By Daniel Shichman, CEO & Co-Founder
Taking a moment to reflect on 2023 and how to sum it all up isn’t easy. So many things happened over the past 12 months, and for a company of our size we learned that everything becomes more interesting, yet admittedly more challenging, as you focus energies on big projects that have the most impact.
In 2023 we grew a lot as a company, in almost every aspect, and I’m proud to highlight some of our key achievements below.
Clients
We pride ourselves on being partners with our clients, and over the past year we were delighted to welcome over 150 new teams, leagues, federations, broadcasters, OTT platforms, and other sports media rights holders. The list included names such as ATP Media, Sky, TelevisaUnivision, Top Rank Boxing, and Tottenham Hotspur. We can proudly say that going into 2024, our AI-based technology is automating content workflows and transforming digital strategies for more than 450 sports organizations around the world.
One of the things I enjoy most throughout the year is hearing about the positive impact we’ve made for our clients in so many ways. It’s great to learn about things they’re doing with us that were previously thought to be impossible, and to see how we’ve helped them better connect with their fans and generate new revenue streams. For myself, the close relationships we’ve established with our clients are a key factor in our shared success. This connection is especially valuable to better understand every client’s needs so that we continue to develop the solutions that serve them best.
Content
Another one of my favorite things to do at the end of each year is to review just how much content our clients created using our platform. Well, in 2023 the numbers were huge! Not only did our platform ingest more broadcast streams than ever before, 370,000, but the number of videos created jumped 64% from 2022, to over 6.4 million. That means that every 5 seconds a video was created using WSC Sports!
Developing and maintaining a video platform that performs on that scale is certainly a huge challenge, but it’s one that we’re up for.
Awards
The recognition we receive for all of our hard work is one our proudest achievements as a company. In 2023 we were honored to receive three awards: the Football Business Award for Innovation, the SportsPro OTT Award for Best User Experience, and the prestigious Technology & Engineering Emmy® Award for AI-ML Creation of Sports Highlights.
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Team
To better serve our clients in specific regions we set up shop in Thailand and increased our presence in the UK, US, and China.
It may sound cliché, but I believe our most valuable asset is the amazing people that work at WSC Sports. They embody the ‘never give up’ attitude that defines our company, and they’ve proven that they can take on some very big challenges and succeed—no matter how difficult and complex they might be.
Another big moment this year was cutting the ribbons at our new offices, both at our HQ in Tel Aviv and in New York. It’s never easy to change homes, but it was essential for us as we continue to grow.
Going into 2024, the sports ecosystem finds itself in a critical position. Traditional business models are no longer sustainable because the way fans consume sports content is changing. Rights owners need to connect more directly with fans, leverage fan data, and generate new revenue streams—all by serving up the right content or the right ‘offer’ at the right time. This is a fascinating juncture and a defining moment for the industry.
Generative AI has also become a hot topic and everyone is trying to understand the benefit from this new phenomenon, how to best apply it, and where it might lead us in the future. Stay tuned for some interesting updates on this in the near future.
2024 is going to be another year full of fresh challenges and opportunities. There’s a lot of scope to increase our offering. This past year, we’ve been working very hard to develop new products and provide our clients with an end-to-end solution. One platform to manage all their video assets (not just game footage), in addition to automating the creation and distribution of any type of content. By combining these two elements, our platform will set the standard for the way that rights holders create and distribute sports content, and bring fans closer to their favorite sports teams, leagues, and broadcasters than ever before.
Wishing you all the best in the new year,
Daniel
