AI’s biggest influencers, an Olympic anniversary for Thomas Bach, a new job in sport for Barbie and a new vacancy for a Taylor Swift correspondent are just some of this week’s Trippant Takeaways, highlighting communications trends and developments across sport, entertainment and experience.
Time lists the 100 most influential people in AI
In case you’d not heard, artificial intelligence is about to change everything it hasn’t changed already. But the buzziest innovation trend of 2023 is not just about technology — it’s about people, their choices, perspectives and biases.
With that in mind, Time has compiled a list of 100 people who could shape the future of AI solutions, as well as their commercial, cultural and political impact.
SportsPro on ten years of Thomas Bach
This week, Thomas Bach completed a decade as president of the International Olympic Committee. It has been an era of commercial growth and transformation, but one also marked by controversy, corruption, Covid and the long shadow of Russia.
As Bach approaches the last couple of years of his tenure, SportsPro’s Ed Dixon speaks to key figures across the Olympic movement to assess his legacy and leadership style in a comprehensive profile.
Forbes on Barbie’s latest career move
Barbie has conquered the box office, with Greta Gerwig’s comedy setting all-time records for Warner Bros as it became the most successful film of 2023. Now, she has her sights set on the sports industry.
Toymaker Mattel has chosen ‘women in sports’ as the doll’s ‘career of the year’, issuing a new line featuring Barbie as a general manager, a coach, a referee and a sports reporter. The initiative aims to encourage girls to consider a future in the business; it would not be surprising if sports rights holders began wondering about their own future with Mattel.
The Athletic on Harry Kane x Skechers
England football captain Harry Kane’s move to Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur was not the only major contract he signed this summer. The 30-year-old also agreed a global lifetime deal with Skechers, becoming the first active footballer to endorse the footwear brand.
For Skechers, it is the latest step in an intriguing 30-year journey through the grunge and skateboarding communities, high-performance wear and comfy shoes for strollers of a certain age.
Sportico on the UFC-WWE merger
The biggest brands in scripted and unscripted combat sports have officially joined forces. TKO, the Endeavor-owned entity housing WWE and the UFC, launched this week with compelling implications across sport, entertainment, and ‘sports entertainment’.
Deadline and Digiday on playdates at the NFL
The media juggernaut that is the National Football League is back for a new season, and is still looking for ways to expand its extraordinary footprint.
On 1st October, using real-time motion-tracking technology trialled earlier this year by the NHL, the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons will be viewable simultaneously in London’s Wembley Stadium and Andy’s Room. An animated Toy Story Funday Football telecast will be streamed live on Disney+ and ESPN+.
Meanwhile, the league has opened up its archives to selected online creators, helping them bring distinctive takes on NFL stories to their own audiences.
The Guardian on the music media beat (Taylor’s Version)
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has been a monumental hit, entertaining millions of fans and generating billions in economic impact in cities throughout North America.
The singer is becoming an industry unto herself and that is changing perceptions and media priorities. To that end, USA Today has gone so far as to advertise for a Taylor Swift correspondent…
GQ on the causes of ‘quote brain’
Have you been half asleep, and have you heard voices? More specifically, have you heard the voices of film and TV characters, triggered like memes by specific moments in your day?
You may have ‘quote brain’. GQ asks how and why some pop culture moments burrow so deep into the subconscious.
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