SPORTSCASTER September 2016

CCSA CONNECT 2016

PM 43005526

SEPTEMBER 2016

BMO FIELD HOSTS FIRST GREY CUP

ANNUAL CONFERENCE EDITION

PLUS DraftKings Scores Role in Canadian Sports Landscape Sports Tech, 4K Delivers

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS 4 6 8

9 18 20

DraftKings Scores Role in Canadian Sports Landscape

3

4

CFL, MLSE are Newest Players

Live Sports under Control Managing Multiple Tallies, Ingest, Tx Channels

BMO Field Hosts First Grey Cup TSN Readies for Big Game

6

CCSA CONNECT 2016 Canadian Cable Systems Alliance Annual Conference Program Agenda and Event Information

Changing the Rules for Sports Marketing New Digital Developments

18

Sports Tech

New technologies for sports broadcasting

ON THE COVER:

An artist’s rendering of upcoming festivities at the new BMO Field. Image: MLSE.

80 Valleybrook Drive,Toronto, Ontario M3B 2S9 Editor Lee Rickwood, lrickwood@sportscastermagazine.ca Senior Publisher, Advertising Sales James A. Cook (416) 510-6871 • jcook@sportscastermagazine.ca Art Director Svetlana Avrutin Circulation Manager Barbara Adelt 416-442-5600, Ext. 3546 • badelt@annexbizmedia.com Customer Service Bona Lao 416-442-5600, Ext 3552 • blao@annexbizmedia.com

Sportscaster Magazine is Published by Annex-Newcom LP. For reprints call: 416-510-6871 From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you.

If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Phone: 1-800-668-2374; Fax: 416-442-2191; E-Mail privacy officer: vmoore@annexnewcom.ca; Mail to: Privacy Officer, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, Ontario M3B 2S9 Copyright © 2016 by Sportscaster Magazine. All rights reserved.

The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the per­mission of the Publisher.

Indexed in Canada Business Index, Print edition: ISSN pending Online edition: ISSN pending Publications Mail Agreement 43005526.

Production Manager Alicia Lerma 416-442-5600, Ext 3588 • alicia@newcom.ca September 2016

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SPORTSCASTER FEATURE

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DraftKings Scores Role in Canadian Sports Landscape

Chief International Officer Jeffrey Hass is overseeing DraftKing’s expansion into Canada, bringing the online gaming platform to his home and native land, where he was schooled and started a long and successful digital media career.

New DraftKings partnerships with Canadian sports properties like Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) and the Canadian Football League (CFL) can boost brand awareness and multi-media sports content consumption.

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Fantasy sports and digital media platforms have transformed the way fans interact and engage with their favourite teams and top players.

Today’s obsessive sports fan has a laser-like focus on RBIs, power play goals and rushing yards, and they’re empowered to become their own general managers and team bosses by absorbing all the big data and sports stats that are available these days.

Fantasy sports play in Canada is no different, and it too is growing at an exceptional rate. Taking a huge role in that growth is DraftKings, one of the world’s leading daily fantasy sports (DFS) sites.

DraftKings recently announced major new partnerships in Canada, adding to its existing portfolio, as it looks to make DFS a bigger part of Canada’s sports landscape and culture.

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After announcing its partnership with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) last year, DraftKings recently announced a new partnership with the Canadian Football League (CFL). DraftKings is the first and only DFS site to feature CFL contests and the deal signified a major expansion into the Canadian sports market. DraftKings has steadily focused on engaging new users, and now with the CFL platform in place, it’s clear they are investing more into growing their base in Canada.

Key to DFS’s expanding role here is a dynamic veteran of the Canadian digital media scene, now DraftKings’ Chief International Officer, Jeffrey Hass.

“Canadians are incredibly passionate about sports and informed about players, leagues and teams,” Haas described in an interview for Sportscaster Magazine. “We love that energy and excitement in Canadian fans and see Canada as a key growth market for us as we reach and interact with Canadian sports fans on a whole new level.”

DraftKings’ goal is to be the go-to daily fantasy destination for Canadian sports fans. As the company grows its brand in Canada, it wants to make strong connection with existing fantasy players and sports enthusiasts, as well as people who have never considered DFS before.

The bonus for league partners such as CFL is that it brings their fans closer to the sports. A recent study uncovered that DFS triggers fans to watch sports longer, consume more content and become more deeply immersed.

DraftKings says its CFL game has been a success, with almost $1 million paid out to players over the first eight weeks of the season!

The CFL and DraftKings partnership also helps to alleviate any misconceptions about DFS in Canada.

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Gaming Nation Adds Top Fantasy Personalities Toronto-based Gaming Nation and its Fantasy Guru platform are launching a new daily fantasy sports site, DFS Guru Elite, and they’ve signed top fantasy personalities as contributors.

In addition to current Fantasy Guru analysts John Hansen, Joseph Dolan and Graham Barfield who will also be contributing to the site’s DFS content, the new personalities include: Tommy Gelati, the co-Founder of FantasyGuruElite.com, who’s been a professional stock trader and stock trading mentor for over a decade. He’s made more than $100,000 in a day playing DFS and has over seven figures in career winnings across all the major DFS sites.

