The Sports Entrepreneurs Podcast by Marcus Luer Dominik Schmid, FIFA in the 90s & its Legendary Agencies
Dominik takes us back in time, what happened in the 1990s and early 2000 in World Football. How Fifa and its powerful agencies from ISL, Prisma to later Infront controlled the game and the commercial rights. And his trials and tribulations as an Entrepreneur. Fascinating stories, enjoy.
Fifa's report into ISL scandal is just window dressing:
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/22355455
About ISL:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Sport_and_Leisure
Key Highlights
- Getting a job at the Goliath of Sports Agencies in the early 90s, ISL Marketing
- ISL Marketing’s rights portfolio from the FIFA World Cup, Olympics, UEFA, African Nations Cup, etc
- Creation of new licensing (EA Sports deal with FIFA) and sponsorship programs, big money coming into sports
- Two parts to ISL. One side ran the business, the other ran the politics with the Federations
- “Foul”, money destroys the beautiful game
- FIFA had no clue about marketing or the commercial side of the sports
- FIFA TV rights battle – 2.8 billion guarantee (2002 & 2006 World Cup) – creation of Prisma Sports – Kirch Group getting into the game
- Creation of HBS (Host Broadcasting Services) – JV between ISL & Prisma
- Big rights gamble paid off for Kirch
- FIFA’s future, 2026 World Cup, 48 teams, is too much of a good thing
- From ISL, Prisma, Kirch Sports to Infront
- Biggest lesson: Global Sports Federations need to separate the Administration vs Commercial side of the business. Too much conflict of interest otherwise. US sports got that right.
- Dominik’s move into Entrepreneurship and tough learning (first a no from Bernie Ecclestone)
- Start-up experiences, streaming Platform (Zattoo), Augmented Reality (Augmara),
- Start-up success hangs on the right time, right people, right funding and a good dose of luck
- Schmid Media Solutions (SMS) – consulting project in social media, digital strategies
- Looking into the future of sports & tech – Esports, AR
About
Dominik is an entrepreneur/general manager in the digital (media) space and is always looking for interesting projects to assist in an advisory but hands-on capacity. He is a digital strategist, who grew up in the analogue world and knows how to build bridges between the 'old' world and today's reality. He understands both sides and can easily facilitate communication between them. Dominik is also interested in all aspects related to the area of digitization and the paradigm shift it brings about, the new opportunities it creates and the broader impact on society.
Very broad industry background, in particular in sports and music, with substantial experience in the electronic media (digital media, IPTV, rights licensing, broadcast operations), marketing (sponsorship, licensing) and legal (contract negotiation and drafting) and social media fields. Strong leadership skills and proven track record of delivering results under difficult circumstances in varying cultural environments. Experienced negotiator. Strong social skills. Team builder and integrator.
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