On The Cutting Edge: Simon Banoub
Simon Banoub, B2b and Group Marketing Director at leading sports media company PERFORM, talks to Cutting Edge Sport about what he is looking forward to seeing next, the endless possibilities for technology in sport, and Middlesbrough’s left-back…
- What are you most excited about in the sport industry in the next twelve months?
I’m excited about the evolution of some themes within the digital world of sport especially. For example, it will be interesting to see if the new bigger iPhone models teases out some innovation in the mobile consumption of sport and how the roll-out of iBeacon technology affects in-location content creation and engagement.
In the broadcast space it will be especially interesting if the fearsome competition for sport’s hottest rights forces the major players to be at the top of their game in terms of viewer experience, on the main screen, the second screen and across social and digital media.
But mainly I’m excited primarily by the fact that it is an industry in which it is very difficult to predict what the next big thing will be. And that is what keeps us all enthralled by the prospect of working in such a fast moving marketplace.
- Where could innovation take sport next?
Innovation over the next few years will focus mainly on bringing the fans closer to the action. As the nature of being a fan has changed, and the typical sports fan is often hundreds (or thousands) of miles away from the stadium, it is the job of pioneers in digital and broadcast to make every kick, strike and lap feel like it is taking place in someone’s front room.
We’ll see innovation in terms of data capture and data visualisation, we’ll see innovation in terms of conveying emotion and atmosphere and we’ll see innovation in terms of connecting engaged communities of sports fans regardless of their location.
- What do you consider Cutting Edge Sport?
In a sports business context I’d say it is something I’ve never seen before, and something where the simplicity of it makes you wonder why it has never been done before. Something that adds value to the business that creates it, and to the fan that consumes it, without detracting from the experience of consuming the sport itself. I think of things like the Sky Sport’s touchscreen, like Soccer Saturday, like Hawkeye and Snicko in cricket and like @OptaJoe on Twitter.
On the pitch, it is basically anything that George Friend does…(Middlesbrough FC’s left back, above left, playing spot the ball with QPR’s Gary O’Neil).
