Search: privately owned entertainment

You might expect someone who inherited a massive fortune to be more frivolous with their money, you know, like blowing it on fringe sporting leagues, or building surf ponds on hot, dusty Central Californian farm land, but not the backer of a certain privately owned entertainment company specializing in event and online streamed content production (mostly surfing sport). No, Dirk Ziff is a savvy businessman who knows when to call it quits, and that’s exactly what his organization did with their plans for a wave pond in West Palm Beach, Florida recently.

More importantly Ziff is wise enough not to harm the rest of his surf interests by admitting in the press that his wave pond business model is terminally flawed. No, when Mr. Ziff pulls the plug on a project, he does what many businessmen have done before him, he blames the location. Here are the details in a story posted on Florida Today.

“The WSL is disappointed to confirm our decision to cancel the development of the wave basin planned for West Palm Beach, Florida. . . .The nature of this site, including the extremely high water table, exposed unforeseen challenges that made the decision around this unique project clear. These projects are complex and, in many ways, without precedent, and we have learned important lessons in this process.”

Seems the local “water table”  would have been the first thing wave pool planners would have investigated, however, often times the majority of the benefit of a project like a wave pool is the press announcement that it will be built, not on building it, or losing money running it. We’re bearish on the Dirk Ziff wave pond model in general. Let us know if they build another one anywhere in the world.

[Link: Florida Today]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

A privately owned entertainment company specializing in event and online streamed content production (mostly surfing sport) announced today that they will be equalizing prize money for men and women who perform in their content productions during the 2019 season.

The CEO of said company (who identifies as female) thinks this is a pretty big deal:

“This is a huge step forward in our long-planned strategy to elevate women’s surfing and we are thrilled to make this commitment as we reveal our new 2019 schedule,” she says. “This is the latest in a series of actions the League has undertaken to showcase our female athletes, from competing on the same quality waves as the men, to better locations, and increased investment and support.”  

Good on ya girls. Just what those prize purses will be has apparently not been announced. Either way, it’s time to get out there and snag some of this money while the content production company still has some.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Health-minded, recently vegan, seemingly ageless, best-surfer-of-all-time Kelly Slater is reportedly appearing in an advertisement for a major label beer brand that will run during the 2018 Super Bowl (a previously popular televised event where beer ads are separated by footage of large men repeatedly crashing into each other while trying to move a ball across a lawn).

We’re speculating that he’s appearing in the ad (which also includes sporting stars that we didn’t recognize) as part of a sales play to get said beer company to sponsor events produced by a privately owned entertainment company specializing in event and online streamed content production (mostly surfing sport) that Mr. Slater is involved with.  But we have no knowledge of any such deals. What we did find entertaining was Mr. Slater rationalizing his appearance in the ad when questioned about it on Surfer.com.

I think everyone knows I don’t drink a lot, but I don’t mind a beer here and there, especially after a long day of surfing.. . . When somebody stands for something, people expect everything to perfectly align in that direction at all times. But I once drank a beer in a barrel in Tahiti in a heat. So I think people do understand that I have a beer from time to time. It’s just something culturally that goes along with the celebration of a win or competition or a long day doing something. Obviously anything done in excess is not a good thing, but I think a beer goes along with celebration.

And there it is. Kelly likes beer just enough to be in a commercial.

[Link: Surfer.com]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Wanna watch Gabriel Medina (above) go after current world champion 2 John Florence next year on that surf series operated by a privately owned entertainment company specializing in event and online streamed content production (mostly surfing sport)? According to a story on Forbes.com you’ll have to do it on Facebook, because the days of watching the feed on the company’s website (and then airplaying it your TV) are over thanks to a payment of an estimated $30 million from Facebook for exclusive rights.

Facebook had non-exclusive rights to live WSL events last year with the competitions also broadcast on the WSL’s website and mobile app. Nearly 14 million people watched a World Surf League event on Facebook in 2017. “The exclusivity of this deal will elevate the profile surfing and the WSL have within the Facebook platform,” says Sophie Goldschmidt, WSL CEO.

Thrity-million dollars is a nice chunk for a business that has most likely been losing large sums of money each year since buying the tour. But we can say this, we watched a couple events last season, now if they’re only available on Facebook.com we won’t watch any and we don’t think we’re alone. So long pro surf tour. . . 

[Link: Forbes]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }