player tracking is a new technology being used in the nba to increase basketball statistical data collection and enhance advanced metrics .

it began use in the nba at the start of the 2013 – 14 season , and it is now in use in all 29 arenas , following trials during the previous season in 15 arenas .

usa today said that " for fans who want to understand the game on a deeper level , this is a huge development " .

player tracking ( national basketball association )

exploring game performance in the national basketball association using player tracking data . - pubmed - ncbi
deitch jr , starkey c , walters sl , moseley jb . injury risk in professional basketball players : a comparison of women ' s national basketball association and national basketball association athletes .
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citation : sampaio j , mcgarry t , calleja - gonzález j , jiménez sáiz s , schelling i del alcázar x , balciunas m ( 2015 ) exploring game performance in the national basketball association using player tracking data . plos one 10 ( 7 ) : e0132894 . urltoken
the nba began using player - tracking technology in 2009 and became the first u . s . professional sports league to use player tracking for every game in 2013 .
new york and london , sept . 22 , 2016 – the national basketball association ( nba ) today announced a multiyear partnership with sportradar and second spectrum that will expand the league’s global distribution of statistics and will implement a new , state - of - the - art leaguewide player - tracking system .
messersmith ll , corey sm . the distance traversed by a basketball player . research quarterly american physical education association . 1931 ; 2 ( 2 ) : 57–60 .
the national basketball association has been using sportvu since 2009 to gather data on players through cameras in roof beams . the data collected is unconventional and not found on box scores , such as how many times a player touches the ball per shot .
at the nba level , wearable technology can only be used in practice for now . in - game use must be collectively bargained with the national basketball players’ association , and executive director michele roberts can see the value .
law360 , new york ( september 22 , 2016 , 8 : 19 pm edt ) - - the national basketball association has partnered with sports data firms sportradar and second spectrum in a deal that the league said will help it get statistics and game feeds to international gaming operators and improve its advanced player tracking .
like when harvard students were toying with home computers in the early 1980s , there’s no telling where this player tracking technology might take basketball analytics .
player distributions in the seven clusters contrasted against player category , nba first team and player specific court position .
mangine gt , hoffman jr , wells aj , gonzalez am , rogowski jp , townsend jr , et al . visual tracking speed is related to basketball - specific measures of performance in nba players . journal of strength and conditioning research / national strength & conditioning association . 2014 ; 28 ( 9 ) : 2406–14 .
now the national basketball association is finally trying to catch up with a more data - friendly approach . the information reported yesterday that the nba has partnered with stats llb last year to set up a six - camera player - tracking system in all 30 team arenas . it can monitor the ball movement and all the players on the court 25 times a second , producing massive amounts of data .
complex systems and sport research group , national institute of physical education of catalonia ( inefc ) , barcelona , spain .
this distinction between quantifiable and non - quantifiable player skills may be on the verge of disappearing . beginning in the 2013–2014 season , all thirty arenas of the national basketball association ( nba ) contain a system of cameras and tracking software that allow the spatial coordinates of all players and the ball to be recorded and processed digitally [ 1 , 2 ] . in this way essentially every aspect of the game is made accessible for quantitative analysis—every pass , screen , and defensive rotation can in principle be analyzed quantitatively by those with access to this “player tracking” data .
the national football league placed tracking sensors in the footballs used for the 2016 preseason as well as thursday night games . sensors and receivers throughout nfl stadiums , footballs , and player gear track location as well as throwing speeds , velocity , and acceleration .
gonzalez am , hoffman jr , rogowski jp , burgos w , manalo e , weise k , et al . performance changes in nba basketball players vary in starters vs . nonstarters over a competitive season . journal of strength and conditioning research / national strength & conditioning association . 2013 ; 27 ( 3 ) : 611–5 .
schelling x , calleja - gonzalez j , torres - ronda l , terrados n . using testosterone and cortisol as biomarker for training individualization in elite basketball : a 4 - year follow - up study . journal of strength and conditioning research / national strength & conditioning association . 2015 ; 29 ( 2 ) : 368–78 .
“nnba partners with stats llc for tracking technology” . nba official release . september , 2013 . urltoken
the nba began using stats sportvu in 2009 and in 2013 became the first u . s . professional sports league to use player tracking for every game .
fans and media around the world can continue to access comprehensive league data and statistical information , along with advanced player - tracking data at nba . com .
currently , there are over 90 new player tracking statistics , and data for all 482 nba players from the 2013 - 2014 regular season are available . separate records exist for players who played for different teams throughout the season , including a record for overall performance across all teams . brief descriptions of the newly available statistics adapted from the nba player tracking statistics website ( player tracking , 2016 ) are provided for reference and will be helpful in better understanding the analysis going forward .
“wearable technology is an important part of the player health conversation , ” said mike bass , the nba’s executive vice president of communications . “we’ll work with the players’ association to establish the appropriate operational and data privacy rules . ”
major league baseball , for example , has turned into a data hotbed with the creation of
moneyball ,
a team management concept that heavily relies on statistical analysis . the national football league , too , has recently adopted more data tracking technology , such as rfid , to monitor player movement and distance run in real - time .
player tracking data provides a platform for the creation of new basketball statistics that can dramatically improve the ability to evaluate and compare player performance . however , the increasing size of this new data source presents challenges in how to efficiently analyze the data and interpret findings . a scalable analytical framework is needed that can effectively reduce the dimensionality of the data while retaining the ability to compare player performance .
the nfl has invested in sports data collection and analysis by placing tracking sensors in footballs . photo credit : the atlantic
with constant movement , a controlled environment and only 11 moving parts , nba basketball was perfect .
to better understand the additional value of the player tracking data , pc scores and sdi can be recalculated using only traditional statistics . this approach identifies demar derozan as the most similar player to tony parker although derozan and parker have an sdi of 75 using player tracking statistics ( 89 other players have a lower sdi compared to tony parker ) . to better explore the difference between the comparisons using traditional and player tracking statistics , derozan is included in the next set of comparisons along with j . j . barea and brandon jennings from table 6 . see fig . 6 for a comparison of the pc scores and table 7 for selected statistics for these players .
piette j , anand s , pham l . evaluating basketball player performance via statistical network modeling . in : mit sloan sports analytics conference ; 2011 . available from : urltoken
haglund david , 2012 . “does basketball actually have 13 positions ? ” slate . may 2012 . urltoken
shambaugh jp , klein a , herbert jh . structural measures as predictors of injury in basketball players .
physiologically , a professional basketball game is quite demanding . 1 in one 48 - minute game , a single player may travel a distance 1 greater than 6000 m via a variety of short , moderate - to high - intensity exertions 2 that include sprints and quick changes of direction as well as powerful jumps . over the course of an entire national basketball association ( nba ) season , a player may participate in 82 regular - season competitions ( 2–5 games per week ) , in addition to daily practice sessions and preseason and postseason practices and games . although the total demand on a single player may vary as a result of a player ' s specific roles ( eg , position responsibilities ) , playing time , travel schedule , and days off , 3 the ability to remain healthy during such a demanding schedule may depend on underlying physical factors that may make some athletes more susceptible to injury .
basketball has never been the most statistically advanced game , at least compared to its counterparts baseball and football .
chicago and new york – the nba and stats llc today announced an expansion of their long - standing partnership that will provide media outlets around the world with an opportunity to use much of the same stats sportvu player tracking data used by nba teams for scouting , player development and training .
the sportvu cameras track every player and the basketball 25 times a second . the data the cameras collect can tell how fast a player moves , how close he was defended on a shot , how many times he dribbled and a plethora of other fascinating nuggets .
throughout the year , nba tv , urltoken and the nba app will continue to use stats sportvu player tracking data to deliver the most comprehensive statistical breakdown of every game . the nba and stats originally partnered in 2006 .
this work could be extended by incorporating new data from the 2014 - 2015 season to see if principal component dimensions and player principal component scores change significantly from one season to another . this would also provide additional data for players who didn’t see much playing time in the 2013 - 2014 season . additionally , player tracking data at the game level could greatly extend this analysis by tracking how players’ statistical profiles change throughout the course of the season .
in closing , we look forward to future work that can apply the approach we have advocated here to a large corpus of player tracking data . such work will likely spur the development of new network - style models and refined statistical inference algorithms , but we remain confident that the general strategy we have described can be successful if given sufficient attention and the full power of many games worth of player tracking data . if this is indeed the case , then perhaps the network - based description of basketball will provide a suitably revolutionary application for a revolutionary new data source .
the national basketball association ( nba ) from the united states of america is the most competitive basketball league in the world , with a competition period in regular season comprising 82 games spanning approximately 24 weeks . the coaching staff must prepare and oversee the training loads on players throughout the entirety of the competition period , a complex process that places a great amount of physiological stress on the athletes [ 1 ] . this process also requires managing the significant differences in work demands introduced by position - specific game behaviors and player status ( e . g . , starting vs non - starting players ) , as well as adjusting throughout the season to several changing unpredictable constraints such as player injuries . thus , the ongoing planning and monitoring of practice sessions and game performance is critical for optimizing the decisions on individual training loads taken by coaching staff .
second spectrum will begin installing its player - tracking system in all nba arenas over the course of the upcoming season so that it will be fully functional by the 2017 - 18 season , when the company becomes the official optical tracking provider of the nba . second spectrum will provide advanced statistics , such as speed , distance , drives , paint touches and defensive impact , based on its unique technology for machine understanding of sports for comprehensive analysis of players and teams . additionally , second spectrum will continue to work individually with teams and league partners on providing custom solutions and products based on player - tracking data .
mcinnes se , carlson js , jones cj , mckenna mj . the physiological load imposed on basketball players during competition .
player pc scores for first four components for tony parker comparison ( color online ) .
player pc scores for first four components for anthony morrow comparison ( color online ) .
mckay gd , goldie p , payne wr , oakes b . ankle injuries in basketball : injury rate and risk factors .
lowe z . seven ways the nba’s new camera system can change the future of basketball ; 2013 . available from : urltoken
this article explores the utility of the newly available nba player tracking data in evaluating and comparing player and team abilities and playing styles through their statistical profiles . using pca , we identify and interpret four principal components that capture over 68 % of the variance in the nba player tracking data set and compare players along these new dimensions . a simple measure of comparison between two players or teams based on principal component scores , sdi , is also introduced . this framework is scalable as it can incorporate existing and new statistics that will emerge to reconstruct the principal component dimensions and sdi for improved comparisons .
alagappan muthu , 2012 . “from 5 to 13 . redefining the positions in basketball” . 2012 mit sloan sports analytics conference . urltoken
a sample of player data for wins and losses catapult sports collects for its nba clients .
in sec . 4 we show how player tracking data can be used to learn the set of all player skills , so that the effectiveness f of the offense can be evaluated for any set of play frequencies p ≡ { p α } and any combination of players . but first we outline a simple model of a basketball offense , which we call the “high / low” model , that will serve as a proof of concept for the network approach advocated in this paper .
that ' s just the tip of the iceberg . the sportvu tracking numbers allow fans to go deep on defensive impact , rebounding and time of possession for players .
video footage from the entire court was unavailable making assessment of the nba tracking data impossible . the nba non - tracking data ( e . g . , assists , steals or defensive rebounds ) however was assessed for reliability as follows . two games were selected at random and analyzed conjointly through systematic observation by two experts . the minimum cohen’s κ value for all variables exceeded 0 . 91 demonstrating high inter - rater reliability [ 26 ] between the nba non - tracking data and the two experts .
maheswaran r , chang y - h , henehan a , danesis s . deconstructing the rebound with optical tracking data . mit sloan sports analytics conference 2012 . 2012 .
when a player is within 5 feet of the basket and within 5 feet of the offensive shooter , opponents’ shooting statistics are available to measure how well a player can protect the basket .
} also involves the quantitative definition of all player skills that are relevant to the offense . one specific definition of player skills and success rates is discussed in sec . 2 and diagrammed in
those cameras are part of a system called sportvu , and it has the potential to change everything we know about analyzing nba basketball .
shirley k . a markov model for basketball . in : new england symposium for statistics in sports ; 2007 . boston , ma .
the answer seems simple : the players’ union , which is far stronger in the national basketball association than in comparable leagues in other countries . through the collective - bargaining process , the union has carved out concessions that are keeping so - called “wearables” off the court for the time being , and keeping the data out of the hands of coaches and managers . that’s because , as much as teams try to assure players that the technology will only be used to help them—and even though many players , including stars , have taken to using them in their personal training regimens—the players know the data very well could end up costing them millions when they sign their next contracts . but all that could change in the next few years , not just in basketball but in other leagues as well .
archival data were obtained from open - access official nba records for 1230 games played during the 2013–2014 regular season ( available at urltoken , these records contained both non - tracking and tracking data ) . a total of 30 teams played 82 games between october 29 , 2013 and april 16 , 2014 . the gathered database had records of game performances from 548 players . the cases of player transfer between teams were counted as two different records .
