This document summarizes an interview with Wayne Sieve, Co-Founder and CEO of EverSport Media, on the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast. Some key points: Wayne discussed his career path in sports marketing and time at Yahoo Sports. He founded EverSport to provide streaming services and help rights holders distribute content globally. EverSport works with leagues and conferences to stream games and manages advertising, subscriptions, and monetization. Wayne also addressed the growth of streaming video quality and viewership, and challenges around piracy and social media for content discovery.
Digital Sports Podcast Insights on Streaming with EverSport CEO Wayne Sieve
1. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
featured Wayne Sieve, Co-Founder and CEO of EverSport
Media.
What follows are some snippets from the episode. Listen to
the full podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or at
www.DSMSports.net
@njh287; DSMSports.net
2. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
Wayne's career path
Went to Arizona State for undergrad and Oregon for graduate school
Wayne says the sports component was a factor in his school choices,
especially Oregon's sports marketing program in its business
school (Warsaw Sports Marketing)
“When I first got out of undergrad, I had a degree in communication,
which is one of those things where you can do anything, but
nothing, in particular. Working in sales, marketing, and avertising
(at BBDO), I realized I needed to go back (to school) and learn
something more specific..”
[Wayne talks about working the Olympics or grad school credit]
@njh287; DSMSports.net
3. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
“At that point I realized, I have to work in sports...After Oregon, my
first job out was at an agency...and I worked on clients like
Tropicana and PowerBar on marketing and sponsorship plans...and
then Yahoo called. That was kind of a dream job opportunity for me
at that time...given that I had done my grad school thesis on
Yahoo...My time there was a career highlight.”
Wayne spent 9 years at Yahoo Sports from 2000-2009
'It was a lot of fun taking on traditional media, being there for the
migration from print to digital...nowadays the migration is taking
place from traditional television to OTT...”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
4. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
“When I got to Yahoo, the most exciting thing for me is that on day
one I was effectively given the keys to the sports relationships
that were at Broadcast.com through that acquisition that Yahoo
had a few years prior...”
“We weren't streaming a lot of radio broadcasts at the time
because a lot of people didn't have broadband...it was still
mostly dial-up...Every so often we would stream
something...that, to me, was super-exciting. It was really fun to
be in that early day (o streaming). It didn't take a lot of insider
knowledge to know that this is where we going...(people would)
ask me 'when is convergence coming?...' The answer was
unknown and I guess you could say 'now.'”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
5. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
On the evolution of streaming video
“In the early days, we were streaming mostly radio, so you didn't need
a fancy (Internet) connection...for video, now, back then 300K was
what we considered adequate and even then it was like a fast-
moving slide show...It didn't start looking great until the mid-2000s.
Then a lot of the leagues (got involved)...Major League Baseball has
done a (great) job building their own infrastructure. They saw the
opportunity.”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
6. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
The driving factors of streaming video growth
“I think everybody knew (streaming video was going to be
important)...what no one really knew was when was the overall
infrastructure and ecosystem ripe or it to scale out. And when were
audiences getting broadband connections in mass quantities to get
it. Everyone knew this is where it was going, but nobody knew
when. It took a little longer than I thought.”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
7. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
On monetizing streaming video
“There are some models that work really well and there is some programming
that has don really well from the get-go...(In baseball), they have roughly
5,000 individual broadcasts every year...
The thing about sports that is so unique is there is really no substitute...(fans)
won't be satisfied by a (different sports offering)...as opposed to, say,
music, where there are similar substitutes where you can largely satisfied
listening to a similar artist...it's very binary in sports – you either get the
team you care the most about...or you don't. It's non-substitutable
programming. And for the models in sports like baseball, putting it behind
a pay-wall...made a lot of sense...People are used to paying for it.
Sponsors are used to attaching their names to it, so they tend to work. You
don't often see (both ad and pay-wall) models simultaneously. But most
folks who are streaming content employ one or the other.”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
8. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
On the genesis of EverSport
“I was at Ustream running sports there for a few years...We were
streaming content and we had an open platform, but it didn't really
solve the need of sport right holders, in terms of its technical
capabilities. It didn't really provide much in the way of marketing or
content partners...From the fan perspective, there was also a gap in
that not all live broadcasts are made available to all fans around the
world...there are hundreds of thousands of (professionally
produced) sports broadcasts per year and 97% of that is unavailable
to you and me..via legitimate means.”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
9. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
Our vision when starting EverSport was to provide rights holders with
the best possible solution to stream their sports programming. With
all of the tools and capabilities that a rights holder would need, and
do so in a best-in-class way. And also to work those rights holders
to distribute to fans, and connect as many fast as possible to that
content.
We take a very significant role in marketing and driving audience
discovery and awareness and viewership. And the monetization of
that viewership. To fans worldwide.
