Pandemic-Proof Schedule · Twin Division Schedule, Version 1.0 NOTES: 10 Games per Season; 5 Home,...

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8/6/2020 Pandemic-ProofSchedule Visualization: 2020 NFL Season Version(s): Twin Division, Vers. 1.0 17-week Staggered Conf. 20-week (in-progress) Exhibits: TV Audience Analysis Game Gap Layouts © 2020 For Discussion Purposes Not Endorsed or Approved by the National Football League

Transcript of Pandemic-Proof Schedule · Twin Division Schedule, Version 1.0 NOTES: 10 Games per Season; 5 Home,...

Page 1: Pandemic-Proof Schedule · Twin Division Schedule, Version 1.0 NOTES: 10 Games per Season; 5 Home, 5 Away AFC Season, Weeks 1 –17, NFC Weeks 2 –18 Season Commences 1 week earlier

8/6/2020

Pandemic-Proof™ ScheduleVisualization: 2020 NFL Season

Version(s): Twin Division, Vers. 1.0 17-week Staggered Conf. 20-week (in-progress)

Exhibits: TV Audience AnalysisGame Gap Layouts

© 2020 For Discussion Purposes Not Endorsed or Approved by the National Football League

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Pandemic-Proof™ Schedules

Twin Division Models

Visualizations:

17 and 20-Week Conference Schedules

Game Gap Overview

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Twin Division Schedule, Version 1.0NOTES: 10 Games per Season; 5 Home, 5 Away AFC Season, Weeks 1 – 17, NFC Weeks 2 – 18 Season Commences 1 week earlier (9/3 vs. 9/10) 2 Games Mondays, Thursdays with Holiday Exceptions

Average Game Gap per Team: 12.4 days

TV Audience Impact Analysis

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Twin Division Schedule, Version 1.0 – 20 Wk.NOTES (Schedule in progress): 10 Games per Season; 5 Home, 5 Away over 20 Weeks First 2 weeks illustrate weeknight game distributions;

balance of weeks to be optimized by stakeholders. Season Commences 1 week earlier, ends 2 weeks later

TV Audience Impact Analysis

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Even 8-day Game

Gap™ cycles provide

consistent application

of a 5-day encamp-

ment period and 7-day

testing around each Game Day.

10- to 14-day “Game-Gap” spacing is rotated to allow ample time for testing, recovery, and normalcy for teams, players, coaches and staff.

About Game Gap Cycles

Proposes Game Gaps of 10-14days with limited exceptions

Max. 1 8-day Game Gap perteam per season, alwaysfollowed by 13+ day Game Gap.

Players at-home test daily, 2 days before encampment.

Cleared players travel to a designated encampment location.

Players from both teams encamp at the designated location; players arrive evening before or morning of Game Day -2.

Testing to occur all 5 days of encampment (2 days prior to game, Game Day, and 2 days post-game).

Limited outside contact while encamped.

5-Day Encampment Process

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Pandemic-Proof Schedules

Twin Division Model

Press Release

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Company Name

React LLC Reveals Pandemic-Proof Football Schedule with 37.5% Fewer Games, Potential 4.6% TV Audience Increase React partners with Definitive Business Solutions, Inc. to optimize 10-game team schedules based on the NFL’s proposed 16-game 2020 matchups.

Media ContactSolomon [email protected]: 813-228-0652 X-1126C: 727-420-1115

[Tampa, FL – August 7, 2020] – Less than three weeks after floating theconcept of a Pandemic-proof™ schedule for sports leagues, React LLC(“React”), creators of the Super Squares® live mobile game show, todayreleased a “ready for prime time” schedule for the 2020 NFL season.React partnered with Reston, Virginia’s Definitive Business Solutions, Inc.(“Definitive”) to optimize the framework first introduced on July 21st.Remarkably, the 10-game “Twin Division” schedule consists entirely ofpairings already scheduled by the NFL for the 2020 season, successfullyculling six, primarily out-of-conference games per team. The expanded“Game Gaps” (days between games) proposed by the 17-week versionprovides an average of 12.4 days between games, compensating for thepotential contraction of COVID-19 by multiple players on a team, withoutnecessitating a multi-game quarantine that could delay or suspend aseason already in progress.

