FEATURE — MEDIA & NEW TECHNOLOGY
SPORTSSPORTS REVOLUTION
Sports Revolution has recently installed around two hundred 42-inch full HD screens around
the concourses at Anfield — home to Liverpool FC — showing content from the Club’s own
TV channel and tailored content by Sports Revolution.
recently announced a major new that simply putting nice new screens up
partnership with electronics man- just isn’t going to work, the content has
ufacturer Beko, who will provide to be compelling. At Liverpool [FC], we
hardware for the expansion. have just put in around two hundred 42-
“Beko were a client of ours ini- inch full HD digital screens around their
tially, as we do all of their pitchside concourses. Liverpool have a TV channel
digital advertising,” explained Kouren- of their own that is knocking out content
tis. “They are the world’s third largest every day of the week, so in this case they
manufacturer of LCD screens, so the supply us with a lot of the content that
opportunity to develop the concourse TV goes on the screens, which consequently
in partnership with them came about.” make it a really engaging product.”
“With the economic downturn we’ve “For us, the most important thing is
deal to advertise on digital perimeter been developing our new product at a to offer a TV service that enhances the
boards at five Premier League clubs, time when, economically, you could matchday experience,” affirmed Ian Ayre,
including London sides Tottenham Hot- argue that the screens could come out. Liverpool FC’s Commercial Director. “We
spur and Fulham, as the company seeks But the TV networks that we’ve installed want it to add value for the fans, not only
to market itself in Asia. do two things: firstly, they give an outlet for the club commercially. The old model
“The Cyprus Tourist Organisation’s for sponsors and club partners to speak for this type of network tended to be a
priority is to target tourists from outside to the fans, and secondly, if done proper- one-size-fits-all system, not sufficiently
the Eurozone, especially in the Far East,” ly, they also significantly improve the fan tailored to a particular club. The good
said Antony Marcou. “It shows how experience,” Marcou added. thing about this solution is that Sports
advertisers are seeking to use the Premier With a hardware contract in place, Revolution creates and streams content
League as a global platform. It is a trend Sports Revolution has been able to con- that engages our fans and fits it around
we are seeing amongst other internation- centrate on improving the fan experience our existing LFC TV channel. The result is
al brands we are managing in digital from concourse TV by focusing on the a bespoke package that the fans enjoy
perimeter and our exclusive in-stadia content. Key to this has been ensuring and the advertisers and the club’s com-
estate.” that the content provided is dedicated to mercial stakeholders want to buy into.”
each individual club, rather than sending While some of the leading Premier
Concourse TV out a generic ‘fits all’ TV package. League clubs have their own in-house TV
Alongside their push into digital perime- “I say to all clubs that if it isn’t club- channels, which form the basis for con-
ter, Sports Revolution has also expanded focused, then it isn’t going to work,” said course TV, the majority of clubs don’t. For
into concourse TV, and the company have Kourentis. “We’ve learnt from the past them, Sports Revolution has a dedicated
production facility, which creates and
delivers bespoke content to the screens.
Marcou explained: “Most of the con-
tent at Liverpool comes from them, but itA New Opportunity in Concourse TV
varies from club to club. For example at
West Bromwich Albion, we run the same
As an ex-Business Development Manager at Manchester United FC, Sports Revolution’s system, branded for West Brom of
Vange Kourentis has had firsthand experience of the growth of concourse TV over the course, but we also produce most of the
course of its development in the Premier League. content for them because they don’t
Kourentis explained: “The optimum business model has not yet been realised, due either have a great resource to give us. If a club
to a lack of investment in technology, or a failure to tailor the content to each individual hasn’t got a club channel you are in
club. We looked at how this sector had developed, and we saw an opportunity. We are effect creating one in the ground for
close to the industry and we think we know how to make it work. them on matchday.”
“Over the years the economy for this kind of investment has changed, and it has allowed In an increasingly global world of
us to be more aggressive in this space. Five years ago an investment close to £8m in kit sponsors, concourse TV can also work in
would only have covered ten stadia. Today, the economies have changed dramatically, tandem with digital pitchside and more
which has allowed us to do it. traditional forms of advertising to keep
“The recession gave us an opportunity to redefine what the solution should be. First and clubs local sponsors involved with the
foremost, we said it has got to be a club centric solution. If people aren’t engaged by the clubs, as explained Kourentis. "They are
content on the screen, then they are not watching the screen and therefore the adverts the world's Marcou advised: “The front
that we place on them, and advertisers won’t be interested in advertising. So it’s a end cameras are now the global estate,
virtuous circle that you need to create, it’s got to be a club branded service, and it’s got they are reaching out to millions of fans
to have club content. We are also good at what we do. We are focused on being a media worldwide in countries across the world.
sales business first and foremost, so when we get rights we know we can do something You are never going to have a local
with them.” advertiser on there now. But, to give
WINTER 2009/10 P ANS TADIA 126
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