Kevin Adams is the lead DFS analyst and co-founder for FantasyGuru.com, and he has also contributed as an on-air DFS analyst for FantasyInsiders.com and RotoGrinders.com.

Benjamin Riccardi was the 2014 winner of the FSWA’s Baseball Article of the Year award. He followed that up by being one of the three finalists for the FSWA 2015 Basketball Writer of the Year award. He is a frequent guest on Sirius XM Fantasy talking about both season long and daily fantasy sports topics.

Jason Eisele is currently the #1 ranked DFS PGA player thanks to six first place GPP finishes in 2016. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Rochester.

Michael Iurato has written several columns for Boxing/MMA websites worldwide and has done interviews on the radio and Sirius Radio, while also hosting his own show.

Fantasy Guru says DFS Guru Elite will provide subscription-based content in various sports including football, basketball, baseball, golf, hockey, NASCAR and MMA. ■

Haas admits there has been some confusion from Canadians on what they can and can’t access on the site – a point he attributes to some legislative challenges DFS sites have faced in the United States.

“DFS is a game of skill, and legal in Canada. Canadian players have full access to DraftKings’ full range of contests across all our sports, and are fully eligible for the prizes available to winners,” Haas described.

Haas is surely connected to the gaming scene here, as part of his international duties for DraftKings, but also building on his Canadian roots. Educated at both UBC and Ryerson, Haas worked as a reporter and photographer for The Toronto Sun, before turning digital (as Internet Manager at Discovery Channel Canada, and as Editorial Director at Sympatico-Lycos, and Digital Brand Manager at Spencer Francey Peters).

After launching his own Internet services company, Haas moved into the online gaming space, working with up-and-coming sites like PartyPoker and PokerStars.com, before joining DraftKings just over a year ago.

Good timing: the growth of the gaming industry has been off the charts in that time, due in no small part to legislative controversies and mandated changes to the rules governing online skill and games activity.

Earlier this month, the DFS industry got a significant victory when New York Governor Andrew Cuomo officially signed a fantasy sports bill into law,

New daily fantasy sports are coming to Gaming Nation’s Fantasy Guru and DFS Guru Elite

legalizing and regulating the industry and enforcing robust consumer protections for players in the state.

The industry has also successfully passed legislation in Massachusetts and seven other states and is focused on creating similar legislation in other states.

When discussing further expansion plans in Canada, Haas confirmed DraftKings is always looking to up its game by localizing the platform and developing local promotional campaigns for players of all skill levels.

He also points out that DraftKings has been a technology innovator in the fantasy world when it comes to creating new platforms and developing new non-traditional fantasy games. It was the first to offer DFS NASCAR and Mixed Martial Arts contests and games that are attracting a dedicated Canadian audience.

For the upcoming NFL and NHL season, DraftKings will offer another new product, called Leagues. It’s the first-ever DFS platform where players can create fully-customizable and personal contests just for their friends or colleagues. Each private League can last all season and include contests from a slate of 10 professional sports.

When asked about the possibility of further Canadian expansion and the possibility of a curling fantasy game, Haas replied with a playful smile: “There are no immediate plans but look at us to ‘sweep’ in a few new initiatives in the coming months.”

“Hurry hard” the fans might reply! ■ September 2016

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SPORTSCASTER FEATURE

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Live Sports under Control Managing Multiple Tallies, Ingest, Tx Channels

There’s so much great live TV coming out of international sports competitions that sometimes the biggest broadcasters need help handling it all. Multiple events in multiple locations all day long, every day and for weeks at a time.

Remote command and control over production capabilities is a solution: give local production teams the ability to monitor and control equipment that may be on the other side of the planet.

Providing control solutions to broadcasters is nothing new for Dan Fogel. Not since he began customizing parallel, then serial and now all manner of new digital control systems for legacy equipment as well as the latest gear available. He started work in his apartment 25 years ago; now he’s CTO at DNF Controls, a leading human-to-machine and machine-to-machine Talking about broadcast sports interface developer and solutions and applications, it’s manufacturer based in Northridge, CA. all about remote production Talking about broadcast sports solutions these days, and all the major applications, it’s all events and broadcasters come and about remote production quickly and naturally to the these days, and all the major events and broadconversation. casters come quickly

Dan Fogel, Chief Technical Officer, DNF Controls

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and naturally to the conversation: ESPN, NBC, CBS, CBC; collegiate athletics and the Olympics, the Masters and PGA Championship, tennis at the US Open and so on.

That’s where DNF device controllers can be used to pass camera tally signals and trigger graphics between multiple production trucks and venues.

Production fly-packs can be deployed to remote game sites and connected via the Internet. The units communicate with a local system at the home base facility to route tallies from production studio to event location.

Tallies can tell the hands-on operator that the camera is ‘live’, and selected on a production switcher for use on-air; the signals can differentiate between primary host broadcaster and secondary users.

DNF also has ingest management solutions for a sports broadcaster’s high-volume recording facility, where sometimes overwhelming amounts of incoming material must be secured.

As must be said, one example is the official U.S. broadcaster of the world’s most viewed sports competition.

