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rickhorrow · 6 years

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15 TO WATCH/5 SPORTS TECH/POWER OF SPORTS 5: RICK HORROW’S TOP SPORTS/BIZ/TECH/PHILANTHROPY ISSUES FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 4

with Jamie Swimmer & Jesse Leeds Grant

The revenue the Golden Knights have pumped into the NHL will "help deliver the largest salary cap increase" since 2014. According to TSN.ca., NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said that the current projection for the 2018-2019 salary cap upper limit "remains between" $78-82 million. Even if the NHL and NHLPA "decide not to enact an inflator, that means the salary cap will rise" at least $3 million from this season’s $75 million. The cap has risen an average of $2 million over "each of the last three summers, with revenue remaining mostly flat." League-wide revenue is approaching $5 billion per season, and the success of not just the Golden Knights, but "also a 31st team in general, has helped." Said Daly, “There’s a lot of revenue certainly generated by the Las Vegas franchise. Certainly on their jersey sales and licensed merchandise, it’s off the charts…It’s an amazing story in every category.” Meanwhile, Game 1 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals between the Capitols and Golden Knights handed NBC Sports an average of 5.279 million viewers across NBC, the NBC Sports app, and NBCSports.com, making it the most-watched Game 1 in three years. Overall, the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs remain the most-watched in 21 years, and are on track to be the highest-revenue series of the current era as well.

This year’s NBA Playoffs have been incredibly successful for the league from a viewership standpoint thus far, and the Finals appear to be no different. According to SportsBusiness Journal, as LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers continue their battle against Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and the Golden State Warriors for the fourth year in a row, the NBA is able to celebrate its best playoff viewership since 2012. Through the conference finals, TNT, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and NBA TV averaged 4.6 million viewers for the 77 telecasts, coming in just short of the 4.9 million average six years ago. The NBA Playoffs have also “won the night on cable TV nearly 92% of the time (34 of 37 nights)” this year. Two of the most-watched contests were the Game 7 matchups in both Eastern and Western Conferences, which averaged just under 9 million viewers apiece. The Warriors-Rockets Game 7 ultimately finished with 14.8 million viewers, “marking the second-best figure for an NBA game in cable TV history.” Starting with a thrilling Game 1 in Oakland, won by the Warriors, this year’s Finals could produce higher ratings than even initially expected.

As the French Open enters its second week, Amazon is set to agree to a two-year deal for the exclusive global broadcast rights to the Laver Cup. Sources told the Australian Financial Review that the agreement will allow the tech giant to show the three-day international team tennis tournament on its Prime Video subscription service. Plans for associated content, including behind-the-scenes videos and a related mini-series, will reportedly also be included. The Laver Cup, which launched last year, is named after Australian tennis icon Rod Laver. It is owned and operated by Team8, the management company set up by Roger Federer and his long-time agent Tony Godsick, in conjunction with Tennis Australia and the USTA. In a format reminiscent of golf’s Ryder Cup, the competition pits ‘Team World’ against ‘Team Europe’, who were captained last year by John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg respectively. This year's Laver Cup is due to be held in Chicago in September. News of the latest deal comes as Amazon continues to expand its portfolio of tennis broadcast rights. Last year, it outbid Sky Sports for rights to the ATP World Tour in the UK, while it also won rights to the U.S. Open in that market for the next five years.

Minor League Baseball has partnered with EVERFI to bring a summer learning course to rising fifth grade students in key markets. The digital course, Summer Slugger, teaches students literacy and math skills through the game of baseball. Multiple MiLB clubs will participate in the pilot, which will reach thousands of students including the Las Vegas 51s, the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the Charlotte Knights, the Lexington Legends, the Charleston RiverDogs, and the Omaha Storm Chasers. On May 22, the Omaha Storm Chasers hosted a program launch event at Gateway Elementary School with 240 students. The Las Vegas 51s also hosted a launch event on May 10 at Eva G. Simmons Elementary School, with 270 students. Minor league baseball has always been known for its innovation, creativity, and family-friendly atmosphere. The deal with EVERFI takes that mindset from the ballpark to the classroom, aided by an equally creative, innovative partner.