While the 6-game per team reduction would reduce the overall number ofNFL games from 256, to 160, the addition of a second nationally televised“late” game on Mondays and Thursdays is being proposed to offset muchof the related losses of a reduced schedule. React is also releasing a TVAudience Impact Analysis highlighting a preliminary estimate that the TVaudiences over the revised season schedule could potentially increasefrom 4.6% to as much as 11.6% when compared to 2019 estimates.

The “Twin Division” schedule, in both 17 and 20-week versions, a TVaudience impact analysis, and analysis of varied “encampment” activitiesproposed by React can be downloaded at www.react.net/schedules.Visitors can also review and download the July 5 white paper that firstintroduced the concept of a Pandemic-Proof™ Schedule.

React has received significant interest from professional sports insidersand media outlets since the initial framework was published last month,particularly when applied to the upcoming launch of the NFL season. “Oncepeople looked more carefully at the economics behind the plan - whichbalances player safety and family life, team and player financialrequirements, and fans’ voracious appetite for live football on TV – mostask, ‘Can I see a schedule on paper?’ We kept refining the concept, andnow we have tangible proof in both 17 and 20-week formats,” remarks MattBirk, React’s Commissioner of Sports. When asked which version is mostlikely to appeal to team owners and players, Birk suggests “…the 17-weekversion will have the least impact on the actual length of season, and it’sthe one I think most players will instantly embrace.” Matt serves as theCommissioner of React, LLC, having formerly served as the Director ofFootball Development for the NFL. Birk joined the NFL after retiring fromthe Super Bowl XLVII Champion Baltimore Ravens, and is a six-time ProBowl, two-time All-Pro, and 2011 Walter Payton Man of the Year Awardrecipient.

React’s CEO Frank Maggio partnered with Birk to develop a basicframework that would meet with the approval of most or all sportsstakeholders, including fans and advertisers. Maggio’s unique backgroundin media, media measurement, game theory and business strategy led himto look outside the company he founded for the computational powernecessary to finalize an actual, working schedule. “The number ofparameters required to intelligently meet the new challenges of COVID-19,along with abiding by the time-honored scheduling logic of the NFL, andadding the right balance of TV revenues to offset the economic losses ofpartially filled home stadiums and fewer games, requires capabilities andsoftware that isn’t off the shelf,” notes Maggio. “We needed expertise inlogistics and optimization, and Definitive was up for the challenge.”

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Company Name

John Sammarco, Definitive’s President, began discussing optimization withMaggio several weeks ago. “For years, we’ve wanted to apply ourDefinitive Pro® system to both the schedules and economics of sports, butthat’s always been pretty locked up,” remarks Sammarco. “This is not onlya great opportunity but also a worthy cause. We were happy to dedicatetime and resources to address today’s new challenges, and we’veenhanced our system to tackle the ‘Schedule Difficulty’ parameters thatFrank put in front of us.” Maggio reinforces the value of the React-Definitivecollaboration: “Collectively, our solutions can optimize the economics ofteam matchups and provide insights into which networks and platforms aremost viable for broadcasting and streaming new inventory. This is anopportunity to think smarter about the entire sports ecosystem during thepandemic.”

One of the often-overlooked casualties of the upcoming NFL season will bethe negative financial impact of home games that require even more staffand security to comply with new health requirements – with 75% or fewerfans in the seats. Matt Birk is quick to point out that a reduction in gamesthat would otherwise cost team owners from half a million to two milliondollars each, ultimately translates to a savings that benefits everyone. “Oursolution reduces losses at the stadium level, which could approach aquarter billion dollars nationally, while increasing them through televisionrevenues. And think about what happens if the season comes to a halt bynot making the schedule Pandemic-proof™, and TV revenues suddenly goto zero, and stay there. It’s not too late to avoid this…yet.”