Devices like DNF’s GTP-32 Control Processor can be configured for 64 simultaneous ingest channels each, with units located remotely, one say in Rio de Janeiro, and the other back in the home country. The GTP-32 delivers conditional operator control and

SPORTSCASTER FEATURE

monitoring over a wide range of broadcast production equipment − regardless of location − with a selection of protocol options, including GPI/O, Serial, Ethernet, TCP/IP, UDP, SNMP, HTTP, and SCTE. “A button push is worth a lot of money,” Fogel says on the phone. “There’s an audience of millions, and no margin for error. Yes, remote capabilities are a big issue for live sports (production).”

Asked about the prestige in providing crucial control solutions in so many high-profile, high-impact TV events, he starts off with a bit of downplay.

“We actually play a role in the background...” but it’s clear he delights in tackling very complicated situations head-on.

Like tying 20 or 25 full-up production trucks together, as they all share certain common cameras in the field during a major golf tournament.

He describes how DNF Flex Control systems provide tally control among all the trucks, and drive tallies in the field. Delegating who has control over what camera tallies and what resources at a remote site can be configured ahead of time, or even while on the air.

Source cameras can have a primary or secondary on-air tally, indicating which broadcaster is using its image. Control devices can also open and close-up mics almost instantly, with audio / video latency timing worked out ahead of time. Suitably-customized devices can take control of master control and playout-related systems.

Certainly, having sophisticated remote control capability serves up labour cost savings, yet Fogel says it’s about looking for other production solutions as well.

Good use of remote production tools lets operators actually do more with less, he says, gaining greater editorial not just technical control over the oh-so-valuable content.

With his company’s long experience and broad reach, it should not surprise to know his working familiarity extends to broadcast control rooms, sports specialty TV services and top production truck providers here in Canada.

Not should it surprise that the production solution used by CBC for its Rio Olympic coverage was as pure a remote production model as could be: no production trucks in Rio, no production control rooms or edit suites on site. Every microphone and camera was seen and controlled in Toronto and Montreal, as was described to Sportscaster Magazine in a series of e-mail exchanges prior to the Games.

All of CBC/Radio-Canada’s direction and production originated in its many control rooms and production suites in Canada.

Don’t misunderstand: CBC sent more than 200 on-air personnel with the necessary technical and support staff to Rio, not to mention the anchor desk, on-air sets and commentator backdrops; some 450 production crew members worked in Montreal and Toronto.

A comlicated network of transmission lines blended both traditional fibre delivery and an IP network to move specific signals for the coverage. The

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Device controllers and customized control systems from DNF Controls are widely used in live sports production and event broadcasting.

majority of sports feeds from around Rio came back to the International Broadcast Center in Barra Olympic Park and then into the CBC/Radio-Canada “pipe” back to Montreal and Toronto.

Many of CBC/Radio-Canada’s unique camera feeds moved as IP, needing calibration with the fibre to keep them “synchronous” on the differing technology routes back home. During the busiest time of day (1200 - 1800 hours local time, with all the afternoon competitions happening at once), CBC knew there would be more material in transmission than could be processed or recorded in Canada.

To manage and control it all, schedule coordinators prioritized the needs of both production sites to get the right feeds “live in the pipe” while other content moved at off-peak times. FTP (file transfer) also meant more content could be moved without tying up base-band feeds.

Yes, plenty of examples out there of remote live production control by experienced personnel using advanced systems to manage and deliver what matters most - great sports on TV! ■ Even using its remote production model, CBC sent more than 200 on-air personnel and the necessary technical and support staff to Rio, not to mention the anchor desk, on-air sets and commentator backdrops; some 450 production crew members worked in Montreal and Toronto.

September 2016

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SPORTSCASTER FEATURE

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BMO Field Hosts First Grey Cup

TSN’s Paul Graham on the right, at the 2014 Grey Cup, with TSN Senior Vice-President of Production, Mark Milliere.

Photo: TSN.

As Vice-President and Executive Producer of Live Events, TSN’s Paul Graham oversees all aspects of TSN’s live productions – hundreds of NHL, CFL, Hockey Canada, curling and NBA events each year. Graham has produced more than 1,500 live major national and international events throughout his career.

He’s no stranger to the Grey Cup, of course, and he’s worked on some of the highest-watched, most-attended and biggest-revenue generating CFL championships.

And with the upcoming 104th Grey Cup being the 1st Grey Cup at BMO Field, there’s even more at play at the Toronto sports venue, coming as it does after a two-year, $150-million transformation.

There are more than 30,000 seats now, with a new 8,400-seat upper bowl on the top of the east grandstand. New upgrades to and additions of luxury clubs and suite spaces increase capacity too.

The renovation project also raised an impressive new roof, and readied the once-soccer only venue for the arrival of the Canadian Football League, and the Toronto Argonauts. A new training area and locker room were added, and the visiting locker room reconfigured.

To accommodate both football and soccer, seats in the grandstands were traded in for portable risers. Grass turf remains for TFC games, but the pitch is extended to CFL field size with artificial turf at the ends, onto which the portable risers are rolled during soccer matches.

