New technology from startup ventures is transforming the sports industry. The mission of this series is to introduce startup companies in the sports technology space to a broader audience and allow Founders of promising new ventures to tell their story. Feel free to contact us if you know of a startup that should be considered for this series.
Company name: Sportle
Founder(s): Adam Shaw, Ali Tahmasbi
Headquarters: Los Angeles, CA
1. What is your elevator pitch?
Former sports and media executives have built a company that is simplifying the way fans stream sports, on any device, at any time.
Sportle is the fastest and easiest way to find live sports streams. Within seconds you can find where a game is streaming and if you have access to it. It’s also the essential sports app to stay on top of what’s available to watch.
We aggregate all of the major events, and then determine what level of access is required to stream each event.
For the games that require authentication, we allow users to pre-populate their credentials into our app and automatically authenticate them into the stream.
2. Problem & Solution
Problem
Currently, there’s no resource to turn to when you want to find an official stream for a game.
Imagine you’re at a dinner party and the college football game is down to the wire with two minutes left.
You go to Google to search for a stream, and the results are littered with illegal sites. Either the stream doesn’t load or it’s not watchable due to endless popups or unbearable lag. By the time you find a half-decent stream, the game is over.
If you opt for the official mobile stream, the problem is exacerbated by having to download the correct app in order to gain streaming access. Nobody wants to download the WatchESPN, FOX Sports GO, and CBS Sports apps only to find out the game is streaming in the Pac-12 app.
Solution
There are many complex rules that determine whether you can stream an event.
For fans, instead of figuring out how to stream a game, Sportle does the thinking for you. We take you to the official stream, and if you do not have access to an event, we show you how to get access.
For networks and MSOs, we increase the sports viewing pie. There is a general lack of awareness about the availability of streams, and the value cable credentials provide for accessing streams.
No longer does someone have to be sitting in front of their TV to watch the most anticipated events and the most critical moments in sports; that’s a big win for fans, networks, AND MSOs.
3. Market – your target market and the overall market
Sportle is currently only localized for the US market.
Sports viewership reached record highs in 2015, as the US spent more than 31 billion hours watching sports.
Although viewership on TV is still king, more fans are moving to digital devices. In a summer 2015 study, 37% of US sports fans said they stream sports ‘often’ and 57% said they have streamed sports at some point.
4. Business Model – how do you make money?
The app is free to download. Initial monetization will include:
- Promotion within the app for networks and leagues – featured placement tiles
- Affiliate commissions for referring transactional traffic (pay per view events) as well as cable or OTT subscriptions
- Integration with third party services such as daily fantasy, tickets, and merchandise
5. Management Team – with titles
Adam Shaw, Founder & CEO
Ali Tahmasbi, Founder & Chief Product Officer
6. What else do you want the audience to know about your venture?
We just went live in the iOS App Store. Android is coming soon!