As the U.S. Open prepares to tee off at Shinnecock next week, Tagmarshal, the golf course intelligence and pace-of-play system, is operational at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club. Pinehurst is a former U.S. Open host, host of the 2019 U.S. Amateur Championship, and one of Golf Digest’s top-five courses worldwide. With more single golf championships than any other site in America and nine challenging golf courses, Pinehurst will enhance its already renowned player experience by using Tagmarshal’s sophisticated geo-tagging and pace algorithm software. Partnering with Tagmarshal gives courses proven operational efficiencies, while superintendents use Tagmarshal data to better manage pin placements, wear patterns, and hole set-ups. Equipped with these vital statistics, some courses can expect to see a 15-17 minute decrease for each round and increased maintenance efficiency. Recent system installments across the country have led to 70% of rounds being played on pace or within five minutes of target goal times. Top-ranked courses trusting Tagmarshal include Carnoustie (The 2018 Open Championship), The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort (2021 PGA Championship), Whistling Straits, and more. The amount of time it takes to play a round of golf is one of the sport’s major deterrents, so any innovation that leads to quicker play will only benefit the industry as a whole.

The NFL has repeatedly stated its intent to stay out of politics, though President Trump’s criticism of players protesting the national anthem this season “pushed the league to shift its stance” on the issue. According to the Wall Street Journal, President Trump’s repeated and direct criticism of NFL players kneeling during the national anthem ultimately resulted in team owners making private “political calculations” in response to the president’s strong words. “This is a very winning, strong issue for me,” Trump told Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones last year. “Tell everybody, you can’t win this one. This one lifts me.” Multiple owners, including Miami Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross, cited their support for the players up until Trump made his comments. “He changed the dialogue,” said Ross. The NFL pushed back against Trump’s comments last season, but the decision to change the policy this year came from the owners themselves – most of whom lean conservative and many of whom have backed Trump with campaign contributions.

The NFL stadium being built in Los Angeles could find its way into the regular rotation of Final Four hosts, much to the dismay of Phoenix. According to the Arizona Republic, the Chargers and Rams’ new stadium, which is expected to cost as much as $4.963 billion, is becoming an “attractive option” for one of the country’s biggest annual sporting events. Los Angeles is currently one of seven cities bidding to land a Final Four over a four-year span, competing against Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Detroit, and Indianapolis. “There is interest in Los Angeles,” said NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee member Tom Burnett. “And as I’ve told the others, we have a math issue here. There’s a presumption that Indianapolis will get one of those because of their NCAA arrangement, so (it could be) six for three years.” This past year’s Final Four in San Antonio delivered an economic impact of $185 million, and the 2017 rendition in Phoenix turned out an impressive $324.5 million positive impact. With the warm Los Angeles weather and a state-of-the-art stadium in the works, L.A. sits as a serious contender to land a Final Four in the near future.

The Supreme Court’s recent decision to legalize sports betting across all 50 states will impact more than professional sports leagues – it will also have a direct effect on college athletics. According to SportsDay, Big 12 presidents and athletic directors recently got a crash course on the ruling and how it will play out on a collegiate level. With a conference as geographically spread out as the Big 12, different universities will be forced to react in different ways to the ruling depending on how their respective states elect to handle the issue. “Well, in all frankness, I wish I knew how it was going to affect the landscape,” said Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby. “You just look at our footprint. We have five different states that are going to have five different sets of rules and laws.” Just as multiple professional leagues have already noted, universities are beginning to talk about pushing for an “integrity fee,” hoping that the fee would be put toward “enhanced compliance and gambling education.” With college athletic department funding mostly down at all but the power conferences top-tier schools, it goes unsaid that sports gambling integrity fees could also put some much-needed revenue into AD coffers.

A new economic impact report claims that Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis brought in “net new spending” of $370 million to the Twin Cities. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Super Bowl celebration that lasted from January 26-February 4 in Minnesota delivered on its promised economic impact, coming in $50 million over initial pre-event projections. The $370 million can largely be attributed to the $179 million spent by broadcast and event planners – the most ever for a Super Bowl. The ultimate number was reached “after subtracting about $80 million for displaced tourism (people who were kept away from the area by the event).” The number, which is still being disputed by a few parties, confirms that Minnesota – Minneapolis and St. Paul specifically – know how to host mega sporting events successfully and profitably, boding well for the 2019 Final Four also being held at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Milwaukee Bucks are on the verge of signing a naming rights partner for their new $524 million downtown arena. According to SportsBusiness Journal, the Bucks are working to finalize the deal with Fiserv, a Wisconsin-based financial tech firm, that could be worth as much as $6 million per year for 20 years. If agreed up by both parties, the Bucks’ new home could become either Fiserv Arena or the Fiserv Center, though no ultimate ruling has been made public yet. The Bucks had initially been looking for more money in their search for a suitable naming rights partner, prompting them to walk “away from the same deal with similar terms within the past year.” “We certainly have been in negotiations with three or four different entities over the last year,” said Bucks President Peter Feigin. The new 17,500-seat arena will host both the Bucks and Marquette University upon opening. Per NBA tradition, there’s likely also an NBA All-Star Game in the future for the Bucks’ new house – February Wisconsin weather notwithstanding.

