Lately in Spanish Sports TV

We have discusses in previous blogs some entrepreneurs that when opportunity approaches they do not hesitate to make a risky move and arrange new deals for future massive contracts. That has been the case of one of our favorites; Carlos Slim, the telecommunications Mexican magnate has been making fortune with Telcel. However, last week he came to an agreement to step into the broadcasting world. He acquired 30% of two Mexican teams, Pachuca and Leon. Two months previous to this move he launched an Internet based channel which distributes its content among the millions of viewers that have a contract with his own company: Cablevision.

In this new television deal the U.S. television network Telemundo has gone hand to hand with slim, agreeing to broadcast the games of the above mentioned teams and breaking apart from the deal they just lost with Chivas FC, one of the biggest teams in Mexico and, up to some months ago, their best sports asset.

These have been some interesting times for sports television. Not only Telemundo and Carlos Slim have partnered. The Miami based television station GenTV, runned by Caracol TV in Colombia has reached an agreement with CNN. They both will be merging to create a mix of news and South American programming that breaks away from the very Mexican oriented programming that Univision offers.

In mention of Univision, their newly rebranded and launched Univision Deportes Network has new leadership. Juan Carlos Rodriguez, former CEO for Televisa Deportes Network in Mexico has agreed to become the new president. He, in an interview with deadline.com, assured that the new approach would bring the Spanish conglomerate to the next level.

Last but not least it is important to remember that Al Jazeera, the Arabic broadcasting giant that has become a main competitor for the BBC in the UK and CNN in America is yet making another move. BeinSports is the sports branch of the company and hold the rights for the English Premier League, “La liga” the Spanish League and many of the qualifying international games in preparation for the world cup to be played in Brazil 2014.

This is just the tip of the iceberg but a quick check on how things are shaping up in Spanish sports television.

Hope you enjoyed it….  Join us next week.

Leaders in the Media World

In this post we keep on reviewing some of the leaders that have been able to impact the business world through their input and passion. At this point is it a personal preference to talk about someone who I personally admire, regardless of the latest scandal surrounding the now cancelled, “News of the World”

Rupert Murdoch

Was a visionary that escalated quickly in the journalism world first acquiring two of the most important newspapers in England to later on branching out to the United States with Fox news and to the cable industry through Sky News.

Besides the fortune he has, which is estimated to be worth 8.6 billion dollars, he has been able to bring a direct approach on his business model to run one of the most successful media organizations.

He once said: “ For better or worse this company is a reflection of my thinking, my character, my value”; and it is true, no other head has been at the top of News Corp. and no other person before was able to capitalize so much on creating content, charging for the advertising and managing the information to where his newspapers where the sentiment of a whole nation.

Here is a great document on Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp business model

Hamad bin Khalifa

This gentleman may not sound very familiar but just as Rupert Murdoch; he has been able to distinguish himself from the other in the television and mass media industries. Khalifa in one of the highest officials in the Qatar government and has become one of the biggest competitors for networks such as ABC, CNN and ESPN, all through the Arabic language network: Al Jazeera.

In 1996 the company started as a pilot program for the Arabic world after the closure of the BBC’s Arabic-language department. It was then that the company started banking on the opportunity of being a one of a kind provider with very deep pockets. They quickly started to branch out through the Middle East and became available through most cable and satellite companies along with a strong presence over the web.

Despite some attacks that the television network had to outstand the growth of the company has been outstanding. First with the 24/7 news networks up to eight different sports channels around the Middle East. Then becoming the unique copyright holders of the Spanish soccer league all the way to the controversial bet to with the 2022 World Cup hosting rights in Qatar.

This company, whether you personally agree with its background or not, has found the formula to stay current and attractive to many clients from many different tastes and interests, it has been able to successfully break through the cultural barriers and even establish itself in the United Stated with its brand new network Be In Sports.

Business Plan Advice

As we all look for something special, something that stands out about the product or service plan to launch it is important to look at what expert’s got to say.

In any case it will only be beneficial to our own idea if you take a closer look at what people like Mark Cuban, Carlos Slim and Steve Blank have in mind.

