2024 Oscar Nominated Films

Blackmagic Design Used on 2024 Oscar Nominated Films Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments Blackmagic Design congratulates the many film professional...

28/03/2024

Arkona to Introduce BLADE//master Control and Orchestration Service at NAB 2024

Arkona to Introduce BLADE//master Control and Orchestration Service at NAB 2024 Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments New option for BLADE//runner ke...

28/03/2024

Join Maxon for NAB 2024

Join Maxon for NAB 2024 Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments Maxon returns to NAB with presentations by artists from around the world and demos of t...

28/03/2024

Boston Conservatory to Present Center Stage Production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Huntington

Boston Conservatory to Present Center Stage Production of A Midsummer Night'...

28/03/2024

The 4K cameras giving audiences an astronaut's view of Earth

TVBEurope meets Charles Black, founder and CEO of Sen, which has sent a payload of 4K cameras to the ISS to livestream images of Earth to audiences around the w...

28/03/2024

2024 Big Night In Raises $145k to Support Triangle Arts Councils

Capitol Broadcasting and WRAL-TV once again proudly supported our local arts community with the broadcast of Big Night in for the Arts Thursday, March 7, 2024. ...

28/03/2024

JIC, MRC Announce Accord On Roles In Judging Measurement Companies

With more companies offering different approaches to measuring television viewing and campaign effectiveness, two of the groups that evaluate potential media bu...

28/03/2024

Hulu Added to Disney Plus App for Bundle Subscribers

The Walt Disney Co. said that it launched Hulu on Disney Plus, which makes Hulu programming available via the Disney Plus app....

28/03/2024

GroupM To Double Ad Spending On Women's Sports Programming

Giant media buyer GroupM said it plans to double its media spending on women's sports....

28/03/2024

Scripps Renews State Farm As Sponsor of Friday Night WNBA on Ion

Scripps Sports said that State Farm has signed a new multi-year agreement to continue as the title sponsor of Ion's Friday night WNBA telecasts....

28/03/2024

Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington Sign On for Imperfect Women' on Apple TV Plus

Elisabeth Moss and Kerry Washington will star in, and executive produce, Imperfe...

28/03/2024

Telemundo Station Group Addresses Climate Change With Month-Long Initiative

Telemundo Station Group launches the month-long climate change initiative Our Planet Thursday, March 28. The multiplatform campaign ends on Earth Day, April 22,...