What changes?

Indeed, technology development has modernized the sports that we know. Technologies such as virtual reality promises sport enthusiasts of an immersive experience on watching sports. Users can now enjoy the stadium atmosphere on their couch, thanks to the VR-headset that they use whilst watching the game from their cable TV (Pierce, 2019). Furthermore, the sports league is also trying to bring more personalization to the users. ESPN, for example, provide users the option to choose their favorite broadcaster to comment the game for them (Pierce, 2019). As such, I think, these technologies might change the way fans watch sports matches. But is that it?

The answer is no. And that is because we have this rising technology called (buzzword alert!) machine learning. The technology offers interesting applications for sports team, particularly, around prediction domain (Warner, 2019). With machine learning sports team can predict, for example, winning probability and player performance, provided enough historical data exists. The English Premier League, for example, use machine learning to predict the direction of opponents’ penalty shot, using historical data, to help the goalkeeper make better decision (Morgulev, et al., 2018). Likewise, in US’ Major League Soccer, machine learning has been used to recommend the optimal game plan to coaches (Barlas, 2014). Another example will be the National Football League (NFL), who are using machine learning to understand the best route to run the ball (Lemire, 2019). Furthermore, the NFL has also put sensors in the players shoulder pads, therefore, allowing the player stats to be tracked continuously (Proman, 2019).

Better or Worse?

All in all, sports have and will change; be it on the way fans watch the matches or teams adjust their game plans. Fans no longer need to go the the stadium miles away to watch the game, they can simply put on a VR-goggle and enjoy the stadium atmosphere. Coaches no longer needs to assess the fitness of the players, as sensors already record their diets and fatigue (Barlas, 2014). Players no longer need to watch game films as extensive data analytics will provide them with their opponents favorite moves or ’hotspots’.

The question is, does it change sports for the better or for the worse?

References

Barlas, P., 2014. Data Analytics Get In The Sports Game Soccer, football teams turn to wearable tech, software for big wins. Investor’s Business Daily , Volume A01, p. 1.

Lemire, J., 2019. Sport Techie. [Online] Available at: sporttechie.com/nfl-big-data-bowl-running-backs-michael-lopez-analytics-director-football [Accessed 16 October 2019].

Morgulev, E., Azar, O. H. & Lidor, R., 2018. Sports analytics and the big-data era. International Journal of Data Science and Analytics, 5(4), pp. 213-222.

Pierce, D., 2019. The Wallstreet Journal. [Online] Available at: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-future-of-sports-is-interactive-immersive-and-intense-11552827600 [Accessed 18 October 2019].

Proman, M., 2019. Techcrunch. [Online] Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/01/the-future-of-sports-tech-heres-where-investors-are-placing-their-bets/ [Accessed 1 October 2019].

Warner, J., 2019. Customer Think. [Online] Available at: https://customerthink.com/sports-and-machine-learning-is-there-a-connection/ [Accessed 16 October 2019].

No ratings yet.

Recently, Porsche just allow us (well, some of us who are lucky enough to live like a king) to apply for a monthly subscription plan that lets us drive various Porsches. (see video)

Porsche Passport

The service is called Porsche Passport, it is essentially a mobile apps which match our driving needs with the available Porsches. Initially offered in Atlanta, US, Porsche expand this offering into four other cities; three in the US and one in Canada (Korosec, 2019). Starting with a flat fee of $2100 or $3100 per month, users can choose to drive a Porsche across eight or twelve available variants. Furthermore, the process is done hassle-free through a mobile app. Users should provide their identifications and can simply have the cars delivered home or agree to a meeting point.

Customer Related Risk and Benefits

For users, this feature comes in handy. Before, people need to commit to a huge cost by purchasing a Porsche. Also, they cannot easily switch their Porsche with another variant should they be bored with their current Porsche. The Porsche Passport is released to answer the customer needs of higher flexibility, more individual choice, and more mobile engagement (Wright, 2019). Furthermore, this service also aimed to gain a new wave of customers, as shown by its pilot program in Atlanta where 80% of the acquired customers are not previous Porsche owners (Wright, 2019).

Effect on the Industry

However, Porsche is not the first carmaker who bandwagon into the subscription-based, or car-sharing, business model. Other large carmakers such as BMW, Audi, Jeep also offer similar service: a monthly car subscription, covering insurance and maintenance. There are also companies like Fair and Carpe which offers monthly subscription for various car brands, from standard to premium brands (Autoblog, n.d.).

These services breathe new air to the car industry. The industry has been enjoying a modest growth of 4.8%, translating to 88 million cars sold globally in 2016 (Strategy&, 2016). The margin of top-10 manufacturers have also recovered to about 6%, and stagnating, since after the crisis (Strategy&, 2016) .However, this car-sharing business model is changing the industry as it can increase the industry output by 30% or amounting to $1.5 trillion by 2030 (McKinsey, 2016). Now, customers need not to own a car to drive it, instead they can easily open an app on their mobile phone, click some buttons, and have the car delivered at their doorstep.

All in all, this subscription-based service is indeed a new one for automotive industry which has survived and prosper for decades through selling cars to customers. Will this new business model complement the industry? Or will it disrupt and change the automotive industry landscape for years to come?

References

Autoblog, n.d. COMPLETE GUIDE TO CAR SUBSCRIPTIONS. [Online] Available at: https://www.autoblog.com/car-subscription-services/?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAD3N31n8PmpSw0UH4fI2NJMCAfMjTZQm46De404THfKwPgulBv5M-t0SuCeC-CHIAE5PHof5Wt9uinGHFWoQ7oJSmYzgrAoN7ywjHc67f1tisOJMyMogxqDRDkQB8dGeBSEfQ2y [Accessed 18 September 2019].

Joseph, N., 2019. CARBUZZ. [Online] Available at: https://carbuzz.com/news/porsche-considers-subscription-plan-to-keep-out-the-speculators [Accessed 17 September 2019].

Korosec, K., 2019. Tech Crunch. [Online] Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2019/08/29/porsche-expands-on-demand-subscription-plans-to-four-more-cities/ [Accessed 18 September 2019].

Wright, I., 2019. CARBUZZ. [Online] Available at: https://carbuzz.com/news/porsche-expands-subscription-services-in-us [Accessed 17 September 2019].

Sports and Technology. Yes or No?

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