Steve Blank is a New Yorker, founder or E.phipany and professor at Berkley University. In his article titled “No one wins in Business Plan Competitions” he talks about the importance of moving from business plans to business models. 

Blank is certainly in disagreement with schools that encourage business plans competition which, to his perspective, only “makes the school appear relevant to their constituencies; students, donors, faculty, VC’s”. Instead he proposes the implementation of business models. This new theory is focused on staying true to the customer rather than the market. It is an on-going and ever-changing evaluation of the company performance rather than an original plan that may or may not work.

The business model proposal is based on 5 steps:

• What did you initially think your initial business model was? (Initial business model hypotheses)
• What did you build/do? (Built first product, talked to users, etc.)
• What did you learn outside the building? (Parts of our feature set/business model were wrong)
• Then what did you do? (iterated product, changed business model, etc.)
• Repeat steps 1-4

Other great examples come from people I admire personally. Not only for being great entrepreneurs but also for being outspoken and even reckless at times.

Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, creator of Magnolia Pictures, Cable TV executive and now television contributor for Shark Tank has earned his way into the most successful people in business lists.

As I design my business plan and the goals I want to achieve by creating a new service I read that is important “not to follow your passion but to follow your effort”.

In this blog post Cuban explains the importance of time as an asset for company and stressed the simple fact that doing something that you like in a repetitive manner makes you better at it. By being better at it you start working harder for more improvements and eventually you become successful.

Finally I decided to take advice from one the richest man in the world. Carlos Slim has built a 35 billion dollar value for his companies. This magnate built most of his assets through Telmex, the biggest telecommunications and cell phone companies in Mexico.

Regardless of his image, usually a strict and money driven person, he has given excellent pointers to entrepreneurs like us. In an interview with the New Yorker  Slim talks about his business perspectives but an article written by Tiffani Jones Brand for Second & Park puts things into a much concise way:

• Create a simple organizational structure with minimal hierarchies; provide personal development and in-house training for executives.
• Don’t be a big fish in a small pond. Don’t invest in non-productive assets.
• Clear objectives and the right tools will lead you through all challenges.
• Reinvest profits in the company. Money that leaves the company evaporates.
• True corporate creativity can be helpful to both business and society.
• Firm and patient optimism always yields rewards.
• Know how to work hard, and use the right tools.
• Leave with nothing. We can only do things while we are alive. Businessmen are creators of the wealth that they temporarily manage.

Sports & social media buzz

Social Media has really been shaping the way that people interact on the Internet. It is no longer only the savvy users or the programmers who are able to reach out for current. It is mother like mine who find applications such as “Edmondo” which allows you to rate your exercise performance based on audio feedback. This may not sound very impressive, I know, but remember that 5 years ago a lot of people, including for example my own mother, where completely clueless about the Internet, smart phones or applications.

One of the most significant ways that my mother and millions of users are quickly catching on with technology are social media sites. By “friending” companies that they like and following people whom they respect they opened an incredible window for business to gain popularity, make advertising money and at the same time be under real scrutiny of the client.

An example of this connection was utilized by the MLB in the All-Star game. After last year’s event when some players where tweeting while waiting their turn at bat the Baseball league understood that the buzz was a testament of how much people cared to hear about their athletes. Now a week after the big event the numbers are in. USA Today published the success of this strategy and determined that the comments on Facebook and Twitter increase up to a %257 over last year, also, this led to a %3 increase in TV ratings for Fox.  

It is now time for the next challenge and there is already huge buzz in the industry about what’s at stake for the London Olympics. Most of the athletes participating in this competition have embraced and social media as a way to connect with fans. The experts are already calling this the “first social media games” and acknowledging the potential of generating revenue through social channels.

3 keys of Digital Marketing

It is truly amazing how much the internet has changed our lives. Now we don’t have to make trips t other library of buy a map to find where we are, we don’t even have to order pizza over the phone all you need to know is learn how to search and find things.

That is the success of some of the most important companies today. Google, Yahoo Bing and Mozilla exist because people need to offer their services and sell their products and this search engines provide you with the link between them and the money.

That is precisely the idea of digital marketing; being able to place your website in the right place for the right people. This tool is immensely useful and I have found three basic principles to improve your digital marketing no matter what it is you offer.