An overview of the Pandemic-proof™ team pairings and schedule, asrevised, include:

• A 160-game regular season, with 153 games having offering playersGame Gaps of 10-14 days, and 7 games with 8-day Game Gaps (and13+ day Game Gaps to follow). The 17-week version proposesstaggered conference starts in order to facilitate two televised gamesevery Monday and Thursday.

• A 17-week per conference version that will require one conferenceplay one week earlier (and end one week earlier) than the currentproposed NFL schedule, in order to avoid delaying the scheduled startof the post-season.

• A 20-week version of the schedule that will extend the post-season bytwo weeks, but which could increase overall TV audiences by 11.6%.Only the first two weeks of matchups are optimized, to illustrate themethodology, and to allow for further optimization by stakeholders.

• No interconference play until the final championship game.

• Each team competes twice with division rivals over the course of theregular season, and once with a “Twin” division (East plays West, andNorth plays South for this season.)

• The post-season is not addressed under the pairings just released.The July 21st release suggested elimination of wildcard or consolationtournament entries, with only division champions progressing, alongthe lines of NCAA basketball’s “Elite 8” format. Should the COVID-19restrictions be lifted by January 1st, the normal post-seasonparameters could be instituted.

• “Encampment Cycles” of 5 days per game (spanning two days beforea game, game day itself, and two days after a game). The planproposes both the home and away teams attend and encamp in asingle facility, with testing every day while encamped, as well as twodays of home tests before entering encampment. The plan does notaddress testing during player downtime.

• Bolstered TV game time slots (2 Monday and 2 Thursday gamesevery week) with reduced weekly Sunday games. As a result, therewould be a 40% increase in nationally televised prime time games,which may be structured to accommodate East and West coast timezones.

React LLC Reveals Pandemic-Proof Football Schedule – (continued)

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A second set of proposed schedules and matchups, featuring a “ScheduleDifficulty” variation, is expected for release by August 10th – precisely onemonth before the planned start of the 2020 season. Based on preliminaryanalysis, React and Definitive believe Wednesday evening games may berequired to accommodate a 17-week regular season under the additionallyrestrictive parameters.

About React

Founded by adtech and media measurement maverick Frank Maggio,React LLC is an experiential advertising technology and entertainmentcompany that thinks of “advertising as a sport™.” By adrenalizingadvertising™, React excites audiences with rewarding, branded two-screenexperiences during the most viewed and attended sporting and mediaevents in the world. The company’s commitment to “respect, protect, andreward attention” honors user privacy by never selling or sharing personallyidentifiable information. Details about React can be found at www.react.net,and Super Squares® details are available at www.SuperSquares.com.

About Definitive Business Solutions

Definitive Business Solutions is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.Definitive provides innovative and proven business solutions to federaloversight agencies and select industries. They specialize in deliveringprojects and programs, facilitating technology and business investmentdecisions, and managing enterprise risks. Definitive’s solution portfolioincludes Definitive Pro® which provides a collaborative process to buildconsensus and make complex, multi-criteria decisions in a wide range ofscenarios. Definitive Pro® has been awarded three U.S. patents and isprovided as a managed service hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS).Details about Definitive can be found at www.definitiveinc.com.

React LLC Reveals Pandemic-Proof Football Schedule – (continued)

Download our White Paper

www.react.net/schedules

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Advertising as a Sport™

ADVERTISING AS A SPORT™

APPENDIXAbout React LLC and Super Squares®

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We are REACT. This is our 2020 Vision.

By adrenalizing advertising and

content we ATTRACT audiences,

incentivize them to REACT with

brands, and then to TRANSACT.

React, LLC is AdrenalizingAdvertising™.

We excite audiences through

rewardingbranded

experiences.