What we bring to the rights holders is a technical solution, but also
access points to consumers and marketing the heck out of the
programming so that they can discover and watch it.”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
10. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
Who the EverSport customer is
“Many parties work with us to stream their programming and we're
their primary provider...an example of that would be the Big Sky
Conference. They didn't stream their programming prior to us. We
now stream them worldwide and we are effectively their conference
network...”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
11. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
“We also work a lot of other parties as a secondary access point for
consumers. An example of that would be the Big Ten Network...they
have their own solution, but they work with us because we package
things a little differently and they also (appreciated) the marketing
effort we put out there...”
Wayne also mentions they are the primary streaming solution for Pac
12 Networks, Fox Sports Network and Fox Sports Go, among others
@njh287; DSMSports.net
12. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
How EverSport owns and monetizes content it streams
“(With Big Sky example) you can go to BigSky.com and access the
video there. It's our player on their site...you can go to EverSport.tv
and find the content here...There's even other sites, like a (travel
and tourism) site called ExploreBigSky.com...and they even embed
our video player on their site because it's relevant content or (their
audience)...
We have several hundred publishers embedding our video player.
@njh287; DSMSports.net
13. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
“As far as how we monetize it, we work with partners to determine
what makes the most sense...we understand the value of putting
content out there that makes the most sense for consumers...we
take a partner approach to 'how do you want to approach your
consumers? What's important to you?...Probably half our partners
put their content behind a pay-wall and half don't.”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
14. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
“Some folks come into the conversation and say they already have a
subscription model...and they want to work with (our technology)
and want to keep it behind a pay-wall.”
Wayne explains how pay-walls can be enabled and disabled
depending on geographic location
“We built a lot of unique capabilities that rights holders can tap into
and we work with them to determine what (makes the most sense)
for them.”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
15. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
Helpful Tool: SimilarWeb.com
@njh287; DSMSports.net
16. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
The EverSport value
“There are a lot of open platforms out there...that are also consumer
destinations. There are others out there that are technology and
platform providers, but they don't do anything on the
marketing...We saw there was a big opportunity tow work with
partners to bring more custom solutions to them in way that makes
sense for them. What content wants is an audience. And no
audience is ever too big.”
“Customizations around advertising and sponsorship. Customizations
around pay-per-view or subscription. Local pricing, local
currencies...”
Wayne gives a great example of a European sports rights holder,
Eleven Sports
@njh287; DSMSports.net
17. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
On sports content and piracy
“No question if you're out there distributing programming...piracy is a
problem. And it's a problem for those that own content and those
that partner with...content distributors...
We work with our partners to stamp it out as best as you can. There
are technical solutions out there (and) there a manpower solutions
out there...you go through the proper protocols, out there is no
perfect solution...When you shut someone down, they'll sprout up
elsewhere...We take the intellectual property rights very seriously.”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
18. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
On growing sophistication of streaming broadcasts
“We don't produce content (ourselves), so, or us that topic is more
about making access points widely available to fans when and
where is convenient to them. Through mobile, OTT apps, no
question. Web...making it available in a live sense. The 24-hour
window post-live is a very important window...we do archive
everything we stream live...we are also getting into creating more
short-form highlights...Making it available to fans in the forms they
want...and the devices and access points.”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
19. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
VR and 360-degree video for EverSport
“VR is not something we're spending any time with right now, but 360-
degree programming, certainly, yes...When you're a fan, you're not
just a fan of the live broadcast, you're a fan of the team...I (always)
want programming (beyond the game)...and other content that
allows me to participate in being a fan...
I think where things are starting to go is people are producing more
content. Production and distribution has become more
democratized...When we were kids, you had the live game and that
was it...Now, my kids are going to grow up with a level of breadth of
content and convenience to access that content that is
remarkable..”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
20. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
The service aspect of EverSport as a programmer's partner
“A technical solution is really a baseline...It's not a commodity
business...There's that. The added value we bring on it is higher
level service. What we believe really differentiates (EverSport) is
understanding that more distribution, better packaging, better
availability of the programming drives better viewership...getting
the word out there. Driving viewership is where we hang our hat as
a differentiator in the marketplace. We know that is what fans want
and what content (holders) want.”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
21. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
On the metrics that matter to advertisers around EverSport's streams
“The first question we always get is what was the viewership? Then it's how
many streams. And then it's how many uniques watched. And how long
did they watch? They typically want to look at what was your audience
reach and what was your audience engagement...then you look at finer
data (how many videos, how many devices)...but it's always 'what was
the reach?' and now let's go deeper into the engagement.”
Wayne mentions action sports, in particular, as skewing toward mobile,
while more traditional sports tend to be more desktop
“No question things are trending more toward mobile...but, even in certain
verticals, like action, are already seeing high (viewership) on mobile.”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
22. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
Share-able Stat: Stats on the Patriots winning post in the playoffs
- 18,000 Twitter engagements
- 110,000 Instagram likes
- 300,000 Facebook engagements (75,000 shares)
@njh287; DSMSports.net
23. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
The most popular event ever on EverSport and the most surprisingly
popular sport streamed on the platform
“We streamed La Liga, as well as Italian Serie A soccer...in Europe at a
time there wasn't a television provider in Scandinavia. We were the
sole access point for...all games or both leagues...Safe to say
anyone who wanted to watch it was able to watch it...If I were to
narrow it down, it would be Real Madrid (and Barcelona) games.”