Keep it concise.

When crating your target keyword search, meaning the key phrases you will utilize for people to find you it is important to keep it short and clean. As the experts exposed it is better to not try “to do too much with one web page in regard to keyword optimization”

Improve your organic search

While you search for anything there are two results organic and paid results. Organic are obviously free and rely on how efficiently you are able to expose your own site. It is always better to have these results as your strength while creating a website due to the fact that “inorganic” results, also called PPV, (pay per click), will be an expense for your company. This is especially important if your site is image driven the Wpromote agency has an excellent article explaining how to make the most out of the organic image searches on Google.

Be simple but avoid common words

Many companies invest a lot of money on being found on the internet. Many other have such a strong brand image that most of the online market works in their favor, for example, soda, coffee, hamburger are easily related to Coca-Cola, Starbucks and McDonalds. Being able to find words that describe your product or service with good synonyms and punctual descriptions can energize the traffic and even sales. Check out these good examples provided by Clickey.com

Successful sponsorships

Most sports, if not all, have an alliance with one or more brands to sponsor events and teams. This has been able to bring sports into the next level and help support not only the team but also the fans expectations towards the franchise.

Take the NFL teams for example. All of the arenas and stadiums around the country have a sponsored name. The “Sun Life Stadium” in Miami, the “Heinz Stadium” in Pittsburgh and the newly named “Mercedes-BenzSuperdome” in New Orleans where the car manufacturer arrange to contribute with 20 million dollars to the Saints franchise in exchange for the name in the next 10 years.

But everything from stadiums to memorabilia and jerseys are at stake for potential sponsorship agreements. In the last decade the American company Nike has gained some terrain into the soccer market around the world. They are now the main sponsor for international teams such as Holland, the United States, Portugal, Brazil and Portugal, some big names in the industry. Proof of this is the challenge that the now represents for the world sponsor leader in this discipline Adidas. A current report states that Nike has been gaining some terrain in this matter. “Sales of soccer goodswill top 4 billion euros in 2012, according to Peter Rohlmann at Germanconsulting firm PR Marketing. He estimates Adidas' market share at 38 percent,with Nike closing in quickly at 36 percent.”

Finally athletes themselves identify now with certain brands in order to gain awareness and of course some revenue. An excellent example of this marketing trend is what the Michael Jordan name brand has done for the 2012 presentation of it’s new “Jordans” the legendary snickers that have now become a cult product amongst basketball fans. For the presentation AJ2012 the marketing team gathered a group of people to create a completely customized shoe that will adjust to the fan’s desires. Three different shoes are represented by three different styles of basketball players in this case, Chris Paul from the LA Clippers, Carmelo Anthony from the NY Knicks and Dwayne Wade from the Miami Heat. The all represent one of the three kinds of shoes that AJ2012 is branding all done by an spectacular display of graphics and images worth checking out! AJ2012

On media rights

Most sporting events are strictly regulated when it comes down to media coverage. Aside from the fact that it is sometimes easy to accredit yourself for any given event, it is the use you give to that material what can get you in trouble. Actually, this article from Mashable, explains how anyone, literally anyone can be in trouble if posting, tweeting, emailing or texting copyrighted material. In this case the scenario will be the upcoming London 2012 Olympics, where not only NBC/Telemundo has the exclusive coverage of the games in America but also all of the video material for any other network has a 24 hours embargo on it.

This means that every fan attending the games should watch what they are sending to their friends? Well, in theory yes but it is impossible to restrict every single person from doing it. The media interaction will exist but all athletes participating of the games have been restricted from posting with brands or advertising material without the Olympic Committee consent. It will certainly be interesting to see how advertisers will bend the rules to get away with their athletes under the spotlight.

This reminds me of how strict and complicated coverage can be. The UEFA has set up an extensive set of rules for photos, video and even audio clips for all the Champions League. One of the most watched and demanded sporting products in the world represents on of the most complicated assignments there are because of all the policies there are to be met. Click here.