TSN’s telecast of the CFL title match will of course be a full-up HD and 4K production, Graham told Sportscaster Magazine, as are all the productions from BMO now.

The venue is now home to both Major League Soccer (MLS) club Toronto FC and Canadian Football League (CFL) team the Toronto Argonauts. BMO Field will host the 104th Grey Cup in November 2016 and the National Hockey League (NHL) Centennial Classic on Jan.1, 2017.

Image: BMO Field by Gensler.

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All told, Graham expects over 40 cameras to be in place, most in hard-cabled positions, some running cables and some, as is done regularly on TSN’s CFL sportscast, using RF. But he offered that he’ll still be figuring out final camera details in November.

“We do 80 or 90 per cent of the live sports there,” he noted of TSN’s production role at BMO Field.

With a lot of TFC, all the CFL and now rugby too, TSN is the prime TV user and in effect the broadcaster of record there.

So TSN’s been in contact with stadium officials throughout the renovations, and remains so, to make sure the new venue meets its live sports television requirements.

“It’s a great place to shoot in terms of intimacy,” Graham said. “The bowl is smaller (than other football stadia) and so camera positions closer, bringing that sense of closeness for the fans and the viewers.”

Not being as big means the space does have its limitations and there are some challenges in terms of camera positions, he said.

“First and foremost, it’s a soccer facility. When configured for CFL football, the field is off-centre.

We had to make extra make sure the ‘centre’ camera really is at the 55- yard line. Around the 25 yard line, some new infrastructure was required. We’re still working on end zone camera placement, so there are on-going efforts on the Grey Cup. It’s a process - not unexpected, and coming along nicely.”

The new facility afforded some interesting new camera positions, Graham pointed out, such as on the new roof structures “It’s a pretty cool angle,” he said, for some great goal line shots.

The popular cable cam is confirmed used for TSN’s Grey Cup coverage, as it has been installed for all Argo home games, as another benefit in the new facility.

The final camera count and mic placements will put the equipment in the hands of a multi-award winning sports production team.

TSN is always among the nominees and recipients of Canadian Screen Awards for its live sports production, especially the Grey Cup. Year-after-year TSN gets the nod at the CSAs, exemplified by the five awards for its comprehensive coverage of the historic 100th Grey Cup. An average audience of 5.8 million watched the TSN and RDS that day, earning a big 16.1 rating.

Digital delivery scored just as big on game day, with word that TSN.ca recorded more than 7.5 million page views and one million unique visitors.

As the big game nears, sportscastermagazine.ca will have more posts and information about the BMO Field renovation, and TSN’s production plans and capabilities for the upcoming 104th Grey Cup, the first at BMO Field. ■

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING FAIRMONT CHATEAU WHISTLER

Monday, September 19th - Wednesday, September 21st

September 2016

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CCSA CONFERENCE

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SUNDAY, September 18th 9:30 am  4:00 pm

Board Meeting (CCSA Board Members) .................................................................. Saskatchewan Room

 10:00 pm

Board Dinner (CCSA Board Members) ......................................................................................... Offsite

MONDAY, September 19th 9:00 am  5:00 pm

Registration ............................................................................................................... Frontenac Windows

6:30 pm

10:00 am

 11:00 am

Shareholders Meeting (CCSA Members) ....................................................................... Macdonald A, B

11:30 am



1:00 pm

Luncheon (CCSA Members) ....................................................................................................... Frontenac C

1:15 pm



4:00 pm

Interactive Workshops and Sponsor Promos (CCSA Members) ............................................................. TBC Panel: Packaging Strategies Regulatory 101 Update Effective Grass Roots Advocacy

4:00 pm



4:30 pm

Board Meeting (CCSA Board Members) ....................................................................... Saskatchewan Room

6:30 pm



9:00 pm

The Social (All Delegates)............................................................................................ Squamish Lil’Wat Cultural Centre

TUESDAY, September 20th 7:30 am  11:00 am

(All Delegates)

Registration ............................................................................................................... Frontenac Windows

8:00 am



9:00 am

Drop-in Hot Breakfast Buffet ............................................................................................Empress A, B, C

9:00 am

 10:00 am

10:15 am



2:15 pm

2:30 pm



3:30 pm

3:30 pm



6:30 pm

Key-Note Speaker: Curt Steinhorst ................................................................................ Macdonald A, B The Divide between Millennials and Gen Z Showcase .....................................................................................................Macdonald C, D, E, F With Café / Lunch Key-Note Speaker: Duncan Stewart .............................................................................. Macdonald A, B Consumer and Enterprise Technology, and Media and Telecommunications Trends On Your Own: Opportunity to book private meetings ...............................................................Empress A

6:30 pm



7:00 pm

Connect for Cocktails .................................................................................................... Macdonald Foyer

7:00 pm



9:30 pm

Board of Directors’ Hosted Dinner ............................................................................... Macdonald A, B, C Tuned In Canada Awards with MC, Darrin Rose

WEDNESDAY, September 21st 8:30 am  9:00 am 9:00 am  3:00 pm 12:00 pm



3:00 pm

(Optional) Golf Registration ............................................................................. Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club Golf (includes breakfast-to-go, lunch on the course, reception and awards) or White Water Rafting – Wet & Wild! ........................................................... Whistler Village to Green River (includes snack)

Updated: August 22, 2016; Subject to change SPORTScaster

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CCSA CONFERENCE

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FAIRMONT CHATEAU WHISTLER

Monday, September 19th - Wednesday, September 21st This year’s Connect conference takes us to beautiful British Columbia. The event will bring together hundreds of delegates at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, located in the heart of the renowned mountain resort and location of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Delegates will take in the stunning coastal and rainforest scenery and celebrate the local First Nations culture. The event provides CCSA members, programmers, equipment suppliers and industry stakeholders the opportunity to meet, network and foster business.

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION To register for this year’s conference, please visit http://agm.ccsa.cable.ca and select Delegates.

Delegate Conference Fee The registration fee for Delegates is $850/person + tax and includes access to the Monday evening social (Sept. 19th), Tuesday (Sept. 20th) breakfast, Café / Lunch, cocktail reception & awards dinner. It also provides access to Tuesday’s speaker sessions and the Connect Showcase.

The Golf and White Water Rafting packages taking place on Wednesday, Sept. 21st are an additional fee ($200 & $175 respectively). Please see Page 2 for more information on these events.

Guests There are two registration options available for the guests of conference attendees: 1. Companion Program ($200 plus tax) includes: • Monday, Sept. 19th - Opening Reception/Social (6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.) and • Tuesday, Sept. 20th - Cocktail Reception and Awards Dinner (6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.).

The companion program does not include breakfast/ lunch with the delegates or events taking place during the day.

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2. Wednesday Packages - Guests are welcome to register for the Golf or White Water Rafting packages taking place on Wednesday, September 21st. Please see page 2 for prices and details for these events.

How do I register my guest?

Please be sure to register your guest online at the same time you register yourself for the CCSA conference.

Conference Cancellation and Refund Policy Substitution of participants is permissible with prior notification to conference@ccsa.cable.ca. Prior to September 4, 2016, refunds will be made less a $50 service charge. After September 4, no refund can be provided.

EXHIBITORS The Connect 2016 Showcase is an exclusive, invitationonly event for equipment vendors and high-level sponsors.

Showcase exhibitors must also register as full conference delegates to participate in the Connect 2016 Showcase.

For more information, please contact Dale Cook at 506-849-1334 ext. 201 or dcook@ccsa.cable.ca).

NOTE: All attendees are asked to check-in at the CCSA registration desk to receive their name badge and conference information. Registration will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Monday and from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday.

CCSA CONFERENCE

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WEDNESDAY EVENT PACKAGES September 21st, 2016

GOLF DAY PACKAGE: $200 + TAX

WHITE WATER RAFTING: $175 + TAX

(Club rentals are $70 + tax) 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (9:00 a.m. shotgun start)

12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Wildlife, scenery and incredible vistas are signature of The Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Course.

Catch all the thrills of white water rafting as certified guides navigate you safely through haystacks and holes.

The mountain course traverses creeks, ponds, stands of ancient Douglas fir and granite rock. Elevation changes of more than 400 feet overall create an impressive golf opportunity and a naturally spectacular BC golf experience.

This whitewater rafting trip takes you just north of Whistler Village to Green River, which provides the perfect combination of fun bouncy rapids and picturesque scenery for first-timers. The Class 2 and 3 rapids are sure to jostle your raft and challenge you to break through the white water. Paddling through the waves as a team will no doubt be a bonding experience you won’t soon forget!

Golf Day Package includes: • • • • •

Scheduled return transportation Breakfast to go - 8:30 a.m.

Green Fees, Golf cart, Bar cart Light box lunch on course Reception with golf awards (2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.)

White Water Rafting Package includes: Scheduled return transportation Snack (Bottled water/BC apples/locally baked granola bar) • All rafting equipment • Towel • 1 hour rafting excursion • •

NOTE: Duration is approx. 2.5 hours with 1 hour on the river. Guests must bring their own swimwear. A waiver must be signed prior to tour departure.

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CCSA CONFERENCE

16

ACCOMMODATIONS Conference attendees are responsible for arranging their own accommodations.

Rates: CCSA has negotiated a block of rooms that have been reserved for Connect 2016 delegates. We recommend that you book your room at your earliest convenience.

The Run of House category rooms (Fairmont, Fairmont Deluxe and Deluxe Slope-side) are offered at a rate of $239 plus a mandatory daily resort fee of $12.00 per room (plus taxes).

To receive the group rate, please identify yourself as part of the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance group (Group Code: 0916CABL_001) at the time of booking.

Conference rates are available until August 24, 2016.

Other rooms and rates may apply.

Reservations: To book your accommodations, contact the Fairmont Reservations Department as follows: • Global reservations: 1-800-441-1414 • In-house reservations: 1 800-606-8244 • Online reservations: https://resweb.passkey.com/go/ccsa2016 Additional Room Occupants: Each extra person sharing a room (over and above two adults) will be charged an additional $30.00 per night, plus applicable taxes and service charges. There will be no charge for children up to and including the age of 18 years who share with their parents. The maximum occupancy is two persons per Fairmont room and four persons per room, depending on room category.

Check-in / Check-out times: Check-in time is 4:00 p.m., PST. Every effort is made to accommodate guests arriving before the check-in time, however, rooms may not be immediately available.

Check-out time is 11:00 a.m., PST. Requests to retain rooms beyond that hour should be directed to the Front Desk once the delegate is registered. Should it be possible to extend a late check-out, a late departure charge may be applicable.

Hotel Parking: The fee for hotel parking is: Self-parking / $35.00, Valet parking / $39.00.

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TRAVEL When making your travel arrangements, please keep in mind events for delegates begin on Monday, September 19th, at 6:30 p.m.

The Fairmont Chateau Whistler is an approximate 2 hour drive from Vancouver International Airport. Map & Directions WestJet Discount A 10% group discount has been arranged with WestJet for delegates attending the CCSA Conference. More information can be found here.

Ground Transportation CCSA has established preferred rates with Pacific Coach (YVR Whistler/SkyLynx) for transportation between the Vancouver Airport and Whistler. To ensure your flight corresponds with ground transportation, please visit this Pacific Coach schedule before confirming your flight.

The CCSA discount code is CCSA16.

CONFERENCE ATTIRE Looking for ideas on what to wear while attending Connect 2016?

Our conference is pretty relaxed and you should be too. We recommend business casual for most of the conference events and sessions. Because temperatures may vary in the meeting rooms, you may want to bring a light jacket or sweater.

• Monday evening Social: Delegates will be led by a drummer(s) from the Fairmont Chateau Whistler to the Squamish Lil’Wat Cultural Centre. It is a short walk outside, so please bring a jacket and comfortable shoes.

• Tuesday evening Cocktails, Dinner & Awards: Looking to get a bit more dressed up? This is the reason to do so. Business attire is recommended. It’s also the perfect opportunity to wear that little black dress.

• Wednesday Golf Day Package: Normal golf attire. No jeans please.

• Wednesday White Water Rafting Package: You are bound to get wet at this event! While a towel will be provided, participants must bring their own swimwear and water/sport shoes that can get wet. You’ll also want to have dry clothes/shoes for after your excursion.

First time rafters might want to ‘Google’ White Water Rafting for suggested attire.

Please remember, we’ll be in the Canadian Rockies - so be sure to come prepared! This time of year, temperatures range from a High of 14 °C (57 °F) to a low of 8 °C (46 °F).

CCSA CONFERENCE

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Curt Steinhorst

Business owner, entrepreneur, and founder of FocusWise Curt Steinhorst is a Certified Keynote Speaker at The Center for Generational Kinetics. His clients range from GM and Raytheon to the Naval Academy. Curt is a Millennial himself who has a reputation as a leader among Millennials. At age 20, he was elected President of his 10,000-member class at Texas A&M University.

Since graduating from college magna cum laude he has worked extensively to make the most of generational differences for clients around the world. Curt’s entertaining speaking style has wowed audiences of up to 20,000 leaders from California to New York City and Africa. Curt’s personal experiences leading Millennials and serving as a speaking coach for top performers—from executives and TV personalities to helping the Heisman Trophy Winner prepare for his speech—make him a powerful and entertaining communicator on how to bridge generations with employees and customers.

Duncan Stewart

Director of Technology, Media and Telecommunications Research for Deloitte Canada Duncan is a member of Deloitte’s national TMT executive team, and co-author of Deloitte Research’s annual Predictions Report on trends in TMT. He has 25 years of experience in the TMT industry and is a globally recognized speaker and expert on the forecasting of consumer and enterprise technology, and media and telecommunications trends. Working worldwide and across all industries, Duncan advises clients on the impact of new and existing technology, and demographic and regulatory changes to their business strategies.

As an analyst and portfolio manager, he has provided research

or made investments in the entire Canadian technology and telecommunications sector, and won the Canadian Technology Fund Manager of the Year award in its inaugural year. In his time as an investor, he deployed a cumulative $2 billion of capital into global TMT markets.

Duncan is frequently interviewed on technology, media, and telecommunications issues and has been a technology columnist for The Globe and Mail, CBC Radio, and The National Post.

Darrin Rose

Award-winning Canadian comedian and actor Darrin is one of Canada’s most popular comedians. The host of Match Game on the Comedy Network, Darrin is also known as Bill the bartender on the CBC sitcom Mr. D, and he has appeared on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS. He has been called “one of the hottest comedians in Canada” by GQ magazine.

Darrin is a regular at the Just For Laughs festival, and has won a Canadian Comedy Award for Best Live Performance for his appearance on Just for Laughs in 2014. His half hour stand-up special, broadcast on CTV, was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance in a Variety or Comedy Series. His one man show, What’s Potpourri?, was selected Best of the Fest at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival. He tours internationally as a stand-up comedian, including at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas; Hong Kong, Singapore, Ireland, across the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.

In 2016, he was nominated for a second Canadian Screen Award as Best Supporting Actor for his role on Mr. D, the hit CBC sitcom recently renewed for a sixth season. He was a regular on MuchMusic’s hit show Video On Trial. He has contributed humour articles to the National Post, and won a Canadian Screenwriting Award for the cartoon Scaredy Squirrel in 2012.

