Digital & Dirt
00:50:47 · Ian Dallimore
[00:50:47] S0: Yeah. And creating those efficiencies has to be massive for you guys. We're downloading the event itself happens within moments, and you're probably able to run run analysis in real time Yep. To figure out as well. So same question around AI, you know, fans are increasingly expect that digital experience to adapt to your interests and behavior. I. E. Monica, why are you not reading my mind that I would love for this to be on my app? But where do you see that space with AI helping kind of better understand the consumers? It's almost like historically what is you know, worry done on the eighteenth hole of the Masters. It's like, well, what is user 1234 ABC utilize the most? So where do you see that space and personalization?
00:51:33 · Monica Ellingson
[00:51:33] S1: Well, I think that without AI, I mean, we've been using AI for... To assist with personalization goals for almost a decade at at IBM and, you know, within our sports portfolio. And so, you know, and I I think it's really almost become commoditized at this point. And, you know, but I think that in terms of personalization, you know, what what I struggle with is, you know, we don't want to, you know, have personalization crossover into a more invasive space with our fans. So being able to delight and, you know, exceed their expectations, but not invade their privacy at the same time. And that's a delicate balance and something that is extremely important to IBM and extremely important to all the clients that I work with. So I think that, you know, in a way, I'd like to... I definitely wanna know more about these fans and, you know, what they're what they're really interested in. I mean, especially looking at the younger demographic of fans that, you know, is... That's moving on, looking at the women as well and, you know, how they are watching and enjoying the sports and how that may be different. Just looking at these different demographic groups, especially when you're looking at a a sport like golf, which, you know, has traditionally been a, you know, older male demographic. You know, how do we appeal to different different groups of people? And so I think that, you know, that's an interesting and exciting space to be to learn more about these fans and how you can tell stories in a different way to to appeal to a different fan base.
00:53:16 · Ian Dallimore, Monica Ellingson
[00:53:16] S0: Yeah. And, you know, in the auto space of NASCAR and F1 especially, like, you've seen a very complex sport where people just don't understand it other than just cars going around a track, as my friends put it. But I'm a I'm a big NASCAR fan, have been for a very long time, but watching that data then educate. So for you, last question, what excites you most about where sports technology is headed? [00:53:40] S1: I think, again, it it goes back to the the fact that we're bringing different media together and, you know, that you can, you know, watch a livestream, see live stats, you know, make it a a social experience and, you know, bringing that sense of community. And that's something that, you know, has always really interested me in terms of, you know, fans are no longer passive. Fan... Sports fans have always been communities or even families. And how do you bring that that sense of community and that social energy into the interactive experience, you know, while, you know, bringing the the live sport there, the data there, the the dialogue that's happening within the community. So I'm really curious to see, you know, how we pull it all together. So now it's like, I feel like that we know what's possible, you know, we can deliver it really quickly with AI, you know, but what is the what is the next phase of interactive sports viewership and engagement? How do we bring that sense of community? And so that's something I'm really interested in.
00:54:52 · Ian Dallimore, Monica Ellingson
[00:54:52] S0: Yeah, I love that. And what I love about what you guys are doing as we kind of wrap here, it's you're you're really kind of... You're not just doing technology for technology's sake. Like, you're truly storytelling the the fan experience, the user experience based on the apps and and all the work that you guys done. It's it truly is amazing. Like, it's some wizardry work, but I I really appreciate it. I enjoyed your your presentation on stage. So very grateful we got to go a little bit deeper with you and opening up your very complex mind, and the entire team behind it. So I'm very grateful grateful for for the the the the time time and and and and loved every aspect. And I'm excited to see what's next because I know you're not you're not stopping and you're not sleeping. So... [00:55:35] S1: I know. Stay tuned. I appreciate you having me. This has been great. [00:55:38] S0: Absolutely. Thank you, my friend. Thanks for listening to this episode of Digital & Dirt. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review on Spotify or Apple podcasts. Follow us on social media for the latest updates, and stay tuned for our next episode.