In my perspective it is a balanced deal. There is enough technology nowadays to allow a “natural” broadcast of games and championships. Those sporting moments every fan deserve to keep in their memories, whether it is a video, photo or sound. At the same time television networks, satellite companies advertising agencies and products still see the bright side ofcapitalism and collect for every big piece there is of theirs product. It won’t be easy to get away with stealing protected material and making money out of it. However, in my opiniom technology seems to have the better end of the story down the road.

Retrospective: NBA Lockout

Without a doubt the NBA Lockout in 2011 is the most prominent labor dispute in the last 5 years. Looking in retrospective there are many red flags that both team owners and the players association could have looked after in order to avoid endless hours of negotiation and upset fanatics eager to watch and support the sport. 

In July 2011 the owners of 22 of the 30 teams declared themselves as unprofitable. The statement called for an immediate resolution of how the revenue was being distributed and it set the scenario for the legal dispute. The players, on the other hand, dismissed the threats brought up by commissioner David Stern who later on would play the biggest roll in this negotiation.

The original petition by the owners was a 57%-43% split of the revenue in their favor. The players association believed that was outrageous and decided to offer a $500 million dollars to the owners and settle the case.

As we know this opened Pandora’s box. The owners showed that they where not kidding around with the negotiations. On October 4^th the NBA announced the cancelation of all exhibition games asking for a deal that would deliver 50-50% split revenue but the players association stood their ground. A week later the after seven hours of negotiation between the parties David Stern declared there was “no chance” to compromise and announced the cancelation of 2 weeks of regular season games, making it a 66 game season and upsetting fans, advertisers, arenas, players, staffers and even President Obama who acknowledge being a little “heartbroken”for the cancellation of the games.

The season as a whole was “in threat” and nobody really knew how the long negotiations where going. Some of the players left the Association to begin filling for anti-trust suits in states like Minnesota and California. It was not until November 26, 2011 that both parties where able to reach an agreement. The last offer put on the table by the owners was a bargaining agreement that left the players with 49% of the revenue and 51% for them. Making sure to let the association know that if they where to reject the offer the next one would be less favorable in their end.

It was a sour time for basketball players and the fans. Despite the number of camera crews that followed Stern and Fisher no-one, not even other players, knows exactly what happened in the negotiation table.

More than a 150 hours of negotiations and 149 days it took to resolve this problem.

However, Despite the controversy on the lockout affecting local economies there has been studies whish state: “somehow, the only discretionary income that people have are spent on pro sportsis just wrong”. In the article the NBA and the economy published by Time the author proposed that regular fans still spend the same amount of money in recreational activities whether they are related with professional basketball or not.

Lin-sane trademark

Before the shortened, highly anticipated and extremely competitive 66 game season of the NBA most people did not even know Jeremy Lin.

But most people do not include the Chinese manufacturer Wuxi Risheng Utility Co which makes about once million basketballs, volleyballs and soccer balls a year.

Either by a fortunate coincidence or a premonition of Lin’s success in the NBA the Asian company bought the trademark of Lin’s name in the Chinese language. “Lin Shuhao” or the shortened version S.H.L. was acquired legitimately through a Chinese entity that authorized the company to use the name for commercial purposes.

 A year later when the Taiwanese descendant player became an instant sports celebrity and the company did not hesitate on putting their rights to use.

As you can imagine, this did not set well for the Harvard graduate or his sponsor company: Nike. Only months before the Linsanity became a symptom that every New Yorker had voluntarily acquired the American company had signed an exclusive deal with the player for three years. Nike Co had full proprietorship of his name and image but did not anticipate that someone across the planet had already purchased the name for only $710 dollars.

It is uncertain if Nike can actually do anything against the Chinese company, following the commerce policies in China the company obtained the rights legally and could potentially sell their property for whatever value the may choose. This can become very costly operation for Nike, considering thefact that the player has now an immense popularity in Asia.

As per the name “Linsanity” the player himself applied for the trademark and is possible he will get the rights. Lin had to justify his intention of commercializing with this name unlike Wuxi Risheng, which according to the Chinese law did not have to prove their intention to capitalize on whatever name they decide to register.

240 Millions for 10 years, what a deal!

It may sound absurd but two hundred and forty millions of dollars will be paid to a person who sometimes, many times actually, can hit a ball with a bat.

