How Sports TV Predicts the Future with Brian Josephs, Vice President of the Americas at Sportradar

The Invisible Engine Behind Sports

Tim Rowe 0:00

Have you ever wondered how a live broadcast calculates the probability of a play happening in real time? Or a quick stat about how many come from behind wins an underdog has. You might not know their name, but you are likely using their product every single time you turn on your favorite team. Today we are learning about Sport Radar, a tech giant operating at the intersection of sports, betting, and media. We'll learn about how SportRadar is working with the NBA on Peacock to overlay real-time predictive data to enhance their fan experience and why virtual stadiums want to keep your group chat inside the app through social viewing and gamification. Finally, we'll tie it all together with a sneak peek at the global strategy for the upcoming collision of the FIFA World Cup and the Winter Olympics, including dynamic advertising that reacts to on-field action. Welcome back to this Dave Streaming Podcast. I'm your host, Tim Rowe, and today I'm joined by Brian Joseph, Vice President of the Americas at SportRadar. So if you want to understand the invisible engine powering your favorite fan streaming sports experiences, then this is the conversation for you. Let's get into it. So, Brian, if you can familiarize us with sport radar, what's the problem that you solve and who do you solve it for? Because surely we've we've consumed sport radar before as sports fans, but we might not know who you are yet. Help us get acquainted.

Brian Josephs 1:34

Awesome. Thanks, Tim. And uh, you know, for those who aren't familiar, Sport Radar is the world's leading sports technology company, and we operate at the intersection of sports, betting, and media. So to dig into that a little bit, our our core product that we provide across the different client segments that we work in is sports data. So the language of the fan, you've heard it described as the oil of the industry and all those types of things. You know, that is core to what we do. And then we leverage our technologies across computer vision, AI, the different analytical models that we have created in-house to deliver that data and content across, again, betting, media, broadcast, digital media, fantasy, and so on down the line. So, you know, you mentioned, you know, chances are you've you've used our product, if you've consumed sports or engaged with it in any way, shape, or form, uh, in all likelihood you you certainly have.

Where Fans Encounter Sportradar

Tim Rowe 2:29

Very cool. All right. So give us maybe some examples. How have we likely come into contact with Sport Radar in the wild?

Brian Josephs 2:37

Yep. So uh particularly here in North America, we have a tremendous client footprint in the broadcast space. So if you've if you've watched a game or watched a stream of a broadcast, again, we're just talking a core live game broadcast. Uh, we have uh a team that works hand in hand with our broadcast clients to deliver compelling content that they use in graphics that the on-air talent use to really tell that story around the game and you know the graphics technologies and whatnot to bring them to life. So if you've watched a game, chances are you've consumed our product in some form or fashion. Also from a sports betting standpoint, that's core to our business when the company started 20 plus years ago. If you've placed a bet or engaged with sports betting across any of the FanDuel DraftKinks or clients of ours that offer products here in the US or globally, you know, that is core to what we do, providing live data, live odds, live streams of sports broadcast, among many other products and services into that segment. So those two straight away, plus fantasy, plus your digital box score experience, and and I could go on. But what's been interesting is you know, our client segments have evolved a little bit over recent years to, you know, things like search results and voice assistance and so on down the line. So uh it's been a really exciting time for our business as our client base has evolved, as technology has evolved, it's been really an opportunity for us to continue to evolve the way in which we engage our clients in the market.

Tim Rowe 4:11

So everything from when they flash it on screen that the Jets are the only team who has an insert stat here.

Brian Josephs 4:18

Had a had a pick an entire CD.

Tim Rowe 4:20

Yeah, I think that that's the one that that's most top of mind, right? So so those are the sorts of things that SportRadar powers. You also power the live box score and fantasy betting odds. And so there's a lot of different ways that the data kind of comes to life, it sounds like.