the power of this network description becomes apparent when one imagines coupling it with the full player tracking data set . indeed , player tracking data allows one to reconstruct directly how the offense progresses from the inbounds pass to a made basket . the success rate of each step along the way provides information about the effectiveness of links in the network , which in turn are a reflection of the skill levels of the players involved . thus , by “watching” the performance of the offense with player tracking data , it should be possible to learn the skill levels of the players involved , including any skills that affect the team’s offensive performance . once these skills are known , one can predict quantitatively how the offense will perform when called upon to run different plays or to substitute different players whose skills are also known .
if you want to see just how much of derrick rose ' s explosiveness has returned , the tracking service offers a section for drives to the basket . rose has made 11 drives over two games and scored four points . those numbers will look different once rose becomes acclimated to playing nba - level basketball again .
within this model , we further assume that the success rate of any given link depends only on the skills of the player holding the ball . specifically , the success rate of a pass by player
the slippery slope begins with playing time being limited , even if it’s for the player’s own good .
maheswaran r , chang yh , henehan a , danesis s . deconstructing the rebound with optical tracking data . in : mit sloan sports analytics conference ; 2012 . available from : urltoken
weil s . the importance of being open : what optical tracking data can say about nba field goal shooting . in : mit sloan sports analytics conference ; 2011 . available from : urltoken
oliver dean , et al . 2007 . “a starting point for analyzing basketball statistics . ” journal of quantitative analysis in sports 3 . 1 web .
nba ' s new tracking stats give fans a window to the future data from the league ' s new sportvu cameras is now available to the public . check out this story on urltoken urltoken
the potential benefits to coaches and observers is apparent , simply by taking a look at what the system can tell us about the basic areas of basketball .
plisky pj , rauh mj , kaminski tw , underwood fb . star excursion balance test as a predictor of lower extremity injury in high school basketball players .
noted previously , the variables obtained from the tracking systems allow use of court locations for better understanding several game statistics . therefore , these results increase knowledge of basketball game behavior by identifying key performance variables and by reducing prior emphasis on the importance of distance covered and velocity . the reclassification obtained was very high and hence affirms accuracy of the mathematical model .
in leagues around the world , wearable biometric trackers that provide these statistics are the norm ; in some countries , they can even display a player’s heart rate in real time on the jumbotron or home broadcast . so why isn’t this a common sight in american professional basketball ?
to examine the relationship among skeletal muscle architecture , lower body power , and games missed because of lower extremity injury ( % miss ) in professional basketball players .
schiltz m , lehance c , maquet d , bury t , crielaard j - m , croisier j - l . explosive strength imbalances in professional basketball players .
maymin p . acceleration in the nba : towards an algorithmic taxonomy of basketball plays . in : mit sloan sports analytics conference ; 2013 . available from : urltoken
the nba released its sportvu tracking technology and statistics to the public on friday , and while it ' s hard to see the results with so few games played , we know what will be available .
muscle architecture and power were assessed in basketball players from the orlando magic professional basketball organization during the week immediately before the beginning of the 2012–2013 regular season . athletes ' bilateral differences in both muscle architecture and power were compared with games missed because of lower extremity injury over the course of the regular season ( 82 games ) .
only players who played at least half the 2013 - 2014 regular season , 41 games , are included in this analysis . this restriction is made to reduce the influence of player statistics derived from only a few games played . also fields containing season total statistics and per game statistics are dropped from the analysis since they could be influenced by number of games and minutes played throughout the season . instead , per 48 minutes , per touch , and per shot statistics are used . the final data set contains 360 player records each containing 66 different player tracking statistics .
however , the high dimensionality of this new data source poses major challenges as it demands more computational resources and reduces the ability to easily analyze and interpret findings . we must find a way to reduce the dimensionality of the data set while retaining the ability to compare player performance . one method that is particularly well - suited for this application is principal component analysis ( pca ) which identifies the dimensions of the data containing the maximum variance in the data set . this article applies pca to the nba player tracking data to discover four principal components that account for 68 % of the variability in the data for the 2013 - 2014 regular season . these components are explored in detail by examining the player tracking statistics that influence them the most and where players and teams fall along these new dimensions .
esteves pt , de oliveira rf , araujo d . posture - related affordances guide attacks in basketball . psychol sport exerc . 2011 ; 12 ( 6 ) : 639–44 .
kerr , ringleader of the most entertaining basketball show on earth this season , didn’t take the decision lightly . he even emailed fans to explain the reasons behind his decision .
* the nba - wide shooting percentage is significantly higher when the shooter doesn’t take any dribbles . this confirms what any basketball observer suspected : ball movement equals offensive success .
manzi v , d ' ottavio s , impellizzeri fm , chaouachi a , chamari k , castagna c . profile of weekly training load in elite male professional basketball players .
we at squadfusion have also written on the site before about how underdogs in football and basketball can strategize with data by finding what is unconventional and outwitting their stronger opponent .
for models that do not make explicit consideration of such effects , one should be careful when making predictions about hypothetical lineups to ensure that each player’s usage rate in the new offense is not significantly different than the player’s usage rate in the data from which their skills are inferred . otherwise , one can get spurious predictions based on unrealistically robust estimates of player skills .
with numerous player tracking statistics already available and the potential to develop infinitely many more , it is difficult to extract meaningful and intuitive insights on player comparisons . now that the data are available for more granular and detailed comparisons , a methodology is needed that can analyze the entirety of the data set to extract a handful of dimensions for comparisons . these dimensions should be constructed in a way that ensures optimality in differentiating players ( i . e . dimensions should retain the maximum amount of player separability possible from the original data ) and can be understood in terms of the original statistics .
this study aimed to compare game performances of all - star and non all - star basketball players and to identify and describe different basketball game performance profiles in the nba . in general terms , key performance indicators were identified that discriminate all - star players from non all - stars and , also , the different groupings of performance profiles in competition .
malarranha j , figueira b , leite n , sampaio j . dynamic modeling of performance in basketball . international journal of performance analysis in sport . 2013 ; 13 : 377–86 .
in this paper , principal component analysis ( pca ) is used to identify four components accounting for 68 % of the variation in player tracking data from the 2013 - 2014 regular season . the most influential statistics on these new dimensions are used to construct intuitive , practical interpretations . in this high variance , low dimensional space , comparisons across any or all of the principal components are possible to evaluate characteristics that make players and teams similar or unique . a simple measure of similarity between player or team statistical profiles based on the four principal components is also constructed . the statistical diversity index ( sdi ) allows for quick and intuitive comparisons using the entirety of the player tracking data . as new statistics emerge , this framework is scalable as it can incorporate existing and new data sources by reconstructing principal component dimensions and sdi for improved comparisons .
