Mark Phillip, Founder & CEO, Are You Watching This?! talks with Jeff Frick at Sports Tech Tokyo World Demo Day 2019 from Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA.
#theCUBE #STTWDD19 @SiliconANGLE theCUBE
https://siliconangle.com/2019/08/26/are-you-watching-this-how-tech-is-transforming-the-sports-viewing-experience-sttwdd19-guestoftheweek/
Are you watching this? How tech is transforming the sports-viewing experience
Mark Phillip has always been a fan, but when he maxed out his credit cards to bootstrap his fledgling sports viewing digital business, his zeal suddenly became more than just a game.
The Brooklyn-born, Austin-based, MIT dropout (pictured) had an idea in 2006 that there could be a market for sports fans who didn’t have the time to watch entire live games yet would gladly pay for a digital assistant that would let them know if something important was about to happen. That concept became the genesis for Are You Watching This?!, also known as RUWT?!, the company Phillip founded in 2006.
“We monitor pitch-by-pitch, shot-by-shot data to figure out when a game gets exciting,” said Phillip, founder and chief executive officer of Are You Watching This?! and mentor for Sports Tech Tokyo. “The Yankees-Red Sox games take over my entire night when they play each other. So being able to get that digital tap on the shoulder to say, ‘It’s time to tune in’ or ‘Stop raking the leaves; there’s a no-hitter through eight,’ that’s what we try to do.”
Phillip spoke with Jeff Frick, host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the Sports Tech Tokyo World Demo Day last week in San Francisco. They discussed the technology behind RUWT?!’s notification model, how some sports leagues are beginning to offer more short-form content viewing options, the potential impact of legalized sports betting, and a changing landscape facing traditional networks as TV broadcast rights come up for renewal (see the full interview with transcript here).
This week, theCUBE features Mark Phillip as its Guest of the Week.
Analyzed over 250,000 games
The company has been profitable since 2013, according to Phillip, and its customers include Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Comcast, Golf Digest and Sportradar. RUWT?!’s processing engine has analyzed over 250,000 games to date based on data posted on the firm’s website.
Algorithms rate games in-process from the number of exciting things that are happening by analyzing the flow of information between sporting events and data providers, such as Sportradar, Opta and STATS. Subscribers are alerted immediately whenever there is an exciting moment about to roll across the viewing screen.
“For us, it’s about getting that real-time live data,” Phillip explained. “I can see balls and strikes on my servers faster than I can see live TV, which is a little bit mind bending at times. We are the best friend that is giving you the digital tap on the shoulder when it’s time to run to the couch.”
NBA changes model
RUWT?!’s success is part of a significant sea change within the television world. In a digital age where pre-recorded content is consumed in small bites by on-the-go Millennials, live TV is finding itself needing to adopt the same model.
In the sports TV community, there is perhaps no better example of this evolution than the National Basketball Association. Mindful of its need to cater to a younger audience, the NBA has created a package of TV viewing options that include whole seasons for one team, whole games, or games-in-progress at a sharply reduced price. This concept of offering small bits of live content or “snack passes” embodies a new approach to draw fans in.
“If you want a [game] quarter, they’ll sell it to you for $1.99. And if you want just a few minutes, they’ll sell it to you for 99 cents,” Phillip said. “They’ve done that really quietly, but I think it’s seismic. I think all leagues are going to have to follow and do this.”
There are signs that some segments of the sports world are taking Phillip’s advice. The NFL RedZone, a channel operated by the NFL Network, provides fans with the option of only watching key moments rather than an entire game. And the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament has begun offering viewers a livestreaming feature called Fast Break for quick look-ins at multiple games in-progress during the weeks-long event.
Surprisingly, one league that has yet to embrace the short-form digital content model is Major League Baseball. The league offers streaming options ranging from an annual subscription for all teams to a single month signup, but there is nothing along the lines of what the NBA or NFL are providing to fans.
