Explosive, yet maybe not that unsurprising news hit this week that a renegade-super-fantasy-surfing-tour was being formed between a loose consortium including Kelly Slater and his management, private equity firms and the media powerhouse, ESPN. Whilst the surfing media have all been treading carefully with how they report the matter, mostly because details are still unclear, comments circulating online by  various unidentified characters within the darker pockets of the industry have been scathing, to say the least.

The most constructive piece I’ve read on the matter, and one of the few to go beyond just copying what they read from the Noosa Journal whom broke the story, is by long time surf journo Point Grinder aka Chris Mauro at Grind.tv. Read it here. Addressing the heart of the problem, the fact that the ASP doesn’t own their greatest asset, ownership of the media rights, and the need for a unified common platform in which we watch surfing. Most of the comments I’ve seen on various websites have all made reference to the potential internal implosion of the ASP and core surfing, the online assassination of Kelly Slater and every piece of mud slinging possible inbetween. Call me naive, uninformed, or maybe I’m on to something here, but I for one, think the 2 tours can live side by side, as long as they have their unique differences. Here’s my 5 cents:

The ‘New Tour’ Absolutely Cannot Be A New Tour, It Has To Be An Exhibition Series

We don’t need anther world tour, we already have one; but if the Occy V Curren match up was anything to go by, then the thought of more of these match ups are very tasty indeed. And that’s what the masses want, entertainment. If the new tour proposal was to go ahead, a series of must see, one-offs, would be in my opinion the most dramatic, entertaining and constructive integration with the current system.

It also raises the question, if Surfing is finally coming to prime time TV via ESPN, how will they produce the content for a whole contest, live, on TV?

We’ve seen a sniff of this via Billabong with Island Time in Tahiti, and Lakka Fire Cracka in South Africa, with the hour long live show. Next step in my book, turn that 1 hour live show into a 24/7 broadcast, which will require a depth of content, but that’s something surfing is rich in, content, one of the strongest assets in online trading right now. Add panel of surf experts, promote the broadcast as happening 24/7 around the clock for the entire waiting period and I’d like to see what that does for audience viewing figures.

Is It Time The ASP & The Event Sponsors Form A Broadcast Alliance?

The root of both the problem and the solution is that there are 10 events, and 10 very different webcasts. If they worked as one, with less competition, then would have this situation arisen?

A recent interview with Kelly Slater on ESPN, the writing was on the wall: “The new governing body should own and run the events, own the media, do the marketing, bring in sponsors. Right now, the ASP doesn’t own any of those things, because it didn’t do the groundwork in the beginning. Sponsors own, run and market the events. That needs to change.” Read this interview with Kelly on ESPN here.

Bringing Together The Best Features For A Common Ground

If you combined all the best aspects from the current platforms, brought them under one umbrella to form one large consistant platform, as apposed to many platforms with inconsistant features and erratic traffic levels; would that not form a stronger communication model to grow as one?

Billabong have set the benchmark that it’s no longer just a webcast, it’s an interactive experience. They’re making watching 6 – 8 hours of a contest pleasurable. And it’s all down to the depth of their content. This is something ESPN doesn’t have.

Rip Curl set new ground last year partnering with HD streaming outfit Vivadas, and it’s a damn shame Vivadas went under, as watching in full screen was great.

Quiksilver also dabbled in HD in France last year, have been on top of their game with backstage content and commentary teams.

And then there was the Hang Loose Pro in Brazil. The Brazilian leg should not be penalised and ridiculed because their country has a poorer economy and the sponsor cannot afford to spend as much as everyone else. This is a big reason why there should be one platform, to ensure all webcasts are consistant, not a competition. Online traffic from Brazil ranks as the 3^rd highest traffic source to ASP events (According to my analysis via Alexa), and they should be assisted with their broadcast. Not demoralised because they don’t have as much money as the rest of the sponsors.

If these big brands worked together to have a common online platform in which we viewed events, then they can collectivally grow the sport for the good of all involved. What we need is one portal, one URL, one channel. dreamtour.tv? The sponsors can have everything you’ve already got; a branded / skinned wire frame, sponsorship opportunities, banner ads for product, commercials, video on demand, database collection, etc. But as one the communication methods can be strengthened and grown to further increase the online traffic to events, and surfing as a full time spectators sport.

I believe they should form a media company which they can all have shares in, collect further revenue from banner advertising, work together as one to have a common way in which we watch the contents. They haven’t done this, so it looks like ESPN will.

Coke & Pepsi became friends just the other week, so anything is possible.

Who’s Counting?