FC Cincinnati has officially been unveiled as Major League Soccer’s 26th franchise. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the club will begin play in the top flight of American soccer in 2019, marking a significant milestone for a franchise that only joined the USL in 2016. In 16 home games last season at Nippert Stadium, the team averaged an impressive 21,000 fans while also “beating two MLS clubs in the U.S. Open Cup in front of 30,000-plus fans.” Putting that attendance figure into perspective, of the 22 MLS teams in the league last year, only seven had a higher average attendance over the course of the season. A 21,000-seat soccer-specific stadium is currently planned to open for the 2021 season, which should be at capacity each game based on the club’s current trajectory. FC Cincinnati will have to pay a $150 million expansion fee ahead of joining the league, marking a 15-fold hike in price from the $10 million that Toronto FC paid to join MLS only 10 years ago.

Detroit has officially been announced as the host of a new PGA Tour event beginning in June, 2019. According to the Detroit News, Quicken Loans, the title sponsor for the event, helped deliver the news, making the Michigan city a PGA Tour event destination “for the first time ever.” Detroit Golf Club is expected to host the new event, which will replace The National on the PGA Tour’s schedule. Quicken Loans was The National’s title sponsor from 2014-2017, meaning that the Detroit-based company will be able to leverage its extensive presence across its hometown to promote the event. Quicken Loans officials already said that they are “planning for a multi-week event, complete with concerts and other attractions, with the golf tournament as the centerpiece.” The Buick Open hosted in Grand Blanc back in 2009 was the most recent PGA Tour event held in the state of Michigan, so this news comes as a huge positive for the rebuilding city and its state.

The battle between North America and Morocco for hosting rights to the 2026 World Cup is heating up just ahead of the June 13 decision. According to Reuters, the joint bid between the United States, Canada, and Mexico is working relentlessly to fend off Morocco, a “feisty rival” that poses a significant threat due to its African support base. Of the 211 total votes that will be cast by each country’s FA, 54 of those votes come from Africa, Morocco’s home. Because of that, both bids have made the African continent their “primary focus” over the past week or two, with the joint bid trying to steal a few African votes away from Morocco. Liberia has already voiced its support for the North American bid, and South Africa’s government has urged its FA to vote that way as well, citing its “strained relations” with the Moroccan government. The North American bid is poised to generate more than $5 billion in short-term economic activity, per a report from BCG, with individual cities expecting approximately $160-620 million each in incremental economic activity. While these numbers dwarf those expected out of Morocco, FIFA has shown its new desire to factor in more than money when making these decisions. Whichever way the vote falls on June 13, expect continued debate and outcry about it to be part of the soundtrack of the imminent World Cup in Russia.

As the 2018 World Cup in Russia quickly approaches, now less than two weeks away, FIFA remains under heavy scrutiny for awarding Qatar the right to host the 2022 event. According to the London Daily Mail, a watchdog organization recently uncovered more evidence of corruption directly relating to Qatar’s successful bid back in 2010. The Foundation of Sports Integrity said that Qatar’s vote victory was “completely illegitimate” as part of a new investigation. Evidence cites that Qatar paid “millions to members of FIFA’s executive committee as they considered which country would be awarded the tournament.” One confirmed “mystery payment” ahead of the 2010 vote was £3.6 million deposited into Argentine FIFA executive Julio Grondona’s Swiss bank account; Qatar also allegedly paid off a £50 million debt owed by the Argentine FA. Qatar beat out the United States, South Korea, Japan, and Australia to become the smallest nation by area ever to have been awarded a FIFA World Cup, and while bribery has long been alleged as the reason why, as evidence piles up it is quickly morphing from whisper to fact.

Despite being met by some opposition at the onset, Jacksonville Jaguars Owner Shahid Khan’s $1.19 billion bid to buy Wembley Stadium is pushing forward. According to the London Times, there was no “outright opposition” among FA councilors at a recent meeting to discuss the potential sale. English FA CEO Martin Glenn laid out an ambitious vision to the councilors were the sale to go through, as it could result in upwards of $1.3 billion being put into grassroots soccer across the UK by 2030. Also to ease the emotions of the councilors and preserve the sanctity of the historic venue, Glenn confirmed that “any new owner would have to agree to numerous projections until 2057, such as not selling naming rights for the stadium and ensuring the Royal Box remains in place.” “Receiving an offer to sell Wembley Stadium is not a betrayal,” said Glenn of the deal. “It is not selling the soul of the game…What we have in front of us is simply an opportunity.” Expect Khan to prevail in the purchase. But don’t expect him to be moving the Jaguars to London anytime soon.

