Turner Sports’ return to CES with its Sports Business Innovation slate of panels provided not only a lineup of speakers that included the likes of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NCAA President Mark Emmert, but a spate of announcements as well. New innovations include the launch of Turner Ignite Sports in a move to connect brands to its sports programming and properties via four main areas: intellectual property; live events and experiential marketing; creative services; and data solutions with events that would include the likes of the NCAA, March Madness, Bleacher Report and ELeague. Meanwhile, the company also unveiled Catch Sports, described as a “new innovative product serving as the digital personal assistant for fans that helps them navigate the various channels and platforms available to follow live sports coverage whenever and wherever they choose.”
With CES 2017 in the books, Cynopsis Sports spoke with Turner Sports President Lenny Daniels about the annual event, the company’s new initiatives and its approach to technology.
Daniels on returning to CES: The first time around, we knew that sports would resonate as it drives a lot of technology. We saw incredible engagement and people really liked it and really wanted it. So we simply made the decision to do it again. It gives a platform to show how we are creative and different in a lot of ways that others aren’t so we get to push that envelope forward. It gives everybody a reason to sit, listen and meet other people. As important as the panelists are, it is equally important to sit and mingle with people that you don’t always get to see.
On launching Turner Ignite Sports: We learned a lot from the entertainment group, which has been doing Ignite for a year or two now and it has become a really cool way to bring everything that we capable of doing into one place and allowing a sponsor to do things more efficiently than they have been able to do in the past. We don’t view it as new as it may seem, as we’ve been doing this with March Madness for a little while, but I think it’s an opportunity to have other people who aren’t familiar with those things to see it all housed in something called Ignite Sports to experience the opportunities it represents.
On Catch Sports: The idea came from a problem in the industry that a bunch of us have, and it solves a very serious, specific, niche issue. I was away somewhere and was trying to find a college basketball game and couldn’t find it. At its core, it solves that problem and in our head Catch becomes a digital assistant. If you are in your car and you are listening to a sports broadcast on the radio and you drive to another part of the country, it will be able to follow you and know what other terrestrial radio stations have that on for you. We have a pretty dynamic vision for this thing and where it is going to end up but at its core, it provides a very clear service.
On Turner’s approach to technology: We are not a 24-hour sports network and that allows us to think differently and to try things. Something that works on CNN can be incubated and tried in sports. Something that works in sports can be leveraged for Adult Swim. We have all of these brands that we allow to innovate on their own.
