Sponsorships and Financials

Sponsorships and Financials

The new ASP World Tour infrastructure will be designed to meet the Global Sports League model (management, sponsorship, and broadcasting rights will now be centralized).

ESPN, YouTube, and Facebook partnerships are the first national and global media deals in surfing history.

ESPN deal is for three years (allows fans to watch highlights immediately after events)

(Document below contains past CFB TV deals, which a much lengthier).

http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/dollars/post/_/id/3163/a-comparison-conference-television-deals

Past TV Concerns:

A multi-day weather dependent sport (bowling has more TV coverage).

Doesn’t fit nicely into a 1-hour TV event.

However, Speaker says more than 100 million global fans either surf or watch pro surfing.

           

YouTube channel via ASP website will provide fans with 3,000 hours of content (26 live streamed events)

Surfing fans use social media more than any other sports fans.

The individual nature of surfing makes it tough to sell, so the goal is to sell the surfer’s stories.

Past image problems (fights, arrests, death due to drug overdose)

Quiksilver reduced sponsorship (cuts?), Nike canceled an event. New York debacle, or so-called debacle.

NY was considered a success yet the event never really took place (sad that’s how bad this has become)

                        -Weather challenges

“Not all surf brands enjoyed the promised revolution. Billabong and Quiksilver raised their green flags, while Vans and Rip Curl showed the red card.”

(((((The global research firm Repucom recently found surfer fans are the number one sports fans for sponsor consideration and loyalty in the U.S.)))))

http://www.surfermag.com/features/the-new-asp/

Want to sell the surfers’ stories – how easy will they be to follow with all these widespread events?

New ownership for the first time in 30 years

Is there a lack of transparency? Is what should be accessible not accessible? Is there a clear vision for the future other than simply having a deal?

More brands that target women than men, so how do they better advertise for men?

The other hot-button topic surrounding 2014 and beyond is whether taking surfing mainstream will see the Tour back on city beaches, in shitty surf. So far, no one has got rich holding surf contests in the tropics. “The product itself will revolve around the best surfers and the best waves,” says Speaker using a familiar catchphrase, “and that’s the Commissioner’s part of it. We’ll make sure the broadcast is best of class and the interaction with fans is best of class and we’ll never sacrifice any of that for bad waves.” HHHMMMMMMMMMM

Per ASP World Tour 2014 website:

Sponsorship Marketing and Media Opportunities include:

            Tour-Wide Presenting

            Category Exclusives

            Regional Partners

            Event Title Packages

Dirk Ziff’s involvement?

            Bankrolling 25 million over 3 years. Can the ASP monetize the sport in that time?

Paolo Ciferri

ASP Vision

New ASP CEO Paul Speaker Outlines Vision

·      New CEO in Paul Speaker

·      2013 key year for data collection on multiple fronts

·      Three pronged approach

1.)  Improving fan experience

2.)  Increasing professionalism

3.)  Developing more effective broadcasting initiative

·      Recognition of wave quality and “Drama in the water”

·      Need to involve professionalism within and outside the spor.

Ie. Major players in the technology and media worlds

·      More involvement of non-endemic sponsors

·      Possibility of major broadcasting deals to make sure of a premium global experience

·      Change in employee and athlete policies

How Pro Surfing Was Sold

·      ZoSea media

·      Involving other sports and entertainment such as skate, music, moto, and art

·      New pension plan along with more prize money

·      View of the new ASP being a sport.

·      Approach the league as “a global centralized sports league”

·      Essential for people in ASP and people being welcomed in to view surfing as one of the premier global sports in the world

·      The new ASP will be a business “Centralized broadcast, centralized management, centralized sponsorship,” 

·      Women’s side will benefit as well. Women’s surfing attracts brands that men’s does not.

·      New viewing system for fans such as online streaming or digital, linear television.

·      Change “bro-cast to broadcast,” changing the announcers for the streams

·      They will center the product around “the best surfers and the best waves,” meaning that the tour will not go to cities to increase attendance but lower the quality of the waves.

·      Help of billionaire Dirk Ziff whose involvement has been noted at 20 to 30 million

·      97% of NFL fans never played in a football game. Same could happen in surfing