Tech Top 5

NBA unveils augmented reality 360 Portals. The NBA announced the launch of 360 Portals, a new augmented reality (AR) experience available in the NBA AR app that allows fans to live within memorable, behind-the-scenes moments from the 2018 NBA Playoffs and Finals. The NBA AR app, which launched for iPhone in October 2017, is now also available for free on Android devices. In addition to featuring AR experiences from the NBA Playoffs, including team huddles, player introductions, and postgame celebrations, 360 Portals will include special on-demand NBA Finals content that will be captured and made available throughout the series. Using Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCore technology, 360 Portals superimposes a virtual door that fans can walk through to immerse themselves in NBA action. Said Melissa Rosenthal Brenner, NBA Executive Vice President, Digital Media, “We hope fans around the world check out the NBA AR app throughout the Finals for a unique perspective on our biggest event of the year.” 360 Portals is the latest AR offering from the NBA. In October 2017, the NBA became the first U.S. sports league to offer an AR game when it launched virtual pop-a-shot on the NBA AR app.

Youku acquires World Cup streaming rights in China. Youku, a Chinese streaming site owned by e-commerce giant Alibaba, has won Chinese digital streaming rights to the 2018 World Cup. According to Caixin Global, a Beijing-based media site, the streaming site entered into a partnership with state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV), China’s exclusive World Cup broadcaster. The content deal with CCTV, which holds domestic rights to the national team soccer tournament, will see the Alibaba-owned video hosting service live stream 64 World Cup matches. The agreement also allows Youku to provide online highlights and on-demand content for its users in China. All content will be made available on the Youku mobile app and website, as well as on select smart TVs. The news comes after Migu, a video-streaming company owned by mobile carrier China Mobile, announced in May that it had acquired online rights from CCTV to broadcast the 2018 World Cup, with Chinese media reports estimating the price for the rights at ¥1 billion (US$155.8 million). CCTV holds exclusive media rights to several FIFA competitions between 2018 and 2022, including the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup, the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and the 2021 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Analytics startup monitors athletes’ off-field behavior. Sports analytics platform Avrij Analytics has raised $1.2 million. The funding was led by the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF), which invested $500,000 in the company. Technology Ventures Corp and other private and public investors also participated in the round. Launched in 2016, Avrij Analytics’ founders saw the need to develop a sports analytics platform while working as data science consultants in New York. The team said that they returned to New Brunswick to take advantage of the province’s startup resources. Avrij Analytics provides sports organizations with a software platform that tracks, monitors, and predicts an athlete’s off-field behavior. The company’s goal is to protect athletes’ brands and help sports organizations optimize the recruitment and management of their teams. Avrij Analytics takes into account activities like community involvement, an athlete’s online tone of voice, and a player’s charity work. In addition to merely monitoring and monitoring on-line conversations and interactions, Avrij believes it could predict conduct.

IndyCar strikes analytics deal with Hookit. IndyCar, the sanctioning body of the Indianapolis 500, has partnered with leading sponsorship valuation provider Hookit. Through the long-term partnership, Hookit, now the Official Data Supplier of IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will provide insights and evaluation for IndyCar on the performance of its events and promotional campaigns for its sponsors. As part of the partnership with IndyCar, Hookit is providing data and insights to all IndyCar teams, building on the pillars of Innovation and Technology within the series. Kimberly Cook, Chief Revenue Officer at Hookit, praised the partnership, saying, “At Hookit, we continue to grow our presence within the motorsports community and are excited to be partnering with IndyCar which has among the most dedicated fan base in the world, especially in the Indy 500 and at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Sponsors are at the core of racing, so helping IndyCar prove the great value it brings along with its fans and teams to its partners is key to continued growth in the sport.”

Arccos provides users analytics for every swing. Arccos, the golf analytics startup that works as a digital caddie, deepened its partnership with Microsoft this week. A brand new model of its app will supply golfers actual-time swing methods and analyses for each shot on any course on earth. By means of an up to date function within the firm’s app, referred to as Arccos Caddie 2.0, the Microsoft Azure-powered service will use synthetic intelligence to supply customers with recommendations about methods and predict outcomes as they work their approach down the golf course. Among the many elements Caddie 2.0 will think about are a consumer’s shot historical past, the historic efficiency of different Arccos customers, climate circumstances comparable to wind velocity and path, elevation modifications, gap geometry, and hazard places. “Your complete sports panorama is being revolutionized by superior analytics, and golf is probably the very best sport for the appliance of those ideas,” stated Arccos CEO Sal Syed, in a press release. “Working with Microsoft, we’re plugging into a really conventional framework—the caddie/participant relationship—and taking it to the subsequent degree via the facility of AI.”