“We did women's handball championships...and I did not expect to see
strong viewership...Also, we did some women's volleyball (and that
stood out)...that had the highest viewership (in the Central American
games).”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
24. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
How social media streaming affects EverSport
“We use social media as a core part for how we drive awareness and
spread content...The good about social media is you have the
ability, in real-time, drive awareness around the events. The bad is
there is much on it, there is so much noise and clutter. People are
going there to discover anything and everything.”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
25. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
The most memorable game Wayne has ever watched
The World Cup Final in Berlin → “I attended and watched the game
between France and Italy. Zinedine Zidane's final match when he ended
up headbutting the Italian player...It was by far the most exciting
event...This just stood out. It's just different when you're at a World
Cup and you're seeing national teams playing each other...it just
brought passion and excitement to an entirely different level.
As far as streaming on EverSport, I'd say the Asian Games...They're
effectively the Olympics of Asia...we were only about five moths old at
the time and we're streaming the Asian Games.
(Wayne tells a story about watching opening ceremonies from the Asian
Games on his mobile device while on a walk outside back home and
being astounded at what EverSport was doing)
@njh287; DSMSports.net
26. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
What is ESPN doing right and what are they not doing right to adapt to
the changing video consumption model
“There are so many critical opinions of ESPN right now...(but) they are
still by far the most profitable network out there...They have the
most amazing content portfolio of any network probably in the
world...I don't know they are doing anything wrong. I think they are
facing a challenge in they have to figure out how they can elegantly
migrate from the operator-direct model to the consumer-direct
model and those don;t necessarily work in harmony...But if anyone
can figure it out, ESPN can figure it out...I just kind of laugh when
people are critical of it.”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
27. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
Why didn't Ustream (where Wayne spent time) take off as Meerkat and
Periscope did?
“The easy answer would be, well, you have to ask them...My color
commentary on it is that others made commitments to go after
certain things and I think Ustream spent a lot of time hedging their
bet. Justin TV saw a lot of opportunity in gaming and Ustream had
the same opportunity...Justin made a real commitment to e-sports
and they built Twitch...With anything, you have to see those
opportunities and you have to make those commitments to go
those directions and not just kind of sample things...”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
28. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
Wayne's favorite sport to watch
“I'm a huge football an. Once the Super Bowl is over, I'll have an
enormous amount of free time.” (Wayne notes he likes both college
and NFL)Wayne's favorite sport to watch
“I'm a huge football an. Once the Super Bowl is over, I'll have an
enormous amount of free time.” (Wayne notes he likes both college
and NFL)
@njh287; DSMSports.net
29. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
The better college sports atmosphere – Arizona State or University of
Oregon?
“It's Oregon, by far...The ans are so passionate about (Oregon football,
and sports)...the team is so much fun to watch, the weather is often
miserable...The old saying is 'It never rains at Autzen Stadium'...the
whole town is passionate about it...” (Wayne also speaks glowingly
of the basketball and track-and-field fans, teams, and venues)
“I have yet to experience a venue that surpasses the passion you find
up at Oregon.”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
30. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
Which city has Wayne's favorite food – Tempe, Eugene, or San
Francisco
San Francisco → “They have phenomenal food options. “
Wayne calls out the famed Vietnamese restaurant Thanh Long, known
for their roast dungeness crab.
@njh287; DSMSports.net
31. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
The sport whose content is going to rise in value the most in the next
few years
“I think rugby.. I think ruby has a lot of room to grow. I don;t know that
football has a lot of room to grow, its so huge. Overseas [football
may be able to grow]. As far as domestically here in the US...I think
over the next few years the (sport) you'll see more and more on the
radar is rugby.”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
32. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
Wayne's Social Media All-Star to Follow
“I get most of my information via my Facebook feed...There are a
few people on Facebook that always seem to provide breaking
news and information...”
Ross Levinson and Jennifer Vessio, each on Facebook
“Most of my content I pick up are through trade publications –
Sports Business Journal or Sport Cal...Also Business
Insider.”
@njh287; DSMSports.net
33. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
Where to find Wayne and EverSport on digital/social media
Find EverSport on Twitter @EverSportTV and on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/EverSport
@njh287; DSMSports.net
34. Best Of... Wayne Sieve
Episode 61 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
Thanks so much to Wayne for sharing his time, knowledge,
experience, and expertise with the Digital and Social Media
Sports podcast!
Listen to the podcast and find more episodes and content on
iTunes and at www.DSMSports.net.
You can also follow me on Twitter @njh287
@njh287; DSMSports.net