With an average of .328 and 445 homeruns Albert Pujol’s contract with the Angels for the next 10 seasons can only be compared to Alex Rodriguezwho’s contract signed in 2007 was for 245 millions. Behind them Derek Jeter became a Yankee for 51 millions over a 3-year period.

                                  

But the Dominican Republic bombardier is different a different case. One year prior to his move to California he told reporters that he wanted to stay in St. Louis as long as they had a competitive team. The cardinals won the World Series in 2012 in a dramatic 7^th game against the Texas Rangers. It was evident to some experts that regardless of the fact he was becoming a free agent Pujols was going to be loyal to the team.

However there are a number of experts that believe that this contract was not the best option for the Angel’s franchise. Albert numbers may be staggering at the moment but he is now 32 years of age and the years previously played with such passion will wear his performance in the upcoming seasons. Also, he is no longer has the support of all of the people in the team. In the Cardinals Pujols was an authority and inside the Clubhouse he was respected in all sense. The Angels have important players like C.J. Wilson who will also weigh in into the leadership equation, not to mention he is also a fan’s favorite.

At the end of the day this contract has been both acclaimed and criticized. The money invested in a ball player may seem exorbitant for a second but considering all of the excitement that Albert Pujols brings to his team and the league in general is a definitely a must watch in this new Mayor League Baseball season, opening on April 3^rd.

Reading between the lines

“It is more than a skill; it is almost a science” said Paul. “Negotiating is reading between the lines in people’s brains. Sometimes they are brutally honest from the beginning, overreaching and ambitious, some other they pretend to be sneaky and get you at the end of the deal… both can be easily perceived if you pay attention”

Paul Gamache is currently the executive producer at a TV station in the city of Orlando, besides having the last word on what goes (or does not) on air he is in charge of interviewing potential reporters, producers and anchors.

I had an opportunity to sit down with him and ask him what he thought it was the most common mistake new TV journalist are guilty of. He said, “ too ambitious”. Later he explained that recent graduates often believe they will be joining the industry and have great salaries. “The glamour that surrounded television is long gone but many people do not completely understand that yet, I blame it on the Universities”. Paul added that many of the teachers in college once worked in the industry, 10 or 20 years ago, when television was still at its highest point and salaries where generous but the industry has changed; technology and popularity of the business have created many competitors in the industry. More often we see people who are able to shoot, edit, produce and be on-camera at the same time. “This trend has reduced costs in an ever-changing industry but the salaries are not even close to what they used to be”, added Paul.

When I asked him about what is the best asset that an employer can see in a candidate he did not hesitate on his answer; “Loyalty”.  Way to often we see people who bounce and bounce from station to station, office to office or event market to market. This, Gamache says, affects the trust that an employer can put on the pupil. “There are still a lot of secrets to be shared about the industry, how it really works and who’s who within certain markets, but because kids do not stick around long enough their bosses never feel like they should be sharing it with them. This is valuable information that its getting lost and only those who pay their dues will eventually understand how this industry really works.”

Free Tool$ for relocation

It could be today, that you get that promotion you’ve waited for! Or maybe you’ve just had it with the city you live in! Either way, 

That may means –RELOCATION-- and before you take over transition it is important that you get familiar with important tools for a stress-less move.

1 COST OF LIVING CALCULATORS

They are easy to use and usually free.

As the name indicates the site provides you with a comparison of the cost of living in average between cities. It ranks rates for main expenses such as rent, transportation, utilities and schools. This in conjunction with important basics such as Google maps, around me and apartment finder will help you get a real idea moneywise.

2 MOVING

How are you going to transfer all of you belongings? Well, we all know about self- moving methods like U-Haul and Penske but beware! If you are moving to a city that is not so far from where you are now (50 miles approx.) professional movers may be just as affordable and you wont have to break your back carrying that 100-pound mirror in the living room. Hints: Look for Groupon offers or phonebook deals!

3.Are you breaking a lease?

If you leave in an apartment complex and your lease has not run its course it is very likely that you will have to pay a fee to terminate the contract. I have looked everywhere to find a loop about this issue but it seems like the property owners are very well protected by the law and they will charge 2-3 months worth of rent (depending on how far you are from completion of the contract) if you decide to leave. Bear in mind that if you are relocating for work your company should help you out with the burden (ask for moving expenses).

