The Super Bowl demands a bumper batch of Trippant Takeaways, with advertising and betting dominating the conversation around the NFL championship game. The future of TV, LeBron James’ landmark, the rise of Guinness and Marie Kondo’s mess also feature in our round-up of stories on communications trends across sport, tech, entertainment and culture.
The AP on a Super Bowl ad refresh
One of the biggest sports and media events of the year lands on Sunday as the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs face off in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
It is, of course, the US advertising industry’s big day out, with host broadcaster Fox pulling in around $600 million from spots sold during the game. That comes despite some significant brand turnover this year, with the crypto sector in full retreat and beer commercials flooding back.
Morning Consult and Forbes on Gen Z at the Super Bowl
For plenty of viewers, of course, the Super Bowl is less about the NFL championship and more about the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Rihanna will take the prime slot this year and according to Morning Consult, Gen Z will watch her performance with the most interest — even if surveys suggest last year’s appearance by the all-stars of West Coast hip-hop was more hotly anticipated.
Mind you, getting younger consumers’ attention and doing something with it are two different things: Forbes has restated the importance of having digital activations ready to go once those big Super Bowl ads go live.
The Financial Times on the Super Bowl betting moment and SportsPro on the NFL’s DAZN deal
Beyond Eagles and Chiefs fans, as many as 50 million Americans could have something riding on Sunday’s outcome — wagering either among friends or through official sportsbooks. It all adds up to a banner event for the still-emerging sports betting sector.
And that also puts an interesting spin on the NFL’s latest global media partnership: a ten-year deal with DAZN for the rights to its Game Pass International online subscription package. DAZN, which hired former Entain boss Shay Segev as CEO last year, has plans to integrate betting, ecommerce and other features into its platform.
The New York Times on Tom Brady’s new life on screen
One superstar who won’t be in action this weekend is Tom Brady. The legendary quarterback retired for a second and — he says — final time after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ playoff exit last month.
Now 45, Brady plans to take a break before joining the on-air team at Fox in 2024. But he can be found on screens across North America right now, with the sports comedy 80 for Brady in cinemas. That’s enough of an excuse for The New York Times to run through the history of athlete appearances at the movies.
The Guardian on the age of LeBron James
Away from the gridiron, one story has overwhelmed American sports media: LeBron James breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time points-scoring record in the NBA.
That has left the Guardian to reflect on what it means to watch landmark careers pass in the moment — a question with added poignancy after the retirements of Brady, Serena Williams and Roger Federer.
And here, for good measure, is an amazing visualisation of James’ career haul.
PwC on the state of sport in 2023
Professional services firm PwC has compiled its seventh annual Global Sports Survey, asking 500 sports leaders from across 43 countries for their views on everything from investment to women’s sports, sponsorship and media, sustainability, web3 and smart venues.
It found an optimistic post-Covid mood, with 83% of executives expecting institutional investment to grow in the next three to five years.
CNBC gets the insider view on the next phase of TV
An industry with a more fluid future is broadcast television. As streaming increasingly monopolises viewing time, there are big ideas to ponder about where the traditional model goes next — and CNBC has convened a heavyweight round table to discuss them.
Variety and The Ringer on Warner Bros Discovery’s streaming strategy
If any single organisation embodies the challenges of navigating the next media era, it may be Warner Bros Discovery, which has been making sense of its many moving parts since a merger was agreed between two giant global companies in 2021.
Variety takes an overview of the corporate approach, while HBO chief executive Casey Bloys joins The Ringer podcast The Watch to talk about the business of storytelling and managing a prestige brand through transition.
Wired and Time on the next wave of chatbots
Generative AI remains the running conversation of 2023 and Google has now made its contribution, rolling out the Bard chatbot — its answer to OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Meanwhile, as the debate about the implications of artificial intelligence continues, OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati tells Time that regulators should have a role to play in shaping its influence.
Marketing Week on Guinness’ rise to the top
A mere 264 years into its existence, Guinness has become the UK’s most popular beer for the first time. Marketing Week explains the secret of its success: supporting a strong, recognisable product through sound and sometimes inspired promotion.
Fast Company on Marie Kondo’s messy reinvention
Japanese organising consultant Marie Kondo rose to worldwide prominence with her message of happy minimalism: throwing out anything that does not ‘spark joy’.
Now, she’s pivoting to mess, making peace with clutter and — maybe — expanding her appeal at the same time.
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