We deliver census-level media

measurement and proof of AD

ATTENTION without violating

user privacy – ever.

React’s experiential advertising

technology creates a “Reactive

World” where BRANDS and

CONSUMERS engage & thrive.

We project $275+ MILLION in

revenues by 2022. Our first app,

Super Squares®, targets 7 million

downloads in its first 12 months.

11© 2020 React, LLC ● Patents & Patents Pending

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People

• Frank Maggio and Tim Sabean lead a multi-disciplined Fortune 500-trained Executive and Advisory team

• Experience drawn from mass media, IT, agency, fintechand pro sports.

Partners

• Best-of-breed vendors / consultants in PR, Sync-to-TV, cloud services, mobile development, and IP Strategy and Filings

• Google Cloud Platform

Patents, IP

• 5 Issued, 8+ Pending Patents (incl. PCT)

• Super Squares 2.0 app, iOS & Google Play; React App + Alexa Skills under development

• Proprietary RealityTV Treatments

React Team & Tech (Key Exec Bios, next page)

12© 2020 React, LLC ● Patents & Patents Pending

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Frank Maggio – Founder & Chief Executive OfficerFrank Maggio brings with him a career-long passion for Reactive Advertising™. In addition to inventing the patented process and creating the “reactive”reality TV game show ReacTV®, venture companies founded by Maggio contributed sizeable quantities of IP, technology, programming, andmanagement services to React. Maggio’s entrepreneurial ventures were initially funded by the proceeds of a highly publicized 1985 national promotionalcontest sponsored by Beatrice Foods, while Frank was serving as Unit Manager for Procter & Gamble. A prolific inventor, Frank has submitted over 30patents, 14 issued to date, with myriad new patents pending, many involving the Super Squares® sports promotion platform and app.

Tim Sabean – Chief Content OfficerTim Sabean is an industry-recognized thought leader, with over 30 years’ experience in a wide variety of disruptive and leadership roles. Most recently,Tim served as SVP, Digital Content at Westwood One, responsible for talent discovery, content partnerships, and audience growth strategies, particularlypodcasting. Previously, Sabean was at SiriusXM Radio, where he served as SVP for the Howard Stern Channels for 10 years and lead the developmentand growth of the wildly successful audio entertainment channels. As VP, Rock Programming at Infinity Broadcasting, Tim supervised programming forstations including WYSP-FM/Philadelphia and WXRK-FM/New York. While with CBS Radio, Sabean created and built out the Eagles Radio Network.

Matt Birk – Commissioner, Pro and ePro SportsA standout Harvard All-Ivy League lineman, Matt was drafted by the NFL Minnesota Vikings in 1998, earning six Pro Bowl selections before joining theBaltimore Ravens in 2009. The two-time All-Pro received the 2011 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award and retired on a high note, as part of theRavens’ Super Bowl XLVII team. Matt then worked in the NFL front office as the Dir. of Football Development, and later as a special consultant. Birk’sinterest now extends to eSports with the founding of Wombo Sports, an entertainment platform and solutions agency positioned at the intersection ofvideo gaming, celebrity and pop culture. Matt directs React’s not-for-profit initiatives with organizations including the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund.

Luigi Del Basso – COO / CFOLuigi has spent much of his career defining, mapping, and executing the core direction of international business ventures from inception. He is theFounder of Servebase, a multimillion-dollar payments company and the first Microsoft Windows payment processing application with IPR, nowrebranded as PXP Financial. Before founding Servebase, Luigi served as an IT Consultant at Olivetti SPA, Italy and Software Development Team Leader atLloyds Bank, London. Del Basso was the owner and Chairman of a UK soccer club for 16 years and developed the largest youth academy in the country.

