Telegraph Business of Sport 2017, day two: Breaking the myth of eSports, reviving traditional sports and more

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Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan

Reinventing traditional sports, the glory of wearing a Lions jersey and the world of esports were among the topics discussed on day two of the Telegraph's Business of Sport conference.

Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan and victorious British and Irish Lions coach Sir Ian McGeechan and were among the eclectic guest contributors to the two-day annual event  that aims to steer the UK sports industry to growth, innovation and collaboration.

Day two began with a look at the much controverted world of esports, where competitors play online games against each other, attracted by the direct engagement and interaction it offers. 

Manchester City have already made a play to move into this market, and the audience heard from David Bytheway who plays Fifa (the game) professionally for German club Wolfsburg. 

Vaughan was joined of stage by England Golf's Nick Pink as well as RBS's head of sponsorship, hospitality and events to discuss how traditional sports could remain relevant. 

esports
Esports panel

The former England captain argued that Test cricket and Twenty20 are almost two different sports, but that the shorter form of the game has improved the five-day version - prompting more aggressive and attacking cricket. 

He also suggested that while  sports need the money of subscription broadcasters to grow, there needs to be adequate exposure on free-to-air and digital to make sure children see sport. 

Telegraph columnist and former coach and player Sir Ian McGeechan was part of the panel that discussed what the British and Irish Lions mean as a brand, and concluded that a Lions tour carries a romantic resonance all of its own. 

McGeechan praised the players' discipline, pointing out that they organise their own social media and content policies on tour. 

In the afternoon, the world of virtual reality was back on the agenda. Alexandra Willis of the All England Lawn and Tennis club talked about how Wimbledon are exploring ways to use the technology to enable the public to experience SW19's unique ambiance. 

                                                                                                    

That's that for another year

That discussion on the burgeoning esports market was the last installment of this year's Business of Sport conference. 

Thanks for following, and keep reading about sport in the Daily Telegraph. 

Monetising esports 

Jim White is now chairing a discussion with Duncan McMonagle, senior vice president at Minute Media and Wouter Sleijffers, CEO at Fnatic which is an esports company. 

There is a football match at Chartlon Athletic's the Valley between fellow YouTubers, and it has sold 27,000 tickets. 

Moreover, there is such a thing as an esports transfer market, which can be worth up to £1 million. 

Maximising passion for sport

Our next discussion is about how brands can extract the maximum value from people's passion for sport. BT Sport's Lynsey Hipgrave is joined on stage by Ricardo Fort, vice president of global assents and partnerships at Coca-Cola; Gerhard Fourie, a brand strategist at Nissan and Richard Whitty, a global senior marketing manager at Carlsberg. He's probably the best global senior market manager in the world. 

Virtual reality in tennis

Wimbledon are exploring ways to enable the public to experience its unique ambiance, including Virtual Reality. 

Willis says Wimbledon are in a privileged position because they do not have to sell any tickets because that are so over-subscribed. 

Ideas for using VR include getting inside Andy Murray's head as he steps up to serve on centre court, sitting next to Sue Barker in a television study or playing the role of umpire. 

First panel of the afternoon

Welcome back, and our first discussion of the afternoon is about bringing sport to life through fan-focused technology. On the panel are Ben Smith, CEO of Virtual Reality company Ladum and Alexandra Willis, head of communications, content and digital at the All England Lawn and Tennis Club .

Break for lunch - back at 1.40pm

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The Lions panel

Sport not business

Sir Ian McGeechan says players will experience things on the Lions tour that they never experience anywhere else, such as the hundreds of Lions fans who surround the team bus . 

Charlie McEwen says the players have to engage with the country they are in and be ambassadors for the Lions. Winning and creating a good impression on your hosts is not mutually exclusive. 

Player-led initiatives

Lions players are very disciplined about what they share on social media, says Sir Ian McGeechan. It was agreed as a team what could and could not be shared. 

If this is not the case internal divisions can open up which are hard to manage. McGeechan says 'knowledge is power' and teams should be wary of what they allow rivals to see. 

There is a social media and content commitee, but it is run by the players themselves. 

Pride in the badge

Sir Ian McGeechan says the most important aspect of a Lions tour is that the players want to wear the jersey and relish the weight it carries . 

Players do not find out if they have made the squad until the public announcement, and that experience gives them immediate attachment to the badge.

1997 was a turning point for the tour, as it was the first series televised by Sky and the Lions won which always helps publicity. Charlie McEwen says social platforms have grown remarkably since the last tour, which is another avenue to reach new audiences.  

Too much razzmatazz? 