4.GET A FEEL!

I would recommend you take a couple of trips to the new city before you move, get a feel for it, make sure you know which are the areas you want to be around and most importantly which areas you want to stay away from!

Make phone calls to people that already live there and get into the blogging follow the people from your new city, (only on twitter, not freakily) be engaged on what is going on, what are the most prominent newspapers, local TV stations, restaurants and dye bars. These will make you transition a lot smoother and hopefully you’ll make the most out of your new home.

Good luck Miami.

Spanish TV: The fight for 'Conquest'

The numbers speak for themselves. With 50 Million Hispanics in the U.S. it should be no surprise that more companies emerge in an effort to capture some of the revenue generated by a minority that grew 43% in the last 10 years.

Historically, television has been one of the most influential mediums for this minority and due to its success two powerful companies venture themselves into opening 24/7 networks broadcasting only in Spanish.

2012 will welcome Fox Corp’s “FOX MUNDO” and Univision Corp will launch “Unvision Deportes” and here is all you need to know about them:

UNIVISION DEPORTES

Univision Corp. the first network to ever reach out the public in Spanish is ready to launch its sports network. Univsion Deportes will be based out Miami and the expected day view will be in April 2012.

They will be focusing on the Mexican soccer tournament (which reached a historical 7.6 million viewership last week), NBA highlights, NFL and Soccer from South America, England and Italy primarily.

It is unknown at this point of they will produce enterprise shows like the famous “republica deportiva” but it is expected to be competing against ESPN Deportes and FOX Latino.

Last week DISH network announced the victory over a bid to broadcast all of the Univision channels in some of the packages they offer. Allegedly the company paid $320 million dollars for the rights.

FOX MUNDO

Two weeks ago Rupert Murdoch’s FOX announced a partnership with RCN, a major television network in Colombia, to create FOX MUNDO.

It is expected to launch at the end of this year and be based out of Los Angeles.

According to reports FOX and RCN will divide the company at 50/50 carrying a format geared to please Science Fiction, Celebrity Entertainment and Syndication.

The news and sports venture of this project will be carried mostly by the Colombian network, which is already established in more several cable carriers broadcasting in 20 cities

On TED.COM

TED talks, in case you have missed it is an inspiring web site that gathers some of the most famous speakers and share like its tagline says “ideas worth spreading”.

In 2010 there were several speeches that conveyed powerful messages to bring positivity in our modern society; one example of this isSacha Ditcher’s “generosity experiment”. Another video that became viral in the World Wide Web is Seth Godin’s “This is broken.” In this presentation the author exemplifies how many things we utilize in our everyday life are “broken” due to the fact that nobody has compromised to fix it. Watch the video andnotice how funny yet embarrassing things in today’s world are. 

Maybe one of the most watched videos in the web has been laying in the TED database way before the death of its author. Steve Job’sgraduation at Stanford University titled “How to live before you die” is one of the most empowering speeches of the decade. In it the former CEO of Apple transmits an honest and deep message about the way we should approach every day. At the time nobody knew about Job’s health issues and now, long after he is gone his word becomes more powerful.

Finally, there is a video that may change the way you perceive internet video as a whole. The founder and executive director of TED.com Chris Anderson presented a topic we are all familiar with. In the video Anderson identifies the three most essential factors to improve virtually any aspect of the human life.  CROWDS, LIGHT AND DESIRE are the elements that we, as society, have utilized to achieve the next step in the human evolution. A crowd is the number of people that are excited or passionate about certain activity or topic, the light is described as the access to information that most human beings have through online videos and the desire is the willingness that this group of people has to make their interest a more compelling category, whatever it may be. 

In his speech Anderson incorporates basic techniques of storytelling that because of its simplicity are universally understood. He is able to communicate with humor, anecdotes, and research and real time connections to deliver one of the most engaging virtual communications I have ever been a witness of. Anderson’s speech and moreover his TED initiative are an efficient and very inspiring told that anyone can relate to and everyone could use.