Last Thursday I was proud to be welcomed by Leaders into their Leaders Under 40, alongside some highly respected industry colleagues from the likes of FIFA, ESL, NBA, and Facebook. The event itself, hosted at the Natural History Museum, was incredible; the level of talent sat under one roof, awe-inspiring.
I consider myself one very lucky executive.
Of course, when walking onto the stage and accepting the award, it was natural to think of the amazing team that helped me get there. Over 1,000 staff located in 19 offices worldwide work tirelessly every day to bring some of the best experiences in sport and entertainment to viewers. Whether they’re on-venue managing match data collection, in one of our operation centres, ensuring live events run seamlessly, or in office, designing the next award-winning digital service, they all are the epitome of some of Deltatre’s core values – hardworking, professional, innovative.
This award is as much theirs as it is mine.
I was also prompted to think on where we are now as an industry. Having been exposed to sport and the technology that underpins it for most of my life, I have witnessed a dramatic shift in what it means to ‘win’ in an incredibly competitive environment.
New players enter the space on a seemingly weekly basis, competing for a slimmer slice of audience view time. Technology has disrupted the way we can tell stories to fans, with now the ‘experience’ sitting closely on the throne alongside ‘content’. Fans are now reachable everywhere, anytime, and on any device – and their tolerance for average has evaporated.
This has driven a revolution in the content owner-fan relationship, and one that we at Deltatre are proud to have helped shape over the last thirty-three years. We were the first to launch a teletext-based commentator information system in 1987, to create an interactive television electronic program guide in the late nineties, to synchronise multi-lingual TV graphics during a live event… the list goes on.
But being first doesn’t always mean being the best. That Vince Lombardi quote comes to mind; ‘the quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavour.’ As a company, Deltatre has continually committed itself to excellence, to push the boundaries of what is technically possible to power the fan-first experience.
And that has what has gotten us to where we are today.
What does the future hold? While we haven’t developed a crystal ball (yet) I’m sure the fog will be slightly thinner following Sportel Monaco in two weeks’ time. It is the go-to event for sport executives and technologists looking to discover the next big trend in our space, and as always, Deltatre will attend in force. You can find us on booth #F09/F10 from the 21st – 23rd October or book a meeting with us here.
Look forward to seeing you there.