Power of Sports 5

Cal Ripken Jr.'s playing career is best remembered for being baseball's Iron Man, never missing a game for 17 years. His career after baseball has been built on furthering a love for the game. Last Wednesday, according to the Oklahoman, Ripken along with hundreds of students, faculty, and alumni gathered at Oklahoma City’s newly-renovated Southeast High School Sports Complex for its grand unveiling. In partnership with Fields & Futures (backed by Group One Thousand One), the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, and Oklahoma City Public School Athletics, the new field and electronic scoreboard for baseball and softball were unveiled to the public. "This is big league," Ripken said. "This is the same caliber of field that we would've gotten to go out there and play on. If you really get excited about the field you are playing on, you start to do really good things all around." Southeast became the 22nd OKCPS athletic field to be renovated, and became the first to feature a synthetic turf infield. Ripken said it was important to him and his family foundation to partner with Fields & Futures because of its mission of restoring baseball to poorer schools and neighborhoods.

Ronnie Brewer plans annual foundation weekend. Former NBA player Ronnie Brewer will hold his annual charity weekend this week. The Ronnie Brewer Jr. Foundation supports communities in at-risk situations while promoting education, physical fitness, and the importance of working together as a team. This year’s events will begin Friday, June 8 with a bowling tournament at Ozark Bowling Lanes. The weekend events continue on Saturday with the annual gala held at Pratt Place Barn. This year's theme is “A Night with the Stars: The Best of Northwest Arkansas.” The gala will include dancing, local food, and a silent auction. Ronnie Brewer Jr. was motivated to start this foundation because he found it important to give back and support communities in ways he felt supported while he was growing up. Since joining the NBA, Brewer Jr. and his family have dedicated themselves to making a difference in each community in which he has been blessed to reside. While playing pro basketball, Brewer Jr. has managed to support the Salt Lake City, Chicago, and New York City areas. He also provides enormous support to his hometown of Fayetteville.

NFL alumni to host charity event at MetLife Stadium. The RHF Foundation was chosen by the NFL Alumni (NFLA) to host a charity event on June 13th at MetLife Stadium. The event allows attendees to play on a NFLA charity flag football team, which includes playing with and meeting NFL players, a coaching session, field access, photo and autograph opportunities, stadium tours, and Under Armour gear. Guests can also participate in tournaments for cornhole and KanJam. The event will benefit the Ferraro Brothers for Brothers Scholarship Campaign in partnership with the Folded Flag Foundation, as well as Law Enforcement Against Drugs. The NFL Alumni is a charitable organization composed primarily of former professional football players guided in their volunteer efforts by the motto “Caring for Kids.” They serve as passionate advocates for greater quality of life benefits for all former NFL players. The NFLA eagerly pursues greater benefits and the implementation of programmatic services devoted to enhancing the health and productive acuity of retired NFL players and their families.

Aaron Rodgers honored with doctorate for charity work. This week, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers received an honorary doctorate of humanities from the Medical College of Wisconsin. The honor was given in recognition for his commitment to helping children with cancer through his work with the college and the MACC (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer) Fund. There was no public ceremony to recognize Rodgers. "It is with great pride that we welcome Aaron to the MCW community," Dr. John R. Raymond Sr., president and chief operating officer of MCW, said in a statement. "Honorary degree recipients exemplify the MCW commitment to the highest standards of education, scholarship, innovation or community engagement. When conferring an honorary degree, we honor those individuals in our community who have embraced our ideals and have dedicated a substantial portion of their lives to bettering the world around them." According to the school, Rodgers has helped raise $2.8 million in research and continues to make appearances on behalf of the MACC Fund.

Carson Wentz holds charity softball game. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz will hold his first annual charity softball game this week. The event will feature current Eagles players swinging for the fences during a Home Run Derby, followed by a softball game where Eagles offensive players will square off against Eagles defensive players. Funds raised will benefit The Carson Wentz AO1 Foundation, which funds three initiatives. One objective is to support Philadelphia youth by providing service dogs to assist with their development and quality of life. The second objective is to provide food, shelter, and education opportunities to underprivileged youth. The third objective is to offer hunting and outdoor opportunities for individuals with physical challenges or life threatening illnesses or U.S. veterans living in the Midwest. Autographed items can be bid on at a silent auction, which will include meet-and-greet opportunities with Wentz and others, with proceeds being donated to the foundation.