in this paper , we suggest a method for achieving these goals using player tracking data . we first outline generally how to build a network model of the offense that relates player skills to the effectiveness of a given play , and we provide a specific , simplified example of such a model . we then discuss the process of learning player skills from player tracking data , and we show that in general these skills cannot be measured directly from the data due to a lack of information about which play a team is attempting at the moment of a failed offensive sequence . nonetheless , we show that this issue can be addressed using an iterative procedure based on bayesian inference . the effectiveness of this procedure is then demonstrated by means of a test on simulated data . finally , we use our simplified network model to examine hand - recorded data from the 2011 playoff series between the oklahoma city thunder and the memphis grizzlies . we show that , despite a very limited data set , we are able to correctly predict a player’s interactions with a particular lineup based on data from his performance with a different lineup .
karipidis a , fotinakis p , taxildaris k , fatouros j . factors characterizing a successful performance in basketball . j hum movement stud . 2001 ; 41 ( 5 ) : 385–97 .
sampaio j , gonçalves b , rentero l , abrantes c , leite n . exploring how basketball players ' tactical performances can be affected by activity workload . sci sport . 2014 .
as the official player tracking partner of the nba , stats sportvu data will now be used by espn , nba on tnt , and bleacher report . the data will also be made available to other media outlets around the globe to provide fans with more insight into lineups , substitutions , and play calling , as well as analysis on player and team performance including shooting , passing , and rebounding . previously , the nba’s sportvu data was only available to nba teams and through nba digital assets .
additionally , a simple measure of similarity in statistical profiles between players and teams based on the principal components is proposed . the statistical diversity index ( sdi ) can be calculated for any pairwise player combination and provides a fast and intuitive method for finding players with similar statistical performances along any or all of the principal component dimensions . this approach is also advantageous from the standpoint of scalability . the possibilities to derive new statistics from the player tracking data are endless , so as new statistics emerge , this approach can again be applied using the new and existing data to reconstruct the principal components and sdi for improved player evaluation and comparisons .
professional basketball players have demanding schedules that , in combination with certain underlying physical characteristics and side - to - side strength and power imbalances , may make them vulnerable to lower extremity injuries .
lombardo s , sethi pm , starkey c . intercondylar notch stenosis is not a risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament tears in professional male basketball players : an 11 - year prospective study .
professional sports leagues such as the nba and nfl place sensors and receivers across their stadiums and player gear . photo credit : the atlantic
teams can break down each player ' s efficiency into more detailed sub - categories , like touches per shot or points per touch .
here ' s what an in - game analysis would look like . you can track the distance run or speed for each player .
remmert h . analysis of group - tactical offensive behavior in elite basketball on the basis of a process orientated model . eur j sport sci . 2003 ; 3 ( 3 ) : 1–12 .
this article is organized as follows . section 2 describes the player tracking data and data processing . section 3 provides the analysis and interpretations for the four principal components in detail , showing how players and teams can be compared across these new dimensions . section 4 introduces the calculation for sdi and two case studies where principal component scores and sdi are used to find players with similar statistical profiles to all - star tony parker and role player anthony morrow for personnel management purposes . 5 conclusion concludes the article with final remarks .
unlike in the “random agents” model detailed in appendix a , for the “coached agents” model that is the main subject of this paper , one cannot , in general , measure player skills directly from player tracking data . this is because player tracking data provides only a sequence of plays as they are performed by the players , and does not give any information about the team’s original intentions ( i . e . , the play as diagrammed by the coach ) . consider , for example , the problem of determining a player’s passing skill in the high / low model . a typical possession within this model might progress from the state 1h to the state 3h to a turnover ( denoted , for brevity , 1h → 3h → t ) . but in this sequence it is not clear how the turnover by the small forward should be interpreted . was the turnover the result of a failed high pass ? a failed low pass ? a failed drive ? in order to determine how to assign blame for this turnover among the player’s various skills , one needs to know something about which plays the team tends to attempt . thus , the frequencies of play calls { p α } must be inferred simultaneously with the player skills . in this endeavor one can employ a statistical inference algorithm , such as the one we outline below .
numerous applications in personnel management exist for the use of sdi and principal component scores in evaluating and comparing player and team statistical performances . two specific case studies are presented to show how these tools can be used to quickly identify players with similar statistical profiles to a certain player of interest for the purpose of identifying less expensive , similarly skilled players or finding suitable replacement options for a key role player within the organization .
“opinions are being formed about a player’s potential based on how some people are reading , reviewing and assessing the data , ” roberts said .
aglioti sm , cesari p , romani m , urgesi c . action anticipation and motor resonance in elite basketball players . nat neurosci . 2008 ; 11 ( 9 ) : 1109–16 . pmid : 19160510
apostolidis n , nassis gp , bolatoglou t , geladas nd . physiological and technical characteristics of elite young basketball players . j sport med phys fit . 2004 ; 44 ( 2 ) : 157–63 .
another way the pc scores can be used to compare player statistical profiles is to combine them to produce one measure of how different one player’s statistical profile is from another . here a simple calculation based on the sum of squared difference between the two players’ four pc scores is proposed .
the good that data can bring to sports includes better team strategy , player performance , and medical care . the trackers and cameras used by the nfl and nba are also used by numerous other soccer , basketball , college football leagues . the information technology brings is transforming our understanding of athletics and will only continue to spread to every field .
in sec . 4 we showed that our statistical inference algorithm can correctly infer the skill levels of players in a simulated offense . given this success , the prospect of using the algorithm to learn the traits of actual nba players is naturally enticing . a successful inference scheme , coupled with a suitably sophisticated network model , would allow one to learn the skill levels of nba players from player tracking data and thus predict how the team’s effectiveness would be affected by any number of changes , including player trades , substitutions , or altered play calling .
