Darren Rovell > Tebow
Powerhouse CNBC Sports Business reporter Darren Rovell today published his 2012 predictions for the sports industry.
Three of Rovell’s 2012 predictions are most relevant to the mobile sports business community:
1. The sale of game start times and final minutes will drive sports sponsorship.
MSR says: This plays into the hands of mobile sports application developers. If you own the last five minutes of a Knicks game, and there’s a lengthy television timeout, what do you do? Look for game-time sponsors to promote branded games and contests during those valuable time periods. That’s good for sports social media application developers, who today find chief marketing officers and advertising agencies are a tough sell. That won’t remain the case if Rovell’s prediction comes to pass.
2. Sponsorship and trademark will continue to thrive in the college sports arena
MSR says: In 2011, college sports emerged as proving ground for the most innovative uses of sports social media applications tied to live sporting events, and continued health of NCAA sports will foster continued advancement.
3. Teams will spend money to adequately wire stadiums and arenas
MSR says: Rovell’s comment marks one of the first times a mainstream business reporter has identified that live sporting events will need to have connectivity equal or better than the sports bar or home in order to remain competitive. In addition, for connectivity companies like Verizon, Sprint and AT&T, the stadium and arena will continue to evolve as the primary place where a large percentage of its customer base will decide whether they will keep their carrier when their service contract comes up for renewal. Ten years from now, if mobile applications and sports information services continue to grow in importance and efficacy, the stadium or arena may be THE place where consumers decide whether their carrier has the chops to win your business the next time it comes time for the consumer to commit.
Rovell’s predictions are a must read.