·      Kelly Slater key for the future of the ASP

Challenges Facing the ASP World Tour

• Image Issues
• July, 2013: Fan Riots at Huntington Beach
• August, 2013: Jamie O'Brien punches Ricardo Dos Santos
• 2011: Sunny Garcia puts local man into headlock
• 2012: Anthony Ruffo sentenced to two years in prison for dealing, using meth
• March: Slater refers to drug use as rampant, but later corrected himsel
• If surfers are to be the selling point for TV deals, ASP needs to be airtight
• Downsizing from sponsors
• February: Quiksilver cuts surfers, staff
• November, 2012: Nike-sponsored surfers move to Hurley, leave Lowers Pro
• March: ASP forced to cancel event for 2013 without title sponsor
• Event costs have gone down from $3,000,000 to $1,000,000; but is that enough?
• Fit on Television
• Events subject to cancellation due to weather
• Doesn't easily work in a one-hour timeslot
• Recap programs-by then, event has already happened, will people still watch?
• Works with the Olympics because it's an established brand, may not work with ASP
• With events all over the world, tough to get concentrated ratings
• ideally, would want something similar to EPL, but brand not as established
• Lack of participation
• Speaker loves to throw out 100 million surfers worldwide, 97% of NFL fans never played football, but football is more accessible
• Indoor surfing parks, motorized boards, etc are all ways to increase involvement, but these alternatives face significant blow back from traditionalists
• Accessibility of events
• NY, Huntington Beach, San Francisco events popular, but the surf is often below standard
• Events in Hawaii, Fiji, Indonesia, etc have great surf, but attendance/opportunity to involve sponsors isn't as high
• how do you balance it?
• Women in Surfing
• 22,000 signatures against Roxy's "All Sex, No Surf" ads; execs refused to meet with Cori Schumacher
• Not many women who are big wave surfers because the money is not there, physical barrier
• not worth the risk
• Journal of Strength and Conditioning: women “are not physiologically capable of performing some explosive movements equal to their male counterparts even in a relative manner”
• less participants, farther spread out; budget isn't there to "close the gap"
• Selling sex vs. the athletes
•  “sexy images of female athletes may make that woman a bigger celebrity but they don’t translate into a deeper interest in their sport.”

http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/surfings-trouble-in-the-waves-20130916

http://www.theinertia.com/business-media/surfings-rampant-drug-use-kelly-slater-andy-irons-and-accountability/

http://surf.transworld.net/1000157961/news/1000157961/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/26/petition-roxy-video_n_3999783.html
http://www.surfermag.com/features/women-big-wave-surfing/

http://www.theinertia.com/surf/does-sex-actually-sell-surfing/
http://mpora.com/videos/7sEZRGjwW

Updated Org Chart

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1787530-jetsurf-boards-use-a-motor-to-make-days-with-bad-waves-a-thing-of-the-past

SPM Notes

http://ratti-report.com/news-new-cmo/association-of-surfing-professionals-catches-new-cmo/

Global Sports League?

Paul Speaker is the new ASP CEO (former Quiksilver executive).

Michael Lynch is the new Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer

Management is focused on gathering data in preparation for 2014 ASP World Championship Tour launch.

Lynch: “The ASP’s potential is inspiring and I’m looking forward to working with all those associated with ASP as we deliver the very best world-class experience for the fans, surfers and sponsors. As we implement the business-wide fan-centric philosophy, our commercial and broadcast partners will find ASP has the right recipe for success and a compelling marketing and sales platform to build their business.”

http://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/9046-zosea-whats-that-its-the-future-of-pro-surfing

ZoSea Media Holdings is the new owner of the ASP World Tour. ZoSea was founded by Paul Speaker and Terry Hardy (Kelly Slater’s career manager).  

Want a new commercial model for the sport.

Plan is to make pro surfing a more serious business: The cost for each event will drop from 3 million to 1 million. Prize money will increase and pension plan will be created.

“Not all surf brands enjoyed the promised revolution. Billabong and Quiksilver raised their green flags, while Vans and Rip Curl showed the red card.” WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

ASP World Tour infrastructure intended will be designed to meet the Global Sports League model (management, sponsorship, and broadcasting rights will now be centralized).

New Office of Commissioner to handle judging, rankings, scheduling, venues etc…

More on Paul Speaker:

Former Director of Marketing and Ideas at the NFL

President of Time Inc. Studios

President of RKO Studios

Previously Lead Independent Director for Quiksilver but stepped down to accept ASP CEO position.

http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/surfings-trouble-in-the-waves-20130916

A multi-day weather dependent sport (bowling has more TV coverage).

Doesn’t fit nicely into a 1-hour TV event.

Speaker says more than 100 million global fans either surf or watch pro surfing.

Image problems (fights, arrests, death due to drug overdose)

Sell the surfer’s stories.

Quiksilver reduced sponsorship, Nike canceled an event.

The individual nature of surfing makes it tough to sell.

http://surf.transworld.net/1000165418/news/asp-partners-espn-youtube-facebook/

ESPN, YouTube, and Facebook partnerships first national and global media deals in surfing history.

ESPN deal is for three years (allows fans to watch highlights immediately after events)

YouTube channel via ASP website will provide fans with 3,000 hours of content (26 live streamed events)

Surfing fans use social media more than any other sports fans.

ASP International Announces Landmark Agreements with ESPN, YouTube and Facebook

0 Comments October 15, 2013 | ASP International

The greatest show on Earth will have a bold new platform in 2014!

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
The 2013 ASP World Championship Tour is currently in Portugal for the Rip Curl Pro which runs through October 20, 2013.
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com