ASP Announces Landmark Agreements with ESPN, YouTube and Facebook
LOS ANGELES, California/USA (Tuesday, October 15, 2013) – Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) International is pleased to announce media/distribution agreements with ESPN, YouTube and Facebook across the linear broadcast, digital and social media spectrums. Each agreement will commence in 2014 to help celebrate and grow the sport of surfing worldwide. Today's announcements mark the first national and global media deals in the history of professional surfing.
ASP events enhanced by the media deals include the 26 elite tour events across men's, women's and big wave arenas in Australia, Brazil, Fiji, Indonesia, Tahiti, USA, France, Portugal, Chile, Peru, South Africa, Spain and Mexico. Since 1976, ASP has annually crowned the undisputed world surfing champions in a sport that hosts more than 120 million fans worldwide as well as the recently-identified number one sport fan for sponsor consideration and loyalty in the U.S., according to findings by global research firm Repucom.
"Professional surfing is a truly global sport which demands media distribution partners with significant reach. Our newly announced partners have tremendous presence in the innovative media arena and, together, they build the foundation for the ASP media platform," Paul Speaker, ASP CEO, said. "I personally believe surfing is one of the most dramatic and dynamic sports on the planet and it's an honor to work with tremendously inspirational athletes in bringing their feats and stories to the public."
"I find it very fitting that the rebirth of professional surfing in 2014 will be broadcast within the ESPN family of networks and back on ABC as they were the first to support surfing on television back in 1962," Speaker continued.
ESPN teams up with ASP as the exclusive U.S. domestic broadcaster for professional surfing in 2014 as part of a three-year agreement to showcase the sport's elite events. The rights deal will allow surfing fans to see highlight shows immediately following the events.
"ESPN is thrilled to be working with the ASP as the U.S. domestic broadcast partner for professional surfing," Tim Reed, ESPN Global X senior director, Content Strategy and Sports & Competition, said. "We look forward to showcasing the excitement, energy and incredible skills of professional surfers touring the world under the ASP banner. The talent and experience that is being aggregated at the ASP make this a very exciting time for professional surfing as well as a great opportunity for ESPN to extend its X Games brand into professional surfing."
Respective international linear broadcast deals will be finalized and announced in the coming weeks.
The ASP YouTube channel, along with the rebuilt ASP website which will embed this content via the YouTube player, will exclusively provide fans with more than 3,000 hours of programming, including 26 live streamed events annually across the men's ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), the women's ASP WCT and the ASP Big Wave World Tour (BWWT). For the first time in the sport's history, the ASP YouTube channel will enable fans around the world to go to one global destination to view surfing digitally.
"ASP is committed to putting the world's best surfers on the world's best waves," said Claude Ruibal, Global Head of Sports Content, YouTube. "We're committed to delivering the world's best viewing and interactive experience to amplify these incredible performances, turning the ASP YouTube channel to a daily destination for a world of surfing fans."
Facebook will serve as the primary social platform partner for ASP with the relationship focusing on fan engagement. Repucom research findings showed the number one sport fan using social media throughout the world are surfing fans, including a characteristic of being six times more likely to engage in social media than the general public. The ASP will use Facebook to engage its rapidly-growing global fan base around surfing, both via broadcasts and connecting fans to the athletes themselves.
"We will be working closely with Facebook and Instagram as the primary social platforms to enhance our broadcast programming – bringing the tribe of surfing fans from around the world closer to the action they love, the athletes they follow and the sponsor brands they support," Speaker said.
With the start of the 2014 season, fans will experience the future of professional surfing with the convergence of the production, marketing, media, social and sponsorship initiatives under the ASP banner for the first time in the sport's history. The 2013 season is serving as a transitional year, with new management building programs and partnerships for the rebirth of professional surfing in 2014 when a new look, tone and feel as well as consistent and top-of-class programming will showcase the world's best surfers in the world's best waves. To see a preview of the new ASP, go to www.aspworldtour.com/2014
Comments
Seems more like an extension of the existing platform rather than a 'landmark media deal'.
Of more importance though - how are they monetising these channels? Unless ESPN, Facebook, Youtube and Instagram are paying for the privilege to be media partners (which I doubt, given surfing's low audience numbers compared to other sports), all of the online avenues are currently free services.
So, they're either doing one of two things: using the equity of these media partnerships to on-sell embedded sponsorship opportunities within the ASP structure. This is supported by the 'partnerships' section of their 2014 website, which states:
"The ASP now offers a fully integrated marketing and media platform, including linear TV, online webcast, website, social media, on-site activation and product integration.
Sponsorship marketing and media opportunities include:
- Tour-Wide Presenting
- Category Exclusives
- Regional Partners
- Event Title Packages
http://www.aspworldtour.com/2014/#partnerships
Or, they're looking to implement some kind of subscription model for 'enhanced' content (similar to Quiksilver's 'VIP' content available to registered users during the Quiksilver Pro France).
I'm not sure whether this last one is viable though.