Most sporting codes have a whole range of metrics in which they monitor their reach, primarily through TV ratings and live attendance, add media coverage & PR, and you can start putting a dollar value on your key sponsorship packages.

Doing a little research through the right channels, it’s not hard to find out how many people follow sporting leagues and races via TV, radio & online. I know how many people watched the NRL, AFL, Basket Ball, Cricket, and frankly, anything on TV over the weekend because of the TV ratings made available. OK, surfing isn’t quite at that level, but does anyone outside the major sponsors know how many people are logging into the webcast? It’s a question I often ask industry types if I happen to meet them, but it’s usually met with a furrowed brow. It doesn’t seem like many people know, nor do they want us know.

With the birth of the webcast, and the sport of surfing officially going digital, the available metrics of audience reach and engagement have never been better. No longer is surfing judged by how many people are on the beach watching; there is a digitally savvy, global audience logged in, clicked on and more than happy to engage and communicate the surfing gospel. There are a highly accurate range of analysis tools are available to measure this, and it’s about time we see some stats. Oh what I would do with a few hours in Google Analytics crunching stats from each contest.

It Takes 2 To Tango

Slater has been the prime target of forum critics with regards to ‘the new tour’. Never have we had a better ambassador for the sport, and nor will we in the near future. A surfer who can get through a whole interview without saying “awww, it was sic mate, I’m just stoked”. Dane, Jordy, Julian and co., these guys are all setting new boundaries, but will they compete for 15 – 20 years or do a few, then spend the rest doing boat trips? Without Kelly Slater, surfing will never make it on TV, and that would be an opportunity lost if not taken now.

I highly doubt for a second that Kelly’s intensions, or that of ESPN, are to kill the ASP, and the foundations they have set. Everyone out there has their own opinion, and Kelly definitely has his, it’s just that he’s in a better position than most to actually do something about it. Even his major sponsor Quiksilver are struggling at the moment, many brands are, and if this new competition was to happen, it will help inject more money into the industry, and that can only be a good thing. More people will buy product, buy magazines, log into your website, jobs will be created, etc. The whole food chain will be fed.

Sure, that may mean more surfers in the water, but do you think a person from ‘whoop whoop or where ever’ whose taken a newly found interest in surfing is likely to out the back and snaking you on the next 6 foot day down the beach? Well, I can’t see that happening. They’ll be enrolling in the local surf school, buying a new wetsuit, some boardies, a t-shirt, etc… which will hopefully keep both you and me in a job (well, if I had one).

I personally want Kelly to win that 10^th World Title so we can claim that we have the most successful athlete ever. Just do it next year, because I’m already working on the best marketing campaign ever. Kelly Slater : 10 World Titles in 2010. I’m already  drowning in a pool of puns.  Surfing and it’s sponsors have worked long and hard at loosing the image of bong smoking, beer swilling hippies, and Kelly Slater is a major part of that.

We The Spectators And The Surfers Have The Most To Gain

Let’s face it, pro surfers get paid peanuts. OK, Kelly, Andy, Parko, Mick, Taj, Jordy, Dane and a few others do well, but for the most of them, they’ve got next to nothing. And what will they have to show for it when then come off tour? Probably not much. If they’ve got a good sponsor, hopefully they’ll give them a job as Team Manager, or something like that. Kelly’s been doing the tour for almost 20 years, and he’s made a grand total prize money of $1.9million dollars. That’s under a hundred grand a year. If this is to be a professional sport, let them get paid like professionals.

The ‘new tour’ will mean more surfing contests with some of the best surfers in the world, both old and new, at some of the best locations. I can handle that. And I’m sure the surfers can do with the extra coin. But please, work with the ASP on the schedule, don’t turn this into a competition of who has the most cash. Position this ‘tour’ as a series of fully glorified exhibition matches, entertainment, the ultimate clash of 16 icons. We don’t need another tour, it doesn’t need to be do or die, with some good open communication, two tours need not collide.

ASP & ESPN Unite To Televise Both Tours?

Alot of the discussion has been either one way or the other. What if the ASP and ESPN were to unite, making all ASP events available on ESPN?  It comes back to my point above, how would ESPN go about broadcasting a surfing contest? And with this new tour being a limited amount of contests over a 6 month period, it doesn’t quite warrant it’s own Surfing Channel on ESPN. But what if ALL ASP events were televised? WCT, WQS, Pro Juniors, plus the new super tour, all stitched together by re-runs of older content and a healthy dash of branded content from the major event sponsors. It could almost  work. It’ll all come down to how all the major parties involved play their cards.

This post is tagged ASP, ESPN, Interactive, Kelly Slater, Webcast