best of...episode 9 of the digital & social media sports podcast: connected venues and fans

Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast Recap

Episode 9: Bryan Bedford, Senior Manager- Business Development, Sports and Entertainment, Cisco Systems

On episode 9, Bryan Bedford of Cisco Systems, Sports & Entertainment, discussed the technological innovations Cisco is bringing to sports venues, helping usher in a new era of connected venues and connected fans.

Listen to the full episode at DSMSports.net or on iTunes. What follows are snippets and quotes from the podcast. Enjoy and thanks again to Bryan!

@njh287; DSMSports.net



“There is no better time to see the confluence of sports and technology right now...That's what is cool about Cisco, being able to see those trends and the innovation.”




“If you look back on [history], it is well before high-definition video...The biggest 'sports technology” purchase you'd see was video/audio for the stadium or the video transfer coaches would use.




Bryan's career path:

Worked for three different teams in the college and pro space – started as a senior in college and worked with the Texas Rangers minor league affiliate in OKC and new ballpark opening; then helped lead football operations at his alma mater in their transition to D-II football, then worked in football operations at TCU & was there as part of a 23-3 record in his two seasons there!

→ From TCU, transitioned and moved to XOS Digital; part of big growth there as they expanded into digital media and film, then joined Cisco in his current role




“There have been a lot of iterations of how sports and technology have changed. I still don't think we're near toward the end of it, but we're in a fun time right now.”




“Cisco is trying to capture business and technology transitions in the marketplace...The biggest thing that has happened of late is a lot of [recent] new construction in the industry and, at the same time, the emergence of high-definition video and being able to integrate that video via an IP Network.”

The solution - Cisco's Stadium Vision: live TV video product for venuesAlso have developed a high-density Wi-Fi platformStadium Mobile: mobile broadcast delivery product




“The industry has perked up and said 'Ok, now the technology is there, now we need to drive some business innovation to go along with it.'”




This episode's Helpful Tool: YouTube Annotations

- free tool on YouTube to add captions, notes, text, hyperlinks, other calls to action on your YouTube videos




Cisco ~ 200 clients in 30 countries across the world.

Cisco leverages technological innovations from across the verticals it serves to adapt across the business, including best practices for sports and entertainment clients.




“There are four big industry things we're seeing now that are very relevant. Everyone wants to talk about how we can impact mobility, digital signage, all things video, and all things social. Put all four of those things together and, riding on top of an intelligent network Cisco has, really puts us in a unique position.”




“[Tech] is really now the cost of doing business. There has been a shift from why to how should I be [implementing] these things.With the right partners, the right business plan, the sky is the limit.”




“You're not seeing any new stadium being built now that isn't putting in large video boards, large fascia. They're all putting in a DAS, they're all putting in Wi-Fi, and they're all putting in digital signage. To not put in those core things right now, would [result in] back lash from fans.




Stats say a poll of college students believe Wi-Fi is as important as air, food, and water.Another recent college poll had students said they'd rather lose their wallet than lose their mobile phone!




“Teams with smaller venues look at all things Wi-Fi, mobility, [etc.] look at [these things] as an asset, a way to differentiate themselves...Sometimes it's easier to work with teams starting from scratch because they have a very open mind...and looking at new business models.”




“What we're seeing with all of our customers and partners is they all have a desire to drive change, to be an active participant and listener and respond to changing fan behaviors.”“The concept of the live experience and its business as a whole is probably at around phase one.”




Examples cited: Dallas Cowboys wanting to be known for 'video immersion' with not just large video board, but biggest Stadium Vision deployment in the world with over 2,500 screens throughout the venue; next phase is bringing video to mobile with implementing Stadium Mobile. A value add and revenue producer across platforms.

Example cited: Sporting KC; able to send EXCLUSIVE video on demand to select locations [i.e. premium, suites, etc.] - “That's where you're seeing business innovation just starting now.”




“The Penguins just leveraging Stadiumvision allowed them to double their advertisers and triple their advertising revenues.”

Barclays Center StadiumVision Mobile had a “turnbuckle” cam at a recent boxing match; Celtics doing mobile app pregame show that is exclusive on the TD Garden Wi-Fi and the show is sponsored by American Express




“There is a lot of data that says fans are very comfortable with the at-home experience...When you go to a game right now, overwhelming data is saying [fans] want video to be a part of the experience of going to a game...A part of that needs to be exclusive or unique content. 'Give me something more.' If Cisco [wants to be] a part of providing that 'more.'”




“What makes StadiumVision unique is that it is low-latency video [little to no delay]...It's fundamentally an advertising product...We help our clients with how they can build packages, content, and how they go to market from a sponsorship aspect with StadiumVision.”

On Cisco's high-density Wi-Fi solution: “Cisco has tried to take an innovative approaches when it comes to designing for [venues].”




“With Stadium Vision Mobile, you now have the ability to see unique camera angles on your mobile phone live [up to four channels]...Think about [all the exclusive content] that you can think about. The possibilities are endless. Those are all business and sponsorship assets that teams are looking at as net new inventory.”




[paraphrase] Cisco can take inbound triggers from the large video boards to trigger actions on mobiles. It's about hitting all platforms.

“We're looking at key market transitions that make sense and are leverageable for Cisco...




“Right now you're seeing Cisco spend a lot of time and energy focused on where we think the Internet is going...we see the Internet evolving into the Internet of everything – connecting people to processes and data and things.

We're going to continue to follow that trend of Internet of everything, Internet of things...The whole notion of connecting people and things and processes and data is going to be really cool.”




[paraphrase] Connecting extendable, super-personalized experiences for fans integrating into the Internet of everything idea.




This episode's Shareable Stat: After launch, the Kansas City Chiefs mobile app saw an average of 5,000 new downloads per week [as of Week 8)




Brief With Bryan -

Most impressive venues: Barclay's Center with StadiumVision, StadiumVision mobile + large video screenAT&T Stadium CowboysReal Madrid – noted as being very innovative




Brief With Bryan -

Earliest game-changing tech Bryan was part of: High-definition video replay becoming a part of venues




Brief With Bryan - Favorite live sports event he has attended: Red River Shootout

“Texas State Fair, second Saturday in October. It doesn't get any better than the fair, football, corn dogs, fried Oreos. Put that all together with hundreds of your friends and enemies and it doesn't get any better.




Brief With Bryan - Favorite live sports event he has attended: Red River ShootoutVenue that does the best job with sports tech: Sporting KC




Brief With Bryan -

Favorite food experience at a venue: “Nothing beats a drink and peanuts at a hot dog at any venue. That's a staple for me.”




Bryan's Social Media All-Star to Follow: @ChrisYates11 of Huddle Productions, very active on Twitter and Google Plus with weekly hangouts presenting insights in this space.




Where to find Bryan: @Bryan_Bedford on Twitter, Bryan Bedford on Google PlusFollow @CiscoSESG for tweets about Cisco's sports and entertainment solutions group and content in the space




Thanks again to Bryan Bedford for sharing his time and knowledge on the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast!

For more, visit DSMSports.net and follow me on Twitter @njh287.


best of...episode 9 of the digital & social media sports podcast: connected venues and fans

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