From Facts To Predictive Insights

Brian Josephs 4:35

That's exactly right. And what's happened as you know, sports fandom has evolved a little bit as well, the role of data has along with it. So, you know, if we look at you know sports data, it tells you what just happened. And you know, you mentioned you know the storytelling and context around the Jets. I apologize if you're a Jets fan. I am friends with many of my invoice. Yeah, yeah, don't don't listen. Um, but anyways, to tie it back to it, sports data it tells you what happened, you know, as quickly after that does. But where we've been able to evolve in in partnership with our clients is to explaining why it happened, that's that storytelling element, and then what will happen next. So going from stating facts to storytelling and insight, and then ultimately to predictive. And you know, that's where we use our our data APIs, the advanced analytics feeds we have, AI generated visualizations to really move into call this next generation of sports product experiences. And, you know, it's all built on data, which is again core to that experience. And then where we've invested heavily from a product standpoint is how do we bring that data to life to engage in that storytelling and insight, and then that predictive uh nature as well. So it's been again, I've been here 10 years next month. It has been quite an evolution from where I look back to some of the conversations we have when we were when I first started here to the conversations we're having today. It's uh it feels like it's almost been two or three generations uh over the course of of those 10 years as we look at how our clients have evolved and you know how we've evolved our product offering with them to start to bring these things to life.

Tim Rowe 6:17

I bet some of the stuff that you're doing with, I think the NBA on Peacock, can you tell us about that? There's like some pretty and we're gonna we're gonna bring in some video assets to the to the episode. So if you're listening, this is one you're gonna want to definitely go back and find the clips of because you're doing some pretty cool stuff with the NBA on Peacock. Can you describe that? Tell us what's going on there.

Brian Josephs 6:40

Yes, absolutely. So the NBA is a fantastic partner of ours, uh, as well as you know, MBC Sports and Peacock and the teams over there. And uh what we've done and what we're working with them on now is leveraging a model that we've built using, you know, the player tracking data from the MBA and the official data from the MBA, analyzing, you know, call it thousands and thousands, probably even millions of data points to build out this model that is effectively a predictive model that can show us what's happening and what will happen next. So we've built that into a consumer-facing version of a product that we call Foresight that brings those predictive insights, such as shot probability, expected points, or likely outcomes of a play unfolding on the screen in real time, and have partnered with Peacock to help to bring that to life via their performance view feature in their in their Peacock app. And this has been one of my absolute favorite projects that I've worked on here because it does leverage everything that I was just talking about, you know, cutting edge data, you know, the AI models and cutting edge technology on top of it, and then delivering that to an audience in a way that is just really seamless and clean that adds to the experience. That was something that was a top priority. We've heard feedback from clients over the years that their audience doesn't want to feel like they need a PhD to consume sports. So when a lot of this new data becomes available, it's really important to make it understandable, consumable. And I think Peacock, you know, their team just did a phenomenal job of really using the tech and the model to bring that to life. And, you know, looking at some of the outputs, I talked about the shot probability of scoring percentage, you can see in real time as a player is dribbling the ball what their likelihood of scoring from that particular spot is based on who's guarding them, where they're guarding them, and spacing. You know, they also have this really cool feature, this player pulse card that shows you know some information about the player who has the ball, you know, how they're shooting. You know, there's a live shot chart in it. So you can see them going from different zones on the floor to where they might shoot better than others. And uh it's a live player movement within that while the game's unfolding. You know, there's three-point ball trails and markers and things like that. You know, some liken it to a video game type experience, which obviously younger fans in particular are really accustomed to. But what I think, you know, our teams, you know, Peacock and Sport Radar really did a phenomenal job of is adding to the experience without being overwhelming. And, you know, we were watching feedback closely, both from our client, obviously, and then you know, fans on social media and that type of thing. And the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. And for us, that was incredibly exciting because fans don't like change. Uh they're never they're they're never happy. They're never happy. I shouldn't say they're we're never happy as sports fans, but when we were looking at you know that implementation, it it really was very well received by fans and social media and everything. And you know, it's a start, uh, it's a very good start. And I'm really excited to see what we can do to continue to shape the NBA streaming experience moving forward. And and Peacock's just a phenomenal partner.