September 2016

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SPORTS MARKETING & BRANDING

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Boston’s iconic Fenway Park, seen hosting an NHL Winter Classic and not the MLB boys of summer, is a cornerstone in the Fenway Sports Management portfolio.

Digital Developments Changing the Rules for Sports Marketing

Snowboard and BMX competitions in the ESPN X Games get the Intel high-tech treatment for real-time data on in-air rotations, jump height, speed and force-on-landing.

SPORTScaster

Innovative digital developments are changing the rules of the game for sports marketers and redefining what catching the game means to fans.

As new ways to acquire, analyze and deliver content and related media messages transform the sports world, industry leaders, corporate executives and disruptive entrepreneurs alike must identify and embrace successful new brand strategies for a rapidly changing sports landscape.

(Sports landscapes, of course, are not always green grass or blue water: even with its screen-sized silicon playing field, competitive e-gaming is growing into a fully-fledged sport. It is drawing huge numbers from the coveted millennial demographic, and it gives out prize packages comparable with sometimes larger than ¬ traditional pro sports.)

So when global marketing and sport industry leaders gathered for a series of conversations about

| September 2016

these changing playing fields, outside observers were keeping a close eye on the score.

Fenway Sports Management (FSM) invited participants to its Sports Summit at Levi’s Stadium in San Fran over the summer, where it hosted a series of workshops, seminars and special keynote presentations by senior executives from social media, esports and gaming, consumer products and media publishing.

(Yes, of course it’s that Fenway – FSM is a member of the feted family that counts some of the most storied sports names and venues in its clan: the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park, Liverpool Football Club, New England Sports Network and Roush Fenway Racing.)

Advanced Video Technology From enhanced replays to entire Virtual Reality sportscasts, advancements in video technology and transforming the way sports is watched and tracked, FSM Summit delegates heard.

Intel led off with its new replay technology during MLB All-Star Weekend (check out the All Star Game Stars High-Tech story on Page 20 for more on this) to create 360-degree, 3D replays of action on the field during live TV coverage. It also integrated its Intel Curie module into select snowboard and BMX competitions in the ESPN X Games to provide real-time data on in-air rotations, jump height, speed and force-on-landing.

VR’s ability to capture and deliver a unique first-person point of view has valuable applications that traditional video lacks: Athletes get valuable repetitions from a first-person perspective in an immersive, 360-degree environment; fans get authentic experiences that immerse them in the major-league action. Stanford-affiliated STRIVR

SPORTS MARKETING & BRANDING

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Fenway Sports Management Managing Director and Summit Moderator Mark Lev; EA Chief Competition Officer Peter Moore; Recode Senior Editor Kurt Wagner; New Balance President & CEO Rob DeMartini; Intel CEO Brian Krzanich; SpringHill Entertainment & Uninterrupted Cofounder and CEO Maverick Carter; STRIVR Founder and CEO Derek Belch; Facebook Head of Global Sports Partnerships Dan Reed and NRG eSports Chairman & Cofounder Andrew Miller pose at the Fenway Sports Summit. FSM staged the summit with support from Sapient Consulting.

Labs, for example, filmed 20,000 football plays in the last year, which were watched by college and pro players 50,000 times for practice purposes. In 2015, three of the five highest-rated college QBs used STRIVR on a weekly basis.

Networking and Community Building Social media is a proven driver for creating a community around a specific TV sportscast, sports property or championship competition. Being a part of the community is a major revenue driver for teams, networks and advertising brands. According to Nielsen, each time a Facebook post about an NFL game on TV is shared during the 15 minutes prior to kickoff, 1,000 additional viewers tune in for the first minute of play.

What’s more, exclusive video content can drive greater fan engagement. One hundred million hours of video are viewed per day on Facebook, and videos average 62 percent more engagement than photos.

Of course, sports fans and media junkies need a way – an extra device or two – to watch all that video. Speakers at the Summit said that brands must develop strategies to engage fans through social media and second screen content delivery.

New Sports Media Platforms, Channels, Publishers Of course, some of the video viewing – and a lot of the new digital sports and entertainment experience – is done on wearables. With style, functionality and a trendy tech friendly following, wearable sports, fitness and lifestyle products now incorporate smart technologies that can be used to extend brand reach and awareness.

New Balance and Intel Corp. recently announced a strategic collaboration to create products that connect athletes with technology, and the com-

panies disclosed plans to jointly develop a smart sport watch scheduled for the 2016 holiday season.

Sports and media marketers must also deal with a very direct threat to their business model: new communication channels enabled by digital technology are cutting out the media middleman.

Athletes have more and more opportunities to eschew traditional media and deliver their message directly to fans through new media platforms that specialize in offering athlete-point-of-view content.

The Players’ Tribune, launched by New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter in October 2014, was where Kobe Bryant announced his retirement in an exclusive arrangement.

LeBron James and his business partner Maverick Carter created Uninterrupted, another site that gives athletes a direct and seemingly unfiltered way to connect with fans. Uninterrupted also plans to create original sports video content, including miniseries and documentaries.

