‘Innovation in your own personalised vision’: Kayo chief reveals what the future of live sport on TV will look like
If you thought 4K was the best we’ve seen for live sport, think again.
Appearing on a new episode of Mumbrella’s one-on-one podcast, the CEO of Foxtel’s streaming and advertising division, Julian Ogrin, said investment into the future of live sport on television is already in motion… and it’s big.
This year alone, Kayo Sports subscribers are up 14% year on year to 1.6 million subscribers (1.55 million paid), and between Binge and Kayo almost 200,000 paying subscribers in the latest quarter.
According to Ogrin, live sport consumption is extremely healthy, with more older audiences using Foxtel and younger viewers skewing to Kayo.
“There is a lot of innovation happening and investment in innovation around AI-led… your ability to watch something and to watch it through a different lens,” he told host Neil Griffiths.
Ogrin used an example of what that would like, referencing the Masters golf tournament.
“These are all early adopter phases, [but] I think you will see it come in one day – this idea for you to walk with two of the lead golfers in the final round of the day and be right there with them as they’re walking right up to one of the 18 holes. We’ve seen prototypes of that.
“They’re good examples to be able to sit in a specific chair in the stadium and get the exact view you want.
“So, I think you’re going to see. innovation in your own personalized vision of a sport that you love. That’s certainly going to come into the future.”
Ogrin added that the use of a second screen in real time will come into play, so viewers can look at stats, highlights and replays while the live sport they are watching happens in real time.
“People no longer just lean back on the couch and watch a game,” he said.
“[A] really interactive second screen experience – I think it’s going to be coming and will be really brought to life through this AI capability.”
Also on the podcast, Ogrin spoke briefly about the News Corp’s potential sale of Foxtel as revealed last week.
Listen to the full episode with Ogrin here.
Julian Ogrin. Picture: Foxtel / Brett Costello
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Neil Griffiths is the Managing Editor of Mumbrella. He joined the company in October 2023.
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I find the concept of second-screen sports experiences incredibly exciting, and I’m eager to see how this will be implemented. As someone who often watches the F1 in Singapore, I already use Kayo on my TV and have the F1 Live Timing on my tablet simultaneously.
However, I do have some reservations about what commercial success looks like when the current offering has challenges that haven’t been rectified. For example, the frequent appearance of the “We’re in an ad break. We’ll be right back” holding screen while I have campaigns that continually under-deliver makes me cautious about presenting any tech updates to my clients. Consistent and reliable delivery is crucial, and addressing these current inefficiencies should be a priority before we fully embrace these exciting innovations.
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