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SXSW Panel: Is Web 2.0 Killing the Sports Business?
Date/time: 3:30 p.m. Tuesday
Panelists: Pat Coyle, Pres. of Coyle Media Inc.; Derek Eagleton, Digital Media Dir. for Dallas Cowboys; Mike Levy, CEO of OPEN Sports Network Inc.; Hooman Radfar, Founder/CEO of Clearspring Technologies Inc.; Kevin Chou, CEO of Watercooler
The gist: To answer the question in the panel’s name - no. But Web 2.0 is changing the way fans, teams, players and the media interact, mostly in ways that is changing the way money flows into the sports industry.
Fantasy sports is the still the biggest growth market in the sports online space, with at least 20 million participants per year and more expected as technology offers more features and makes the sport more appealing to casual fans.
Takeaways: The online world has made athletes into brands and content producers, for good or for ill. That accessibility has made fans even more connected to their teams, which creates opportunities for businessmen like Chou and his fan interaction site.
While there’s lots of differentiation in offering from team sites and how leagues utilize the Web, all panelists agreed ESPN is one of the best sites in all the Web regardless of direction. One reason for the company’s success is its willingness to embrace new technology and find a way to make it work easily for the everyday fan.
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By Jacob
March 19, 2009 9:12 AM | Link to this
I think it's good. All major media is being decentralized by the internet. Good for the public, bad for the media conglomerates. They will learn soon enough. Give us what we want, when we want it, and at a cheap price. Stay an antiquated system that tries to force us to do what they want and they will eventfully fall.