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Mark Phillip, Are You Watching This?! | Sports Tech Tokyo World Demo Day 2019
Mark Phillip, Founder & CEO, Are You Watching This?! talks with Jeff Frick at Sports Tech Tokyo World Demo Day 2019 from Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA.
#theCUBE #STTWDD19 @SiliconANGLE theCUBE
https://siliconangle.com/2019/08/26/are-you-watching-this-how-tech-is-transforming-the-sports-viewing-experience-sttwdd19-guestoftheweek/
Are you watching this? How tech is transforming the sports-viewing experience
Mark Phillip has always been a fan, but when he maxed out his credit cards to bootstrap his fledgling sports viewing digital business, his zeal suddenly became more than just a game.
The Brooklyn-born, Austin-based, MIT dropout (pictured) had an idea in 2006 that there could be a market for sports fans who didn’t have the time to watch entire live games yet would gladly pay for a digital assistant that would let them know if something important was about to happen. That concept became the genesis for Are You Watching This?!, also known as RUWT?!, the company Phillip founded in 2006.
“We monitor pitch-by-pitch, shot-by-shot data to figure out when a game gets exciting,” said Phillip, founder and chief executive officer of Are You Watching This?! and mentor for Sports Tech Tokyo. “The Yankees-Red Sox games take over my entire night when they play each other. So being able to get that digital tap on the shoulder to say, ‘It’s time to tune in’ or ‘Stop raking the leaves; there’s a no-hitter through eight,’ that’s what we try to do.”
Phillip spoke with Jeff Frick, host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the Sports Tech Tokyo World Demo Day last week in San Francisco. They discussed the technology behind RUWT?!’s notification model, how some sports leagues are beginning to offer more short-form content viewing options, the potential impact of legalized sports betting, and a changing landscape facing traditional networks as TV broadcast rights come up for renewal (see the full interview with transcript here).
This week, theCUBE features Mark Phillip as its Guest of the Week.
Analyzed over 250,000 games
The company has been profitable since 2013, according to Phillip, and its customers include Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Comcast, Golf Digest and Sportradar. RUWT?!’s processing engine has analyzed over 250,000 games to date based on data posted on the firm’s website.
Algorithms rate games in-process from the number of exciting things that are happening by analyzing the flow of information between sporting events and data providers, such as Sportradar, Opta and STATS. Subscribers are alerted immediately whenever there is an exciting moment about to roll across the viewing screen.
“For us, it’s about getting that real-time live data,” Phillip explained. “I can see balls and strikes on my servers faster than I can see live TV, which is a little bit mind bending at times. We are the best friend that is giving you the digital tap on the shoulder when it’s time to run to the couch.”
NBA changes model
RUWT?!’s success is part of a significant sea change within the television world. In a digital age where pre-recorded content is consumed in small bites by on-the-go Millennials, live TV is finding itself needing to adopt the same model.
In the sports TV community, there is perhaps no better example of this evolution than the National Basketball Association. Mindful of its need to cater to a younger audience, the NBA has created a package of TV viewing options that include whole seasons for one team, whole games, or games-in-progress at a sharply reduced price. This concept of offering small bits of live content or “snack passes” embodies a new approach to draw fans in.
“If you want a [game] quarter, they’ll sell it to you for $1.99. And if you want just a few minutes, they’ll sell it to you for 99 cents,” Phillip said. “They’ve done that really quietly, but I think it’s seismic. I think all leagues are going to have to follow and do this.”
There are signs that some segments of the sports world are taking Phillip’s advice. The NFL RedZone, a channel operated by the NFL Network, provides fans with the option of only watching key moments rather than an entire game. And the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament has begun offering viewers a livestreaming feature called Fast Break for quick look-ins at multiple games in-progress during the weeks-long event.
Surprisingly, one league that has yet to embrace the short-form digital content model is Major League Baseball. The league offers streaming options ranging from an annual subscription for all teams to a single month signup, but there is nothing along the lines of what the NBA or NFL are providing to fans.
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