E181: The business of jeopardy

Unofficial Partner Podcast

Today we’re talking about one of the most fundamental parts of the sports business: the product. And specifically the process of creating and adapting competition formats to increase jeopardy, fan connection and commercial value.

This is a conversation about the way in which leagues, tournaments and competitions are structured, and its relationship to the commercial value of sport, both as a way of driving demand but also on the supply side, creating opportunities for investment.

This is true whether we’re talking about Twenty20 cricket and the rise of the IPL or the current questions around the ECB’s new brainchild, The Hundred; the Premier League play-offs; The Super League; or FIBA’s 3x3 basketball format and Rugby Sevens, both of which feature at the Olympics.
Could a better format have saved The Super League? How can big tournaments be made more fun to watch but avoid contrived gimmicks? How can competitive balance be achieved without punishing excellence? And what does the data say about how women’s football, cricket and rugby could benefit by balancing components such as jeopardy, quality and connection with fans?

Our guests are Omar Chauduri and Ben Marlow, from Twenty First Group, who have thought about this question a great deal, and created a model that approaches the format question through a data led decision making framework. I find the results of their work fascinating, for what it says about sport and the questions it poses for everyone, from fans, teams and event rights holders through to television and media owners and financial investors. So wherever you are in the sports biz jungle, this is a topic that talks directly to your day job.

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