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infotainmentplus-blog · 6 years

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Must read: top 10 Android stories This week we reviewed the Honor View 10 and the Garmin vívofit 4, and we talked through the differences between AI and machine learning. We also learned that Mario Kart is coming to mobile! Here’s the news of the week. Who wants to win a Pixel 2 XL? The Google Pixel 2 XL is one of the best phones on the market, and it can be yours for free. Enter here for your chance to win a brand new Pixel 2 XL. 10 Android stories we handpicked for you Honor View 10 review: a OnePlus 5T challenger emerges The Honor View 10 (also known as V10) does a great job with the basics, but finds plenty of ways to add more value to its affordable price point. Garmin vívofit 4 review: two steps forward, one step back The vívofit 3 was one of our favorite fitness trackers of 2017. Is the vívofit 4 a worthy successor? Find out in our full Garmin vívofit 4 review. Artificial intelligence vs machine learning: what’s the difference? The terms artificial intelligence and machine learning are often used interchangeably these days, but there are some important differences. Here’s what you need to know. Ticwatch E review update: back in black The Ticwatch E is a very affordable entry point into the world of Android Wear. We spent some extra time with a working unit and found it to be a comfortable and stylish smartwatch deserving of your attention. How to legally watch Super Bowl LII (in the US) Super Bowl LII airs today. There are a ton of legal options when it comes to watching on Super Bowl Sunday. We have outlined as many as we could find, even the super lame ideas! This is the OnePlus 5T Lava Red edition OnePlus kicked off 2018 with the launch of OnePlus 5T Lava Red Edition in India. Here’s a closer look at the new color option! 10 best new Android games from January 2018 Android gaming is getting bigger and there are always awesome, new games coming out. Check out our list of the best new Android games from the last month! Why we are keeping phones for longer Smartphone customers are, on average, waiting longer to upgrade their handsets than they were just a few years ago. The big question is why? Mario Kart is coming to mobile! The game will be titled Mario Kart Tour and is set to be released at some point in the next financial year. Killing the ‘Google can’t innovate anymore’ argument Googlers leaving Google is not always news. But when they accuse their former employer of being 100% competitor focused, we need to unpack the claims. Don’t miss these videos Watch more Android videos on our YouTube channel. More hot news LG settles lawsuit over smartphone bootlooping, members get $425 cash or $700 rebate Essential ditches 8.0 Oreo release, gives news on 8.1 beta Android Oreo update rolling out to the Huawei Mate 9 in the US iPhone X-style gestures come to the OnePlus 5T in new beta release Google welcomes HTC talent, eyes future hardware Skagen Falster Android Wear smartwatch now available starting at $275 Verizon cancels plans to sell Huawei phones in the US Xiaomi has finally published Mi A1 kernel source code Huawei P20 likely to be revealed in Paris on March 27 Move over, Intel: Samsung is now the world’s largest chipmaker LG official confirms that a new V30 variant is coming to MWC Google removed 700K apps from the Play Store in 2017 for violating policies Honor 9 and Honor 8 Pro get Oreo-based EMUI 8.0 update in UK Alphabet records $110 billion in revenue for 2017, Google’s annual hardware sales doubled From our network Exclusive interview with Rohan Marley of House of Marley [SoundGuys.com] Nintendo is making a Super Mario movie with the Minions studio [DGiT.com] Best drones 2018 [DroneRush.com] Best Samsung Gear VR games [VRSource.com] Join our newsletters! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter Android Weekly Apps Weekly Developers Weekly Breaking News Alerts Top Stories of the day Review Alerts Deal Alerts , via Android Authority http://bit.ly/2E1bZ9o

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markjsousa · 6 years

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Super Bowl Sleepover: 5 Questions With Marriott VP Michael Dail

As the official hotel of the NFL, Courtyard by Marriott is hosting the winner of its Super Bowl Sleepover contest this week, where one lucky fan and a guest will wake up on the field on Super Bowl Sunday at US Bank Stadium.

This is the 7th year of the brand’s NFL partnership and third year of the Courtyard by Marriott Super Bowl Sleepover contest, which this year raised its game by adding more star power with the Manning brothers, Peyton and (at top) Eli, as well as a virtual reality activation that popped up in New York last September and is now open to fans at the Mall of America in Minneapolis.

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The lucky winner—Denver Broncos SuperFan and US Navy Veteran Courey Marshall, who Peyton Manning surprised last week with the news that he’d won the ultimate Super Bowl experience.