The panel agree that there is no such thing as too much when it comes to adding tinsel to traditional sports. 

Up next: The Lions Tour & Becoming the Best of the Best. Charlie McEwen, Chief Operating Officer of the British and Irish Lions, Sir Ian McGeechan former coach and player the British and Irish Lions and Nuala Walsh, Global Head of Marketing and Client Relations Standard Life Investments

Moderator: Jake Humphrey, Presenter, BT Sport 

Free-to-air

Vaughan says Test cricket will remain the sphere in which the cream will rise to the top, though he says young cricketers would be 'silly' not to pursue the riches of Twenty20. 

The former England skipper also argued that while sports needed the money of subscription broadcasters to grow, there needs to be adequate exposure on free-to-air and digital to make sure children see sport. 

Ways to move forward

Before the inception of the Big Bash, cricket was the fifth-most popular sport in Australia. After five years of watching the Twenty20 tournament it is once again the most popular. 

They have targeted the family audience: 67 percent of tickets are sold to families. Vaughan suggest that Test cricket should look to simplify the world rankings and Test Championship system into an easily understood league table. 

England Golf's Nick Pink say the 400-odd nine-hole golf courses in England should market themselves as such (for reasons of prestige, they like to sell themselves as 18-hole courses where you can play the same nine twice). However, Pink says a shorter-course could have its advantages in trying to attract new players. 

Reinventing traditional sports

Nick Pink says GolfSixes, described as golf's version of Twenty20 cricket, 'landed' at its first event at Centurion Golf Club, Hemel Hempstead and the feedback has been encouraging. 

Michael Vaughan says Test cricket and Twenty20 are almost two different sports, but that the shorter form of the game has improved the five-day version - prompting more aggressive and attacking cricket. 

The message is that traditional sports have to strive to reach new audiences in innovative ways. 

Up next

This should be a really interesting one: a panel on how to reinvent a traditional sport. Will sports such as rugby and gold eventually die off and is a decline in popularity inevitable. 

Michael Vaughan, England Golf CEO Nick Pink and Martyn Wilson head of sponsorship, hospitality and events at Royal Bank of Scotland are our contributors. 

Esports panel

Christian Weiglin Thorn, head of marketing at Audi Denmark, Chris Mead, director of partnerships, Twitch and Chester King, chief executive of the British esports association. Esports broadcaster Ceirnan Lowe chairs. 

Audience poll

Those in the auditorium were asked to vote in a poll which posed the question: Do you see esports as an opportunity for your business? The result was 56 per cent to 44 in favour. 

21st century sport?

David says that it is the player's decision-making that determines the outcome of Fifa matches at the highest-level rather than the 'ability' of the footballers on the games. 

When asked if he ever played rival game Pro Evolution Soccer (Pes), he replied: 'No, it's a touchy subject.' 

Hear from a professional esports player

Next up is a quickfire presentation David Bytheway, who plays Fifa professionally for Wolfsburg's esports team. 

Traditional sports moving in

Manchester City have branched out into esports in the last year, joining Paris Saint-Germain and Schalke who are other football clubs with a presence in the industry. 

This is a lucrative sphere: Amazon bought esports company Twitch for $900 million. 

Holding the audience's attention

The average esports user spends 106 minutes a day engaging with the content in some capacity, which does fly in the face of the theory that attention spans are shortening. Ceirnan Lowe says he worked on a broadcast of a 'game' that lasted 10 hours. Maybe there is hope for Test cricket after all. 

A more engaging experience?

Chester King says he took his son to watch live football, and amusingly he was mystified that he could not hear any live commentary and frustrated by the lack of interaction. This is an anecdotal example of why esports are attracting fans of traditional sport: people are less content at being passive spectators and want to feel part of the action. 

Is esports a real sport?

Sports fans love to discuss what is and is not a sport: many a heated bar-room argument has started about the status of darts for instance and how it should be categorised. 

Esports, which if you did not know is playing video games competitively against others online, is not viewed as a sport in Britain. It is classified as a game, in the same way as bridge or chess. However, it is classed as a sport in other countries. 

Good morning and welcome

Here we are at day two of the Telegraph's Business of Sport Conference 2017. Yesterday covered topics as varied as the growth of China, Virtual Reality, the future of sports broadcasting and the new-found craze of fitness as sport. 

This morning our first panel is: What is the World of Sport's Response to esports and Who is Profiting?

Chester King, chief executive of the British esports association, Chris Mead, director of partnerships, Twitch, Christian Weiglin Thorn, head of marketing at Audi Denmark are the guest speakers. Esports broadcaster Ceirnan Lowe will chair the discussion. 

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