Tim Rowe 9:58

And you hear so much about the experience economy for in-person live sporting events, and this is really the NBA and Peacock meaning the customer where they are at home, unlocks obviously the second screen experiences with sports betting and other opportunities. It really starts to integrate the entire ecosystem. I'm curious, was it the chicken or the egg? Which came first? Was it the idea for creating this on-screen experience, or was it, hey, we've got this data, let's do something with it. How does something like that come to life?

Personalization And Alternate Feeds

Social Viewing And Virtual Stadium

Brian Josephs 10:32

So I think it's a it's chicken or the egg, it's both. Uh so the the way that everything all at once. We everything all at once always, but the way that we consume content, period, sports or otherwise, has really changed. And and that we expect things to be personalized to us and our preferences, regardless, again, of what the content is. We want to have a role in shaping the experience for ourselves. And, you know, sports is no different. It's a form of media, it's a form of content that the fans and audience can engage with. And what streaming has allowed is for that experience to go from being passive to being far more interactive and increasingly personalized and measurable moving forward, which is really important for our clients. And, you know, fans increasingly expect information and insights in real time, you know, with the rollout of betting here in the US and other markets globally. That predictive content and information in real time can help an audience form an opinion one way or another on a particular market. And you know, we've seen some great implementations of social viewing features, for example. But ultimately, we're in this phase now where you know, broadcast used to be one broadcast produced for all. And then, you know, RSNs allowed a home and away feed. But now we're entering in a phase here where there are different options being created. There's a lot of experimentation taking place, you know, whether it be the language of the broadcast, the commentators being used and the talent on air, you know, user-generated content or different content experience shaped to it. So you'll see the performance view, and Amazon does a lot of their overlay alternate broadcasts, ESPN around large events, many different options to consume. And all of this is just an intermediary step towards full personalization. So right now, you know, I give, you know, keep talking about Peacock, I give them a ton of credit. And any other of our clients out there that are experimenting, it's hard to do doing something for the first time, but ultimately it's a tremendous learning experience. And it's what's going to allow, you know, the B2C platforms and our clients ultimately to best understand that sports fan moving forward and deliver that personalized experience that that everybody's looking for. And what that'll do is that'll increase time and attention and the opportunity to monetize that time and attention, which is mission critical across the board, particularly when competition for that same consumer is sky high. So, you know, how do you deliver that, you know, those options that feel like they speak to that end user so that they you can learn more about them and move towards personalization, that's where this is all it's all heading. And you know, the need for that is because competition is higher than it's ever been for attention. So if your product isn't engaging, doesn't allow for interactivity, doesn't speak directly to that audience, you know, a lot of times people will say something like that and then say targeting a younger audience. I don't think it's just younger audiences. I think I think I've aged out of that younger demo. But if if I don't feel like it's built for me, I'm not gonna spend time there either. So I think it's more just fans in general. If you're not building and giving them the opportunity to engage and control, there's risk there. You risk losing that that fan, that audience, and you know, competition is extremely high.

Tim Rowe 14:05

I think that that is a an understated point that it's not just going to be enough to have the rights to carry the game. It's going to require something more. It's going to require a way that you create personalized fan experiences and incremental revenue opportunities in ways that don't disrupt that experience, right? It's the the unreasonable consumer. Once we get it once, we're not willing to go back. I would love for you to exactly right, right? Like give give me give me two days shipping. I'm not going back to to wait in a week. That's crazy. You mentioned a social viewing experiment. And I also want to touch on globally because you oversee all of the Americas would love to talk about what things you're seeing globally. But what was the the social viewing experiment? Can you elaborate on that?