} of each player . thus , one can completely determine the expected number of points scored by the team for a given use of plays {
engelmann j . new player evaluation technique for players of the nba . in : mit sloan sports analytics conference ; 2011 . available from : urltoken
on friday , the nba launched the public database based on tracking technology from stats llc ' s innovative sportvu cameras . while there are limitations to what ' s available to fans , the release is certainly an upgrade and another level of insight into the league .
ben abdelkrim n , castagna c , jabri i , battikh t , el fazaa s , el ati j . activity profile and physiological requirements of junior elite basketball players in relation to aerobic - anaerobic fitness .
gaida j , cook j , bass s , austen s , kiss z . are unilateral and bilateral patellar tendinopathy distinguished by differences in anthropometry , body composition , or muscle strength in elite female basketball players ?
numerical evaluation of basketball players has long been based on box score statistics . such evaluations , by nature of the limited data set from which they draw , generally center around a player’s contributions to the five positive statistics—points , rebounds , assists , steals , and blocks—while neglecting more nuanced aspects of the player’s value , such as his / her ability to make high quality ( non - assist ) passes , or set good screens , or rotate effectively on defense . these less easily quantifiable aspects of a player’s performance are traditionally evaluated only qualitatively , informed by the intuition of a coach or analyst who has spent a significant amount of time watching the players perform .
derozan and parker have similar point totals per 48 minutes , but parker generates more driving points compared to catch and shoot points while derozan is more balanced . additionally , derozan doesn’t match the others in terms of assist categories , touches , and passes . this helps explain why derozan’s pc 2 score is much smaller than the others as catch and shoot offense and lack of passing and assists contribute to negative pc 2 scores . shot type , touches , and passes are key aspects of the player tracking statistics that add value by improving player comparisons beyond simple number of points and assists . with player tracking statistics , j . j . barea rises as a less expensive option to parker’s $ 12 . 5m salary who had the most similar statistical performance to parker in the 2013 - 2014 season as measured by sdi . this can be seen in the similarities among pc scores and the selected statistics and shows how sdi can provide a quick method for identifying similar players for further detailed comparisons .
the mean squared error in the inferred value of player skills for a simulated high / low offense as a function of the number of possessions analyzed .
sportvu tracks every player movement , every pass , every shot , every touch - - everything . at this point , it tracks more information than teams know what to do with . every executive interviewed for this article agreed they weren’t even using 10 percent of the information this system could provide . and they all agreed this is the future of advanced basketball analytics .
kozar b , vaughn re , whitfield ke , lord rh , dye b . importance of free - throws at various stages of basketball games . percept motor skill . 1994 ; 78 ( 1 ) : 243–8 .
in sports more than in any other professions , the boundary between the two has always been blurry . with few exceptions , it’s very rare for somebody who’s not at peak physical fitness to reach the upper echelons of professional sports , especially in basketball , where only a handful of players under six feet tall have ever truly thrived . some of the data the leagues already collect could arguably be construed as falling in either category : when the nba tracks how far a player runs in an average game , or a baseball team uses special slow - motion cameras to evaluate the angle of a player’s elbow as he releases a pitch , is that dissecting that player’s labor or studying his body ?
buchheit m , allen a , poon tk , modonutti m , gregson w , di salvo v . integrating different tracking systems in football : multiple camera semi - automatic system , local position measurement and gps technologies . j sport sci . 2014 ; 32 ( 20 ) : 1844–57 .
theoretically , a pre - draft mri could raise a player’s value : “if an mri is clean , ” says jeff passan , whose book the arm details the history of ucl tears and the surgeries that fix them , “what’s preventing the player from going back to the team and saying , ‘your doctor tells me i have a beautiful elbow , i want $ 300 , 000 more’ ? ” but there’s no way for a player to know until he gets his results , at which point the team’s leadership will always know better what to look for , giving them all the leverage they need to use whatever they find against the player .
of course , it is important to note that the apparent skill levels of the players , which define the success rates f ij of different attempted transitions , depend not only on the skills of the offensive players but on the quality of the defense being faced . in this sense any player skill is understood to be defined relative to a given defense . when considering the performance of a player over an entire nba season , for example , such skills are naturally defined relative to the league - average defense . one could also imagine considering a player’s performance against a specific opponent , and thus defining the player’s skills relative to that particular matchup .
principal component analysis ( pca ) , developed by karl pearson ( pearson , 1901 ) and later by hotelling ( hotelling , 1933 ) , is a particularly well - suited statistical tool that can accomplish this task through identifying uncorrelated linear combinations of player tracking statistics that contain maximum variance . interested readers can find a brief technical introduction to pca in appendix a . components of high variance help us better differentiate player performance in these directions in hopes that the majority of the variance will be contained in a small subset of components . this simple and intuitive approach to dimension reduction provides a platform for player comparisons across dimensions that best separate players by statistical performance and can be implemented withoutexpensive proprietary solutions , providing more visibility into how the method works at little to no additional cost .
franks a , miller a , bornn l , goldsberry k . characterizing the spatial structure of defensive skill in professional basketball . arxiv : 14050231 [ stat ] . 2014 may ; arxiv : 1405 . 0231 . available from : urltoken
sampaio j , janeira m . statistical analyses of basketball team performance : understanding teams’ wins and losses according to a different index of ball possessions . international journal of performance analysis in sport . 2003 ; 3 ( 1 ) : 40–9 .
perše m , kristan m , kovačič s , vučkovič g , perš j . a trajectory - based analysis of coordinated team activity in a basketball game . computer vision and image understanding . 2009 ; 113 ( 5 ) : 612–21 .
miller a , bornn l , adams r , goldsberry k . factorized point process intensities : a spatial analysis of professional basketball . arxiv : 14010942 [ stat ] . 2014 jan ; arxiv : 1401 . 0942 . available from : urltoken
of course , the real impact of the approach suggested here awaits its application to the actual player tracking data . under the influence of such data , the simple high / low model will likely be replaced by richer models , including perhaps models that incorporate a finer spatial grid or a continuous description of spatial positions . such detailed models may require one to adapt more advanced techniques from spatial statistics ( as , for example , in refs . [ 15 , 16 ] ) .
in summary , this study provided analysis of an nba regular season using player - tracking variables and notation data . it was found that all - star players performed consistently better than non all - star players within 12 feet of the basket , possibly a result of optimized attention processes that are key for perceiving the required appropriate environmental information for action production . in addition , different groupings were identified based on playing performance , particularly in relation to the roles of scoring , passing , defensive and all - round duties . these findings can be used to optimize preparation for individual player groupings and , ultimately , improve game performances of the players and teams .
tony parker dribbled 839 times in a 107 - 96 win over the thunder on feb . 4 , the most dribbles by a player in a sportvu game this season .
shows the resulting mean squared error in the inferred player skills as a function of the number of possessions analyzed . the results suggest that after a season’s worth of data the player skills are known to within a few percent , and that the inferred value of skills generally converge to the actual values after a few hundred possessions . this analysis uses
that is not captured directly by our network description . westbrook is generally called upon to carry a significantly larger offensive load than conley , a fact that is reflected in the much larger percentage of okc’s possessions that end with westbrook taking a shot or committing a turnover : about 35 % , as compared to only about 15 % for conley . in basketball analysis , it is generally accepted that larger usage rates for a given player are correlated with declining success rates , due primarily to the increased focus such a player receives from the defense . such a relationship is called a “skill curve” [
sampaio j , janeira m , ibanez s , lorenzo a . discriminant analysis of game - related statistics between basketball guards , forwards and centres in three professional leagues . european journal of sport science . 2006 ; 6 ( 3 ) : 173–8 .
