On Thursday, February 22, 2024, the 14th edition of the sportsbusiness.at Breakfast Club kicked off the premiere of the Krone Leadership Day. For the second time, all relevant TV players came together on a panel and discussed the opportunities and potential that digitization is opening up for Austria’s TV media.
After the premiere in 2023, sportsbusiness.at once again brought together the most important representatives of Austrian TV media to discuss the current trends and developments in the industry. This time the focus was on digitalization.
sportsbusiness.at welcomed editors on this topic Michael Fiala the who’s who of the Austrian TV media on the podium: Thomas Berger (LAOLA1), Martijn van Hout (CANAL+), David Morgenbesser (Red Bull Media House), Christian Muckenhuber (Kronen Zeitung/fan.at), Michael Radelsberger (Sky), Martin Szerencsi (ORF).
The 14th edition of the sportsbusiness.at Breakfast Club served as an introduction to the Krone Leadership Day and examined the following questions: What opportunities and potential does digitization open up for Austria’s TV media? How can national and international sport benefit from this? What opportunities exist for advertising partners and sponsors? And: How will the sports rights market develop under these conditions?
The best quotes
Thomas Bergermember of the LAOLA1 management, about…
… the challenges of digitalization: “We will talk about the big screen more and more often in the future. Linear TV as an experience, on the other hand, is becoming less common. When you turn on Samsung/LG, you first have content advertising and an app bar. This no longer has anything to do with analogue television. This development will continue like this. The question is how to monetize something in the context of big rights. There is a broadening of the market, which in itself is a good signal. At laola1.at, analogue TV is now a legitimate pillar. And there are also examples of how digital can improve the analog range: Formula 1 is stagnating on classic TV. The saving grace was streaming with the documentaries on Netflix, which opened up new target groups. You have to bring the young target group into classic settings.”
… Free-Ad-Supported-Streaming-Television (FAST): “Laola1’s core business has been monetization for Austrian sport for 23 years. Now a window has opened, keyword Free-Ad-Supported-Streaming-Television (FAST). We’ve actually been doing this for 20 years, even if it wasn’t called that back then. Technologically, this is not a further step; there is scaling potential in the technology. There are many channels, this can be solved with technology, IP is cheaper than satellite. You can see that monetization can be a game changer. There is a shift to streaming, for example in the USA. We see the topic of FAST for Austrian sport. In addition to new players like Canal+, there are also manufacturers Samsung and LG who are entering the content area. There aren’t just traditional TV channels anymore.”
Martijn van HoutManaging Director Canal+ Austria, about…
… ORF Sport+: “It’s wonderful for sport in Austria that this exists. You can offer space to sponsors. As long as the fees are not used for premium sports rights, that’s good.”
… the future of streaming: “If you have a good mix of different offers and combine them on a platform with premium content, you can create something with it. This is the future in my opinion. The question then is which platform offers the most.”
… Digitization: “Digitization is a fact. For us it’s not about technology, but about the end customer and the market conditions. That’s the challenge in Austria, where a lot of things are heavily financed by advertising. We offer television entertainment, we still see potential. The structure like here in Austria does not exist elsewhere. With Topsport only appearing on subscription television, like the Champions League, that will give us a push.”
David MorgenbesserChief Commercial Officer Red Bull Media House GmbH, über …
… the role of ServusTV: “We have the Champions League highlights and the Europa League live. When it comes to digitalization, we see that we are a media company and no longer a classic TV station. At ServusTV-On we also rely on FAST channels. Digitalization has already taken place here. Usage is increasing. Big screen is up 27 percent in the last year, over a billion minutes watched. It’s growing very quickly.”
… the differences between digital and analogue: “You have to differentiate between rights providers and advertisers. A linear transmitter can achieve a different range, which is reflected in the CPMs. OTT works differently. You have lower CPMs, but with digital offers you know the target group. Digital is still significantly smaller than analog in terms of revenue. It’s a process.”
… a uniform rating measurement: “TV insight is the new currency. You can display the ranges better. There is a higher panel. TV-Load’s digital idea is to deliver advertising to specific target groups: In the end, it’s about a uniform moving image reach. It’s great when you can go to a customer and offer both ways with a realistic illustration. We hope to launch in Q2/Q3 2024.”
Christian MuckenhuberManaging Director of fan.at, about…
… the effects of digitalization in marketing: “I wouldn’t say across the board that analogue is more attractive for advertising customers. This depends on the campaign and target group. In the sports sector, the further down it goes, you won’t be able to live solely on advertising revenue, you need paid content with a diverse portfolio where customers can find themselves. We have sports expertise thanks to print. This means we can offer a portfolio and get end users to subscribe. But the clubs and associations have to be able to earn money.”
… the role of fan.at: “We don’t have the Champions League yet (smiles). I see it like ServusTV. The analog/digital distinction is not absolutely necessary. It is extremely important for the sports sector to have streaming platforms. We sometimes have 50 streams on the weekend. Analogue television is still widespread in Austria. Among the U30s it is only a quarter, but the question is how media behavior changes as people age. It needs as much reach as possible.”
Michael Radelsbergerdeputy managing director at Sky Austria, about…
… the preservation of ORF Sport+: “The fact that ORF Sport+ is being retained is great. It is a complementary product. We are well positioned when it comes to rights.”
… the role of Sky: “It is now our job to create the distribution channels so that a good product comes about. The web portal should also grow with this content. The bottom line is: We have a lot of content and we want to bring it to people through many channels.”
… digital vs. analogue: “We can already see that digital is growing. But analog channels are important, 40 percent have satellite, 35 percent have cable. The advertising market will shift depending on how reach develops. It’s about convergence of revenue streams. It’s actually a simple equation.”
… uniform quota measurement: “The project is very exciting. As a platform, we have been waiting for measurable reach. It will come and prevail and must: otherwise the Austrian media market will make a mistake by doing everything the way it has for the last 25 years.”
Martin SzerencsiLegal Advisor ORF Sport, about…
… ORF Sport+: “ORF Sport+ is saved. By law, the station is guaranteed to be linear until at least 2026, after which it must continue to be operated digitally as a special interest station. Non-premium sports will also remain on ORF. But the ORF law regulates even more; there are authorizations and also obligations. ORF Sport has two and a half or three years to reorganize its entire reporting. The broadcaster will play a big role. In addition to the regulation for Sport+, part of the amendment to the law is to increase the proportion of fringe sports on ORF. The great success of the handball players generated great interest in this context.”
… uniform quota measurement: “There will be good reasons why it has not yet been introduced.”
… the future for platforms that aggregate content: “In my opinion, the issue with distribution is that you shouldn’t celebrate it too much in terms of marketing. At some point the customer will also think that it doesn’t matter where they see the content. This could be a problem for the ORF, too, but not only, because your own content can also be seen on other platforms. But rights, production and implementation are expensive, which should be attributed to a media company. You have to be careful there. This is particularly important in premium sports. When it comes to HLA, no one will be bothered if this content is aggregated.”
2024-02-23 03:12:13
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