Congrats to the winner of our #CourtyardSuperBowlContest: Courey is headed to #SBLII. See what happened when we sent #PeytonManning to give him the news! #CourtyardNFL

A post shared by Courtyard Hotels (@courtyardhotels) on Jan 31, 2018 at 3:18pm PST

For more insights on making a high-profile partnership like the NFL work across all facets of a brand, Interbrand Executive Creative Director Chris Campbell spoke with Michael Dail (right), Vice President of Global Brand Marketing for Marriott International, on-site in Minneapolis, Minnesota where the Courtyard by Marriott is busy making this year’s Super Bowl experience its best yet.

Michael, what are you doing in the lead-up to the big game on Sunday that makes this year’s activation unique?

This is our seventh year as an NFL partner, and in addition to being the official hotel of the NFL, one of the things that we have done with the NFL for Courtyard by Marriott is to give fans unique once-in-a-lifetime moments. This is our third year of doing our Courtyard Super Bowl Sleepover, so at Vikings stadium we’re taking one of the suites and converting it to a hotel room.

Tour the in-stadium suite we built for our #CourtyardSuperBowlContest winners! #CourtyardNFL pic.twitter.com/XT8ewyy1gb

— Courtyard Hotels (@CourtyardHotels) February 2, 2018

Our social media contest winners will be spending the night starting Saturday evening, they’ll have some unique NFL experiences and then on the morning of the game, they’ll wake up, eat breakfast and enjoy being in the stadium from the fifth yard line to watch the big game.

This year we’re also bringing a virtual reality dome experience to fans. It’s at the Mall of America so anybody, even those who don’t have tickets, can come by—it’s open to the public—and see a virtual reality experience that gives a four-dimensional 360-degree view of the suite.

What’s nice about the Vikings stadium suite is that it’s on field level. It’s literally adjacent to the end zone, so you can walk out of the suite and see the athletes coming out of the locker room onto the field and also see the plays being made in the end zone, which is literally three feet from the suite.

Show us what makes YOU the most unique #NFL fan w/ #CourtyardSuperBowlContest for the chance to win the ultimate #SuperBowl LII Sleepover!! pic.twitter.com/61GGYCC9xZ

— Courtyard Hotels (@CourtyardHotels) October 12, 2017

So that’s a once-in-a-lifetime viewing opportunity, and by turning that into a virtual reality experience everybody in the Mall of America will be able to walk through and get that feeling.

Also, at the Mall of America on Friday and Saturday, we’re giving away two tickets each day to the Super Bowl, so people can come, have a great virtual experience and then have a chance to win Super Bowl tickets. Eli Manning will be there, too.

We’re also sponsoring the Vikings House at the Super Bowl. There’s a restaurant downtown where we’ve taken it over so it’s a Courtyard by Marriott and Minnesota Vikings experience. We’re seeing a lot of the athletes in the NFL, sportscasters, Marriott Reward members, Starwood guest members, all adding to the experience.

How are you applying what you’ve learned over the year’s to this year’s Super Bowl activation?

When you’ve been doing it seven years, you apply what you’ve learned to the next years, and the NFL has been a great partner. We also work with the individual teams, and this year the Vikings have been a great partner, really amazing.

One of the things we’ve learned is access to the athletes is huge for fans. So having Eli Manning even though he’s not a player in this Super Bowl, a lot of people are big fans of Eli even if they’re not dedicated football watchers. So getting access to that really brings the passion for NFL. Courtyard being the brand that’s able to do that is great.

The surprise and delight factor is also key. As a hospitality brand we love hosting people, taking care of them, thinking about their every need. So when they come to the sleepver in the stadium, they’re expecting to have a great bed, a great meal and beverages, but then they don’t expect all of the great experiences that we provide in terms of having the athletes and the special one-of-a-kind NFL moments to go along with it.

What are some of the key performance indicators you track around Courtyard’s NFL partnership?

We have a lot of KPIs. We’re tracking individual impressions in terms of media coverage, engagement, likes/shares/follows on all of the social channels, we also do a lot of brand health and brand tracking. People who are aware of Courtyard and the NFL being partners see Courtyard as being more contemporary and more modern more professional. They are also 70 percent more willing and more interested in considering it for their next business trip.

Out of Marriott’s portfolio of brands, why was Courtyard by Marriott the best fit for the NFL partnership?

In terms of sheer distribution, Courtyard is our largest brand by number of units. It’s also very internationally distributed—although we have probably 80 percent of our properties in the U.S. or North America, we do have and are growing quite rapidly outside the U.S. Also the NFL has a fan base that is growing in Europe, in the UK, in Mexico, in China, which creates opportunities. Also when you think about other NFL partners—Bose, Pepsi, GMC—Courtyard really fits in with those sponsors.

Our partnership with the NFL is a year-round calendar, there’s not a month where there isn’t something happening. Most people think of the NFL as just the season, but there’s also the scouting combine, the draft, pre-season, the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl—there’s a lot going on. Rather than just activating it three months out of the year, we saw the opportunity to keep it going. Now we’ve got four or five major tentpoles every couple of months.