using principal component scores and sdi , several use cases are presented for improved personnel management . team principal component scores are used to quickly profile and evaluate team performance , more specifically how new york’s lack of ball movement negatively impacted success despite high average scoring efficiency as a team . sdi is used to identify players across the nba with the most similar statistical performances to specific players . all - star tony parker and shooting specialist anthony morrow are used as two examples and presented with in - depth comparisons to similar players using principal component scores and player tracking statistics . this approach can be used in salary negotiations , free agency acquisitions and trades , role player replacement , and more .
unfortunately , player tracking data is not yet available in the public domain . thus , we devised the following basic test of our general strategy . in order to obtain some “poor man’s player tracking data” , we recorded by hand data corresponding to 401 possessions from the 2011 playoff series between the oklahoma city thunder ( okc ) and the memphis grizzlies . this data is described in more detail in the methods section . possessions were then sorted according to which lineup the team had on the floor . for example , the memphis starting lineup of conley - allen - young - randolph - gasol played 84 possessions together during the first three games , while the okc starting lineup of westbrook - sefolosha - durant - ibaka - perkins played 111 possessions ; we refer to these as “lineup 1” for each team . memphis’s second - most - used lineup was conley - mayo - battier - randolph - gasol , while for okc it was westbrook - harden - durant - collison - ibaka ; these we denote “lineup 2” .
ibanez sj , sampaio j , feu s , lorenzo a , gomez ma , ortega e . basketball game - related statistics that discriminate between teams ' season - long success . european journal of sport science . 2008 ; 8 ( 6 ) : 369–72 .
but it’s in basketball , which has already seen multiple dustups over wearables , and where the league has taken to actively pitching the devices at its annual tech summit , that the conversation’s been the most instructive when it comes to understanding where the controversy lies .
“to the extent that the team and the player could come up with a better advantage based on the information , who’s got a problem with that ? ” she told cbssports . com .
mckechnie’s observation was backed up by catapult’s work with a d - league team last season , yielding in - game data showing that only 15 . 5 percent of player movement was forward .
gomez ma , lorenzo a , ibanez sj , sampaio j . ball possession effectiveness in men ' s and women ' s elite basketball according to situational variables in different game periods . j sports sci . 2013 ; 31 ( 14 ) : 1578–87 . pmid : 23679867
close shots : any jump shot taken by a player on any touch that starts within 12 feet of the basket , excluding drives . gathered variables include close ppg or ppm and fg % .
just a sample of the twitter backlash directed at kerr : “nothing like spending $ 250 on tickets for my son’s 7th birthday only for you to bench his favorite player . thanks steve . ”
ben abdelkrim n , el fazaa s , el ati j . time - motion analysis and physiological data of elite under - 19 - year - old basketball players during competition . british journal of sports medicine . 2007 ; 41 ( 2 ) : 69–75 ; discussion pmid : 17138630
pca is most useful when the majority of the total variance across variables are captured by only a few of the principal components , thus the dimension reduction . if this is the case for the nba player tracking data set , it means that we are able to retain the ability to differentiate player performance without having to operate in such a high dimensional space . figure 1 scree shows the variance captured by each principal component . note the variance captured in the first principal component is very high and decreases drastically through the first four components . after that , the change in variance is relatively flat , forming an elbow shape in the plot . this means that the variances captured by the fifth component onward are very similar and much smaller than the first four components . moreover , the first four components capture 68 % of the variance across the original variables , so we utilize these four components going forward to analyze and compare player performance and playing styles .


discovery digital networks is a san francisco based multi-channel internet television and digital cable network that creates , produces and distributes web television shows on niche topics .

it operates as the online video arm of discovery communications since its acquisition in may 2012 .

it operates as the provider for 6 distinct " networks : " revision3 , testtube , animalist , seeker , the defranco network and rev3games .

as of december 2016 , discovery digital networks has merged into a new company named group nine media .

discovery digital networks

discovery digital media » press releases » bree essrig joins discovery digital networ . . .
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how can i put and write and define discovery digital networks in a sentence and how is the word discovery digital networks used in a sentence and examples ? 用discovery digital networks造句 , 用discovery digital networks造句 , 用discovery digital networks造句 , discovery digital networks meaning , definition , pronunciation , synonyms and example sentences are provided by ichacha . net .
jim louderback ( pictured ) is leaving his post as general manager of discovery digital networks .
defranco also became an exec of discovery digital networks and the senior vice president of philip defranco networks and merchandise as a result of the move .
in november 2014 , it was announced that ling joined discovery digital networks as its director of development .
between december 2013 and december 2014 , wayne was a host for the animalist streaming series for discovery digital networks .
about discovery digital networks : discovery digital networks is made up of seeker and sourcefed studios . with over 300 million monthly views , ddn is reaching young , influential audiences around the world through daily programming , weekly series , premium web - docs & live online events . discovery digital networks is part of discovery communications , the world’s number one non - fiction media company .
discovery digital networks ended the operations of rev3games on november 6 , 2014 , for reasons that have not been disclosed .
sessler was the editor - in - chief and executive producer of rev3games , until leaving discovery digital networks in april 2014 .
trace dominguez ( born may 19 ) is best known as an internet personality and host of dnews from discovery digital networks .
discovery digital networks , the digital arm of discovery communications , has tapped nathan brown as senior vp of development and operations as it gears up for the relaunch of millennial - targeted online network seeker .
the average salary for discovery digital networks executive producer , animalist is $ 129 , 773 per year , ranging from $ 108 , 529 to $ 147 , 389 . compare more salaries for discovery digital networks executive producer , animalist at paysa . com .
a 2014 savetheice . org project in the baltic states was featured in the discovery digital networks production
in the making
.
last fall , discovery invested $ 100 million to form group nine media , a digital - media venture merging three startups backed by lerer hippeau ventures ( thrillist , nowthis and the dodo ) with discovery’s seeker ( formerly discovery digital networks ) .
the series is part of phil defranco networks & merchandise , a subsidiary of discovery digital networks .
the vloggity
is a video blog , or
vlog
, style show .
' rev3games
' was a web television channel owned by revision3 , a subsidiary of discovery digital networks , with shows about video games .