Terry Taormina – CSO, Dir. Brand/Agency RelationsTerry Taormina’s extensive experience in interactive (and reactive) advertising was gained through his 14-year tenure with TBO.com, the digital arm ofMedia General’s converged operation that also included The Tampa Tribune and WFLA-TV. During that time, he grew TBO.com’s revenues to far exceedany website in the region, built the TBO.com sales organization, and leveraged the efforts of over 100 salespeople from TBO.com’s media partners. Healso headed Media General’s national sales force, responsible for digital sales across more than 50 newspaper and TV station websites.

Jim Coraci – Dir., National Ad SalesBefore joining React, Jim served as the Head of Industry – Automotive for eBay Advertising. Coraci has held VP of Sales, management, and directorpositions for some of the world’s most respected and recognizable media brands. He has proudly represented Car and Driver, Road & Track, RollingStone, and Us Weekly magazines, among others. He also managed digital media for The Weather Channel, Vibrant Media, and Viant. Coraci began hiscareer at J. Walter Thompson, working on the Ford account.

Rick Brace – Advisor; Chairman, SpliceNet™ InitiativeRick Brace joins React as their inaugural Advisory Board Chair, having recently retired as President of Canada’s Rogers Media, a $2+ billion enterpriseincluding television networks, SportsNet, 56 radio stations, and 50+ publishing titles. Rick started his career as a director, producer and executiveproducer with CBC sports. In 1984 he joined the fledgling cable channel TSN (Canada’s version of ESPN), moving through programming and production,to become network President. When TSN was purchased by CTV in 2001, Brace became Cable Channels President, and then CTV President.

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Cross-platform Ad

Attention Measurement

Our 2020 Vision and Roadmap

20222020 2021

Reactive Platforms & Campaigns:

Deploy Spring/Summer 2021: NASCAR, NBA Playoffs

Fall/Winter 2021: MLB Playoffs; NCAA Bowls

2022: March Madness, NHL Playoffs

Super Squares® App Development, US Expansion: International & Gaming App Development:

Super Squares® Pro (Fantasy Versions)

IP: Brand attention as wager subsidy

Deploy 2021-22: Soccer, Cricket, Rugby, Formula 1

Reactive TV Programs, Ad Pods

Reactive Quiz Engine Mobile App, Wallet, RewardsBlockchain-enabled Currency

Reactive Radio / Audio Solutions

Brand-friendly Social Media Platform

League and team logos are trademarks of the respective leagues or teams; no endorsement asserted or implied

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2023

© 2020 React, LLC ● Patents & Patents Pending

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Introducing Super Squares®

The live mobile game show that

launches Advertising as a Sport.

It’s the game YOU play when the

game you’re watching takes a break.

15© 2020 React, LLC ● Patents & Patents Pending

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Before the game and after each quarter, REACT to quizzes about big plays on the field & in-app ads.Pre-game predictions break ties.

Pay attention to the game and the in-app Sponsors’ ads.

Check In & earn points from matching Super Squares and correct answers.Climb the leaderboard to win prizes.

WATCH

WIN

Live Score-matching Quiz ShowPlay when the game you’re watching takes a break.

1

2

3

16© 2020 React, LLC ● Patents & Patents Pending

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© 2020 React, LLC and Media IP Holdings, LLC

Aspects of the concepts disclosed in this presentation, and materials linked and/or otherwise related to this presentation, are protected by U.S. Patent Nos. 6,606,745, 9,858,764, 10,297,115, & 10,596,468, and U.S. & Inter-national patents pending. Examples provided herein contain copyrighted and trademarked brands and materials used under the Multimedia Guidelines and Fair Use exemptions of U.S. Copyright law.

No endorsement of, or by, the depicted entities is implied or inferred. Further use is prohibited. Provided for discussion purposes only.

React™, Reactive Advertising™, Super Squares®, The Bigger Game®, Watch, React, Win™, Advertising as a Sport™, Total Content Experience™, Adrenalizing Advertising™, Splice™ Games, Attract, React, Transact™ and Pandemic-Proof™ Schedule are trademarks of React, LLC and Media IP Holdings, LLC