Are you offering the ability for members of your loyalty programs to have exclusive experiences around this partnership with the NFL?

Absolutely. Marriott Rewards and Starwood both had loyalty experiences which you could use your points. Now that we’re combining them into one program, the advantage is that you can use your SPG points to get that Courtyard NFL experience.

For example, the Vikings House is sponsored by Courtyard but we have a loyalty lounge on the upper level where VIPs and our members who are using their points and coming into town for the Super Bowl are welcome. Local rewards members and elite members who are also VIPs get to come and have access.

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The post Super Bowl Sleepover: 5 Questions With Marriott VP Michael Dail appeared first on brandchannel:.

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joejstrickl · 6 years

Text

Super Bowl Sleepover: 5 Questions With Marriott VP Michael Dail

youtube

The lucky winner—Denver Broncos SuperFan and US Navy Veteran Courey Marshall, who Peyton Manning surprised last week with the news that he’d won the ultimate Super Bowl experience.

Congrats to the winner of our #CourtyardSuperBowlContest: Courey is headed to #SBLII. See what happened when we sent #PeytonManning to give him the news! #CourtyardNFL

A post shared by Courtyard Hotels (@courtyardhotels) on Jan 31, 2018 at 3:18pm PST

Michael, what are you doing in the lead-up to the big game on Sunday that makes this year’s activation unique?

Tour the in-stadium suite we built for our #CourtyardSuperBowlContest winners! #CourtyardNFL pic.twitter.com/XT8ewyy1gb

— Courtyard Hotels (@CourtyardHotels) February 2, 2018

Show us what makes YOU the most unique #NFL fan w/ #CourtyardSuperBowlContest for the chance to win the ultimate #SuperBowl LII Sleepover!! pic.twitter.com/61GGYCC9xZ

— Courtyard Hotels (@CourtyardHotels) October 12, 2017

So that’s a once-in-a-lifetime viewing opportunity, and by turning that into a virtual reality experience everybody in the Mall of America will be able to walk through and get that feeling.

How are you applying what you’ve learned over the year’s to this year’s Super Bowl activation?

What are some of the key performance indicators you track around Courtyard’s NFL partnership?

Out of Marriott’s portfolio of brands, why was Courtyard by Marriott the best fit for the NFL partnership?

Are you offering the ability for members of your loyalty programs to have exclusive experiences around this partnership with the NFL?

Get more insights in our Q&A series.

Subscribe to our newsletter for more.

The post Super Bowl Sleepover: 5 Questions With Marriott VP Michael Dail appeared first on brandchannel:.

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glenmenlow · 6 years

Text

Super Bowl Sleepover: 5 Questions With Marriott VP Michael Dail

youtube

The lucky winner—Denver Broncos SuperFan and US Navy Veteran Courey Marshall, who Peyton Manning surprised last week with the news that he’d won the ultimate Super Bowl experience.

Congrats to the winner of our #CourtyardSuperBowlContest: Courey is headed to #SBLII. See what happened when we sent #PeytonManning to give him the news! #CourtyardNFL

A post shared by Courtyard Hotels (@courtyardhotels) on Jan 31, 2018 at 3:18pm PST

//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js

Michael, what are you doing in the lead-up to the big game on Sunday that makes this year’s activation unique?

Tour the in-stadium suite we built for our #CourtyardSuperBowlContest winners! #CourtyardNFL pic.twitter.com/XT8ewyy1gb

— Courtyard Hotels (@CourtyardHotels) February 2, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Show us what makes YOU the most unique #NFL fan w/ #CourtyardSuperBowlContest for the chance to win the ultimate #SuperBowl LII Sleepover!! pic.twitter.com/61GGYCC9xZ

— Courtyard Hotels (@CourtyardHotels) October 12, 2017

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

So that’s a once-in-a-lifetime viewing opportunity, and by turning that into a virtual reality experience everybody in the Mall of America will be able to walk through and get that feeling.

How are you applying what you’ve learned over the year’s to this year’s Super Bowl activation?

What are some of the key performance indicators you track around Courtyard’s NFL partnership?

Out of Marriott’s portfolio of brands, why was Courtyard by Marriott the best fit for the NFL partnership?

Are you offering the ability for members of your loyalty programs to have exclusive experiences around this partnership with the NFL?

Get more insights in our Q&A series.

Subscribe to our newsletter for more.

The post Super Bowl Sleepover: 5 Questions With Marriott VP Michael Dail appeared first on brandchannel:.

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