“nathan is a strong , innovative executive with an intimate knowledge of digital audiences and a proven track record of growing digital businesses , ” said suzanne kolb , executive vp and g . m . of discovery digital networks , to whom brown reports .
discovery digital networks , the digital arm of discovery communications , has tapped nathan brown as senior vp of development and operations as it gears up for the relaunch of millennial - targeted online network seeker . most recently , brown was senior vp and g . m . of video at aol’s huffington post overseeing all areas of global video , tv and film . at discovery digital networks , [ … ]
jim louderback ( pictured ) is leaving his post as general manager of discovery digital networks , and will be writing a book for first - time ceos .
azevedo oversees a family of six news and comedy video channels for discovery digital networks , including youtube star phil defranco’s channel , sourcefed , sourcefed nerd , nuclear family , super panic frenzy and people be like . the broader discovery digital networks portfolio also includes streaming networks animalist , dnews , seeker and testtube . azevedo’s office of 30 people is churning out content daily for all social platforms .
the appointment comes only three months after jim louderback resigned from his position as gm of discovery digital networks and ceo of revision3 . he was succeeded by colin decker .
a discovery spokesperson confirmed the departure and says colin decker , group operating officer of discovery digital networks , will be taking over as lead . the division produces and distributes original web programming for networks revision3 . com , animalist . com , testtube . com , urltoken and sourcefed . com .
machinima ’s creative director of original programming , jeremy azevedo , has departed the company for a role as head of discovery digital networks la , according to multiple industry sources .
discovery communications , in a significant consolidation in the digital media sector , is investing $ 100 million into a new digital media holding company that will merge thrillist media group , nowthis media , the dodo and discovery’s digital network seeker and its sourcefed studios .
this non - fiction programming is offered through dci ' s more than 50 network entertainment brands , including discovery channel , velocity , eurosport and its web - native discovery digital networks business , led by seeker and sourcefed .
discovery digital networks is the web - native video business of discovery communications and extends the company’s 30 - year mission to satisfy curiosity across platforms . discovery digital networks’ portfolio of original online video networks cover topics ranging from current events and pop culture to science and technology through daily content anchored by the best personalities on the web . with a robust lineup of networks , including testtube , sourcefed , the defranco network , revision3 and animalist , ddn features more than 110 web - native series enjoyed by passionate audiences . for more information , please visit
discovery distributes customized content throughout the world in more than 40 languages . us networks account for about 50 % of revenue .
today , dci channels include discovery channel , tlc , animal planet , investigation discovery , own : oprah winfrey network , science channel , discovery family channel , american heroes channel , velocity , destination america and discovery life channel , and two hispanic brands , discovery en español and discovery familia .
“there are no walled gardens here , ” said suzanne kolb , evp and gm of discovery digital networks , which oversees seeker and other digital businesses under discovery communications . “we’re focused on having a strong , ubiquitous brand that is available to an audience when and where they want it . ”
super panic frenzy joins a host of other brands within the discovery digital networks family . discovery acquired revision3 back in may 2012 , and the two networks jointly launched the new educational network testtube a year later . more recently , ddn debuted the seeker network , aimed at thrill - seeking , adventure - loving audiences .
jim louderback , g . m . of discovery digital networks , is leaving the company two years after the cable programmer bought web - video startup revision3 , where he had been ceo .
in may 2013 , defranco ' s assets , including
the philip defranco show
and
sourcefed
, were acquired by revision3 , which itself was a subsidiary of discovery digital networks .
moving forward , decker hinted at increasingly blurred lines between discovery’s cable operations and its digital networks . one testtube series , “ i fucking love science , ” has already made the jump to discovery’s science channel — and more are sure to follow .
discovery digital networks ( ddn ) is leveling up its portfolio of brands with a new gaming - centric hub . the network has officially created the subsidiary network super panic frenzy , led by defranco networks’ philip defranco , sourcefednerd ’s reina scully , and ddn producer and host steven suptic .
discovery digital networks is going to be better than ever in 2016 with all new shows and mini - series . this high energy promo video highlights some of the exciting projects coming up as well as some of the best moments from 2015 . featuring appearances from their popular networks seeker , testtube , dnews , revision3 , the defranco network , sourcefed , and more . discovery digital networks : urltoken video created by : filmless urltoken music credits : alexander & dr . ozi - down low urltoken
news of the automotive jv with ten comes just three days after discovery announced an agreement to acquire scripps networks interactive , home of food networks , hgtv and others , in a deal valued at $ 14 . 6 billion .
as its newest host . based in discovery digital networks’ los angeles office , essrig will bring her sharp humor and wit to sourcefed’s 1 . 5 million passionate fans on youtube as she joins the ensemble .
a discovery rep confirmed louderback’s departure and said colin decker , discovery digital networks group operating officer , now will be leading the unit . “jim has been valued member of the family since joining discovery with the acquisition of revision3 , and we wish him all the best on his next chapter , ” the rep said .
rev3games is shutting down . in a video post today , the gaming network ' s tara long announced the end of the discover digital networks brand .
the digital forensic specialist will perform forensic collections of data on a multitude of digital media devices and data types . . . .
discovery digital networks represents more than two years of experimentation on that initial revision3 investment . its content hews closely to the “discovery dna , ” as ddn general manager colin decker puts it , because ddn has kept a tight rein on the creative process . while ddn has some affiliate series , it owns most of the intellectual property across its digital networks , restricting its immediate viewership but affording it more long - term control .
discovery digital networks , whose properties generate more than 300 million monthly video streams across platforms , later this year plans to a revamped version of seeker , with 250 - plus videos premiering each month across multiple digital platforms , including on a redesigned version of urltoken launching in may .
the primary purpose of this position is to conduct digital forensic investigations , data recovery , and electronic discovery . . . .
“the launch of animalist is another step forward in discovery’s journey to both ignite audiences’ curiosity and fuel our mission to be the no . 1 nonfiction video and media company on all screens , ” sean atkins , discovery’s senior vp of digital networks and commerce , said in a statement .
he ' s also appeared on other discovery digital networks shows like seekerdaily ( formerly testtubenews ) , dnews plus , sourcefed , as well as the now - defunct : sgnl by sony , seeker , anyhoo , and animalist .
when discovery digital networks purchased revision 3 brushwood used it as an opportunity to move production of
scam school
from the san francisco bay area to austin , texas where he currently lives with his wife and three children .
“we are very excited to have bree joining the discovery digital networks family and the sourcefed team , ” said jeremy azevedo , head of discovery digital networks – los angeles . “sourcefed is the ultimate destination for pop culture news , anchored by the best personalities on the web . bree is a rare , multi - faceted talent , and i can ' t wait to see what her unique mix of humor , intelligence and creativity will bring to this incredible brand .
the scripps networks include specialty channels hgtv , travel channel , food network and cooking channel — all of which lend themselves well to the most profitable niches in digital video .