World Cup And Olympics Strategy

Brian Josephs 14:56

Yeah, the social viewing experience. So, you know, we built a product called Virtual Stadium that, you know, something that we we work with many of our sports betting clients on to bring a social element into the sports betting experience. So it's it's basically built to target those fans and betters where it's not an isolated experience for them. They like to interact with their friends or other fans, you know, via chat features and the opportunity to gamify the experience and and really interact around both the sport and then in the case of Virtual Stadium, the opportunity to bet on the sport as well. So it's it's taking an experience that you will have in called other forums online and bringing it into the sports experience, whether it be just purely viewing or viewing and betting alongside of it. And yeah, it's something that again, fans and audiences are just wired to having that interaction while consuming content. I don't know about you, but when my favorite NFL team is playing, you know, the Chicago Bears, fair down, uh, my phone gets very active uh with friends, family, everyone wants to share in that experience. And uh, we do that a lot of times via a messaging application. But when you took a look at time and attention, how do you bring that behavior that fans are already doing and bring it into your experience? If you have that consumer-facing application, no, that's a tremendous opportunity. And to uh again increase that time and attention, the stickiness of your product. And that's why we built Virtual Stadium, and that's something that we expect to see more of across all consumer-facing applications, whether it be a sports betting app, uh streaming app, a digital media app, or anything else moving forward.

Tim Rowe 16:45

Very cool. And globally, we've got the biggest sporting event, two of the biggest sporting events globally happening this year. We've got obviously the FIFA World Cup and we've got the Olympics later. What does that all mean from a sport radar standpoint? What sort of things are you guys looking forward to? I think that I saw some news about the World Cup. What's cooking globally this year for sport radar?

Takeaways And How To Learn More

Brian Josephs 17:09

Yeah, so the World Cup soccer is obviously the most popular sport in the world. So anytime there's it's a World Cup year, that gets uh the utmost attention from a product perspective. So what we're really laser focused on is bringing to life a lot of what I've been talking about here for the sport of soccer. So, how do we deliver deeper data? How do we deliver more insight to our clients so that they can build that into their experience, whether they're producing a broadcast or just have the scores app associated with and in a second screen experience or in a sports betting perspective. So, how do we deliver better odds, more markets, better insight associated with those markets? And then from a data visualization standpoint, uh foresight, you know, we talk about in the NBA context, that's rolling out for soccer uh this year, and something that we're really excited about. Yeah, very much looking forward to that and working with uh some of our league partners and clients to help to bring that to life. So the World Cup is, and also from an advertising standpoint, you know, many of our clients view large tent pull events as goal and opportunities for customer acquisition. So, how do we really lean in with them and make sure those campaigns are all lined up and ready to go to deliver DCO dynamic creative optimization, you know, real-time personalized advertisements to targeted audience based on what's happening on the field? So, you know, across content, streaming, advertising, it's it's all hands-on-deck. It's sport radar around the World Cup and not just in the US, obviously, it's our North America. I should clarify, it's it's here in North America, but globally uh it's about as big an event as you can come across. And and it's an opportunity for us to level up across the board from a product standpoint and and work with our clients to bring that to life. So World Cup's huge, and then yeah, the Olympics, uh, February is going to be a busy month, very, very similar from a product perspective, you know, obviously an opportunity from a betting standpoint, but then customer acquisition. Those big events draw such a tremendous amount of attention over a relatively short period of time. So, you know, how can we help our clients market and activate effectively around those events to capture that consumer or new customer acquisition and be able to maintain that relationship moving forward? So, yeah, it's a bit of a sports equinox on an annual level to have Olympics and World Cup in the same year, in addition to everything else that's going on. So uh 26 is going to be a big one.

Tim Rowe 19:43

I like that. Sports equinox, you heard it here first. Now we're gonna see it in just a couple of months with all of the sport radar. Now we know what to look for when we see it on our TVs at home.

Brian Josephs 19:54

Deeper insight, data viz, new markets to bet on. That's what you can expect this year.

Tim Rowe 20:00

Awesome. We're here for it. Brian, thank you so much for being here for this. If folks want to get in touch, where should they go? Give them the Latin long. What's the best way to get in touch with you?

Brian Josephs 20:10

Get in touch with me through Kenny. No, I'm kidding. Hey, Kenny. I'm not actually gonna get I'm not actually gonna give out contact information or whatever, but yeah, all good.

Tim Rowe 20:20

We'll point them to the website. We'll point them to SportRadar, and they can get in touch when they're ready to learn more.

Brian Josephs 20:25

Kenny Conrad comms at sportradar.com. The man. Thank you so much, Brian. God, thanks, Tim.