Summit attendees heard it loud and clear: new techniques for effective sports marketing must be added to the line-up. Success in this game means taking into account the options, alternatives and as-yet-unforeseen developments that will continue to change the rules of the sports media industry. ■

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Stanford-affiliated STRIVR Labs, filmed 20,000 football plays in the last year, which were watched by college and pro players 50,000 times for practice purposes.

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September 2016

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SPORTS TECH

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Intel’s 360-degree production team manipulated video of MLB All-Star Game action to create surround replays used on TV.

All Star Game Stars High Tech Major League Baseball’s All Star game was an all-star tech show, too – with virtual reality, immersive 360-degree video and other advanced technologies used in the coverage.

Top TV and IT engineers installed and calibrated a sophisticated replay system set-up at Petco Park in San Diego. Some 28 high-definition cameras, coupled with high-capacity Intel-based server and client systems, processed data streams at one terabyte per second to create 360-degree surround replays.

The cameras capture not simply 2D pixels, but voxIntel’s 360-degree replay els – pixels with 3D volume technology uses multiple characteristics.

Sequences can then be high-definition cameras, rendered with a POV from paired with Intel-powered almost any angle or position, servers and PCs, to create but depending on the available system horsepower, the a 3D replay that can be replays take some time for processing before airing, up seen from any position to ten minutes depending on

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and angle.

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the sequence and added moves applied to it.

Intel acquired the 360 replay system previously known as FreeD from Israeli tech developer Replay Technologies last March. As well as the work with MLB, Intel has partnered with the NBA, NFL, ESPN X Games and Red Bull, and it’s planning to make even more immersive new sports content for fans, leagues, broadcasters and athletes alike.

For the MLB All Star coverage, the new replays — once processed — put new perspectives on key at-bats, game-changing outs and plays at home plate. The 360-degree videos were part of the TV sportscast carried on ESPN, FOX, MLB Network, Rogers Sportsnet, the video streams from digital and mobile platforms of MLB.com, where many 360 clips are available on-demand.

As widely used as video replays are in sports, they remain essentially a 2D resource, and multiple replays must be viewed separately in order to gain a better sense of how a play unfold after the fact.

By integrating and stitching together multiple camera angles, replay officials could in fact be evaluating a much more accurate representation of the 3D space in which a close play occurs. ■

SPORTS TECH

HD/4K Ultra Slo Mo Cam for Replays – and Referees With its ability to record more than an hour’s worth of continuous loop video in high-speed and in high resolution, the newest version of the Infinite ultra slow-motion system catches the eye of video replay operators and sports referees alike.

System developer I-MOVIX based Infinite on the Phantom Flex 4K from Vision Research; the Flex4K shoots from 15 frames-per-second (fps) up to 1,000 fps at 4K, and up to 2,000 fps at 2K/1080p. A configuration based on the Phantom v642 is also available.

The Infinite system can operate in standalone mode, recording video on-board without a production server. Infinite can record more than one hour of RAW frame-accurate material at up to 4K/180p or HD/600p, offering frame-accurate video speed ramping without compensation or interpolation.

Used in remote/IP set-ups, or in wireless configuration, its triggerless operation means a dedicated operator is not required. Continuous loop shooting gives production teams every moment of the action for ultra-slo mo replay.

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The remote production capability also has potential applications in sports refereeing, allowing the same referee to provide ultra-slow motion adjudication The companion X10 UHD RF system supports very high-frame rate ultra slo mo in HD sports productions, offering live and replay operation with standard wireless camera back solutions. ■

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Advertising unit includes: headline; product/service picture; 50-60 words of copy and a link to a website or landing page. ● All responses, to the Product Spotlight, are e-mailed to the advertiser within five business days and includes contact information for each enquirer. All subsequent responses are e-mailed as we receive them.

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SPORTS TECH

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WSC’s AVGEN and Clipro platforms have created more than 20,000 NBA highlight packages.

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The new technology provides in-game and postgame video highlight packages, automatically, using cloud-computing, sports data, image processing and automatic editing algorithms.

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Automated Sports Highlights from WSC AVGEN The National Basketball Association and sports tech company WSC Sports Technologies are in a multi-year deal to create and deliver video highlights – automatically.

The NBA is using WSC’s AVGEN (Automatic Video Generator) and Clipro technology to generate customized highlights in near real-time, using pre-defined queries, or specific rules for identifying important video highlights. There are some 600 sets of rules used by the NBA on a regular season’s daily game schedule.

The new technology provides in-game and postgame video highlight packages, along with daily, weekly and monthly highlights of specific teams, SPORTScaster

| September 2016

players and plays. It’s all built on WSC’s integration of cloud-computing, sports data, image processing and automatic editing algorithms.

WSC’s AVGEN and Clipro platforms have created more than 20,000 NBA highlight packages as part of the initial rollout.

The customized video content and highlight packages with WSC are featured across the NBA’s digital and social assets, including the league’s 18 websites, many NBA team sites, NBA.com/Stats, NBADLeague. com, and WNBA.com.

WSC is also working with digital media distributor RR Media to enable international broadcasters and other sports properties to produce their own automated, customized short form content. ■

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