Trying To get OneUp In the Mobile Space…
OneUp Sports offers live-action, edge of your seat, split-second decision making mobile sports platforms that offer a deeper and more engaging live-sports experience. Their platforms use the power of mobile and social technology, live sports data and content to bring professional sports teams, fans and friends together like never before. The company has really started to expand their portfolio and recently acquired one of the largest daily sports video providers for newspaper sites,CineSport, into the fold.
We asked John McCauley, a sports business veteran at places like Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment what’s next for OneUp and the mobile sports space in general.
Unique video content continues to drive engagement. How does the CineSport deal change or enhance your business model?
More video is consumed today than at any point in history. The CineSport deal with OneUp merges the platform with the most video views with a company that has created and aggregated a tremendous amount of content. The OneUp Sports Network will be able to utilize the video content to put in front of more fans.
How has the business changed even in the short time you have been around as a content platform?
How has the business changed even in the short time you have been around as a content platform?
Marketers are beginning to realize that brands have a lot of power in mobile. Sports brands today are creating engagement and merging the best services out there. OneUp Sports is bringing in different types of services all into one spot – the aggregation of everything around the brand for mobile.
Many teams and leagues are still struggling with mobile engagement. What is the biggest issue for teams or leagues?
Monetizing the mobile space is the number one problem facing all teams and leagues. It is tough for teams and leagues to create scale. The media marketplace is built off impressions but the sports industry traditionally has been the sponsorship model. We need to figure out a way to bridge that gap.
Who are some of the better partners you have that are mobile first?
Who are some of the better partners you have that are mobile first?
Sports brands are just on the cusp of maximizing the opportunity that is mobile. It is the screen that follows the fan everywhere they go. We need to create more experiences, which will lead to more data, which will lead to more revenue.
What brands do the best at mobile engagement in and around sport?
This is not necessarily in sport, but I specifically love Starbucks since they are taking advantage of the mobile space and understand how their brand fits into their customer’s daily lifestyle. I am a fan because they really come from the perspective of making my life easier when I am in one of their stores.
Anyone that is improving his or her customers experience via mobile is doing a great job. To be quite honest though, not many brands are maximizing their potential yet.
Gaming is quickly becoming an even hotter topic. is there a platform where OneUp will look more to eGaming as well?
eGaming is clearly a growing space with millions and millions of fans but I am not sure there is a platform yet that has cracked the code on everything those fans want out of their eGaming sports experience. Since there is a clear demand for it, there will be a focus to capitalize on it fairly soon. OneUp Sports is watching this industry grow and keeping a close eye on it.
How does fantasy play into your model in the future; and if gambling becomes legal is there an opportunity you will look at then as well?
Fantasy has many different definitions; it could be playing our “Connect” game; following along on a second screen experience; or receiving alerts on some of your favorite players. We are catering to a certain sports fan that is a fan of a brand or particular game.
As gambling becomes more prevalent in pro sports in America (similar to what it is now in Europe) going forward, our company will be paying very close attention to this area of the business. It will be a big factor if regulations change in the near future.
The bottom line is we want to aggregate anything and everything fans want to do around live play. That’s our job and naturally gambling is always going to be a big factor.
How is the experience different for college partners vs. professional teams?
The media experience does not differ that much but generally the priority of college teams are slightly different than pro teams based on the needs of each individual market. Things like seat upgrades or amplifying their 50/50 draws are more important in the college space because typically getting fans in seats is usually not an issue.
What is next for the business?
The next big thing in mobile is going to be Virtual Reality (VR). It will be something that teams and brands will use to better tell their story and will be content that could directly be distributed through the mobile device.
Within next 24 months, every kid in North America will have the VR viewing devices. They will simply be able to pop the phone in the viewing device to experience the VR. This will create a distribution path for our partners to create innovative content.
From the financial standpoint, VR is not just a great storytelling tool but also will be an effective revenue stream.