By the way, mid-October is a little late to be pitching partnership/sponsorship opportunities, wouldn't you think?
Ben, I've been a bit distracted and have forgotten the finer points. ASP is now wholly owned by ZoSea, correct? So this is ZoSea's deal, correct?
Yes, that is correct.
Re-reading the press release, there's an interesting quote in the second paragraph.
According to the ASP (via global research firm Repucom), they've "annually crowned the undisputed world surfing champions in a sport that hosts more than 120 million fans worldwide as well as the recently-identified number one sport fan for sponsor consideration and loyalty in the U.S.".
What does this last bit mean?
Surfing is the "number one sport fan for sponsor consideration and loyalty". Huh?
Sounds like a lot of marketing wank to me. Which is fine, if it's pitched to the appropriate marketing channels. But not the general public and surfing audience (who really couldn't care less about these kinds of things).
I think they are identifying that the ASP champ is THE recognised world champ and that fans are loyal to the brand sponsoring the surfers/comps/road trips/photos ops.
Number one fan at being loyal to brands .
Well done surfing public.
Well, that counts out a large market that they have been attempting to tap into: China (censorship of). Also, there are other nations where these media outlets are not only censored but far from the dominant social media brands or marketing channels. Global? Not really, then. A strategy devised and run via a very particular cohort that fails to notice anything outside their blinkred world view? Also, 120 million fans ... really? BS.
ESPN?... The Walt Disney Company, yea now!...
There are some DIS theme parks in China 'eh clif?
Good to see Fred Pawle stay on the case of the Speaker.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/surfing-world-tour-signs-espn-deal...
Mig jets - next level fly in fly out
I would love to see the raw data from that repucon survey. My guess is that it would turn out to be meaningless crap based on leading questions, a dubious cohort and manipulation of the results, but you know it works for our politicians so who am I to criticise?
Probably references similar data sources used in the KS Wave Company website, which claims there were 35 million surfers worldwide in 2012, 6 million of whom are in Australia.
I know the Snapper lineup gets a little crowded now and then, however there is no way in the world that 29% of the Australian population are surfers.
Most surveys are exercises in confirmation bias. You make it clear to the survey company what your interests are and they produce data to suit.
"... a great opportunity for ESPN to extend its X Games brand into professional surfing".
Hmmm.
......their ambition knows no bounds!
So where does this lead?
As Clif points out FB is essentially banned in some countries and precludes them any presence in China.
Well good I'd say. It will then leave Brodie Carr to try and do the Hainan Surfing thing out in Hainan.
ESPN's involvement - doesn't this lead to pay for view for TV broadcasts? Good again - many passive viewers will pass on this content.
Once the non surfing participating marketing geniuses get hold of a product they often aim to break down the audience into smaller segments so the ads can be more accurately targeted.
We can expect maybe a power surfing division, an aerials division, the large wave division - with tow in and paddle sections, city based crap wave division and as a sop to old sentimentalists a stoner, point based division where every prize is a signed copy of Morning of the Earth.
There will be age divisions - every ten years as a guide , so we have teens , twenties , then mature can do 30-50 and older than that can be the old farts division.
You have never seen the sort of hassling some old people can come up with in comps yet - and it will be enhanced by having the oldsters wearing headsets with embedded microphones to pick up every sledge and curse!
This leads us to the new format being considered - body contact surfing. Not wishing to immediately gift every contest to the Aussie or Brazzos this requires some subtlety - the target surfer takes off and the lineup has 5-6 surfers poised to drop in and fade the rider or crumble sections to prevent their progress.Special points are awarded for reentries combined with a face smash and well aimed kick outs that draw blood get extra points.
And the best feature - all of this is judged by the audience on the intertubes! Yes we all get to feel the love in this brave new world of commercialisation.
I have seen the future of surfing and its name is.....many-rivers.
Um, trying to watch the live steam via the Rip Curl site. It sucks. Good (insert sarcasm) advertisement for Youtube and the 'new' deal...
Yep, @kneelo. Failing for me too, so frustrating! Why bother watching it live when the stream freezes more than it streams!
Same issues here, poor streaming.
Its the site traffic . I had perfect streaming earlier today when my local carrier would have been busier .
Anyway I presume Kai corked the champagne ? The last 1 minute froze ..... ! yeah she's leaking some oil this Pro Surfing bus ....
Nothing to do with the site traffic, southey. Live surfing webcast traffic is a fraction of the high load events seen both other sports and events. I highly doubt it was an issue at YouTube's end.. I suspect a upstream signal issue in Portugal.
No issue with the Portuguese stream, only the English version. They turn the sound down on the English broadcast (interviews, ads and such, the english speaking commentary is completely gone) and just chat away until they can't be bothered anymore, then have a 10 minute break where it's just video. I thought it was a bit dumb, as there were a couple of ads marketed directly to the Portuguese audience (e.g. Tony Hawk event) where most of the times it was shown there was no volume!
Hilarious kneelo! What do the Portuguese viewers think of that? Do they really mind that it's so ramshackle?