“cats riding donkeys defined the early days of animal videos on the ‘net but today’s viewers want much more , and we’re bringing it to them with animalist , ” said jim louderback , founder of revision3 and head of discovery digital networks .
today , there are five core brands within discovery digital networks : revision3 , sourcefed , the defranco network , testtube and animalist . the 110 web series spanning those five properties drive 150 million monthly video streams , according to the company .
epsilon’s digital media arm , conversant , is a leader in personalized digital advertising and insights through its proprietary technology and trove of consumer . . .
most recently , brown was senior vp and g . m . of video at aol’s huffington post overseeing all areas of global video , tv and film . at discovery digital networks , he will guide business strategy and audience growth and have operational responsibilities . brown will be based in discovery’s san francisco office .
the digital asset librarian will oversee the taxonomy , metadata , and classification of digital assets so that they’re easily accessible by all in creative . . .
discovery communications ( nasdaq : disca , discb , disck ) is the world’s # 1 pay - tv programmer reaching nearly 3 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 220 countries and territories . for 30 years discovery has been dedicated to satisfying curiosity and entertaining viewers with high - quality content through its global television brands , led by discovery channel , tlc , animal planet , investigation discovery and science , as well as u . s . joint venture network own : oprah winfrey network . discovery controls eurosport , the leading pan - regional sports entertainment destination across europe , asia pacific , the middle east and africa . discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools , including an award - winning series of k - 12 digital textbooks , through discovery education , and a digital leader with a diversified online portfolio , including discovery digital networks . for more information , please visit
jim louderback , g . m . of discovery digital networks , is leaving the company two years after the cable programmer bought web - video startup revision3 , where he had been ceo . louderback announced that he is leaving discovery communications in a post on his personal blog monday to take time off and write a book about being a first - time ceo . discovery in 2012 [ … ]
strengths in building networks of internal contacts and leveraging positive working relationships to achieve business goals . . . .
group nine was formed last fall with the merger of three startups backed by lerer hippeau ventures ( thrillist , nowthis and the dodo ) and seeker ( formerly discovery digital networks ) , along with a $ 100 million investment by discovery . lerer , co - counder of thrillist , is the son of venture capitalist ken lerer .
discovery communications allows viewers to go on journey without ever having to leave their couch . the company is the world ' s # 1 non - fiction media company , with more than 150 worldwide cable tv networks , including discovery channel , animal planet , and tlc . discovery ' s various networks reach more than 3 billion subscribers in about 220 countries . in addition , the company offers educational products and services to school ; a diverse set of digital media services ; and online content through seeker and sourcefed .
discovery communications , in a significant consolidation in the digital media sector , is investing $ 100 million into a new digital media holding company that will merge thrillist media group , nowthis media , the dodo and discovery’s digital network seeker and its sourcefed studios . the new company , group nine media , will be headed by ben lerer ( pictured above ) , formerly ceo [ … ]
kolb , who most recently served as executive vp and general manager of discovery digital networks , joined group nine at the time of the merger . while at discovery she oversaw the formation of sourcefed studios , also a part of the roll - up , and the launch of seeker . she previously served as president of e ! entertainment .
discovery , understanding , and optimization of novel functional materials : . discovery , understanding , and optimization of new and novel high performance . . .
her post was immediately preceded by a farewell video from fellow rev3games host nick robinson . neither video offered an explanation for the shutdown . the remainder of discovery digital networks ' revision3 categories - - including movies , comedy , and tech - - appear to be unaffected .
experience in e - discovery collections and digital forensics required . candidate to be responsible for the collection of client data from network shares , desktop . . .
the discovery communications - backed company has appointed publishing veteran richard beckman as its chief revenue officer to lead its advertising efforts and has tapped former discovery digital executive suzanne kolb to oversee marketing and content creation as its chief brand officer .
other cablers that have spawned digital - video brands — separate from sites for their tv channels , but repurposing some of the same content — include scripps networks interactive’s ulive and turner broadcasting system’s upwave .
the discovery digital networks group’s properties include revision3 . com , animalist . com , urltoken , urltoken and sourcefed . com , and its content also is distributed via youtube , apple’s itunes , and 40 - plus other partners and devices . in may 2013 , louderback led discovery’s deal to buy the production company and channels of popular youtuber phil defranco .
discovery communications has taken the wraps off of a rebrand of its seeker digital network , gunning for more growth by embracing facebook and other social platforms beyond youtube .
the strategy partly involves discovery recycling its 25 - plus - year library of nature and animal footage , including material from animal planet . as with its other digital initiatives , discovery is trying to be careful to reinforce its core tv biz , with animalist content designed to drive audiences back to discovery channel and animal planet .
discovery communications is taking the funny - cat - video legacy of youtube to a whole new level in trying to scratch out some incremental digital bucks from animal lovers .
the bad news is , the discovery and scripps networks have not found their way into most of the so - called skinny bundles , as cable customers shift to narrower offerings ( and lower cost ) .
take , for instance , a recent video titled “people try heroin for the first time , ” which was made for discovery digital networks’ nuclear family sketch comedy youtube channel . on youtube , the nearly four - minute video has done more than 720 , 000 views since jan . 6 . on facebook , the same exact video has done nearly 16 . 7 million views . while it has seen some “spikes” month to month , discovery digital networks is averaging 60 million views per month on facebook , the company said . that’s still not at youtube level ( 200 million a month ) .
discovery communications inc . is a global mass media and entertainment company that started as the discovery channel , a single cable channel , way back in 1985 , .
this weeks guest , victor harwood , mr . digital hollywood wednesday , december 9 , 2015
“our ability to leverage digital assets across tv is a unique competitive advantage of discovery , ” said decker . “you’ll see a lot more of that in the coming year . ”
per the same sources , azevedo will oversee discovery digital networks’ la production operations , as well as drive strategy and development for its various online properties , including youtuber phil defranco’s division , phil defranco networks and merchandise , which also covers sourcefed and for human peoples . according to a source familiar with the hire , the role is newly formed and does not cover revision3 or testtube , which are run out of the company’s san francisco offices .
it’s not that discovery has eschewed social platforms in the past . the company was among the earliest adopters of youtube as a place to find new audiences with original content — over the years , it either acquired or built digital video brands such as revision3 , sourcefed , testtube and dnews . but as kolb describes it , discovery digital networks for some time was “frankly , singularly focused” on youtube . “we don’t want to be singularly focused on just one or two platforms , ” she said .
beckman was previously cro at vice media and kolb hails from group nine investor discovery .
last year , dci invested $ 100 million in a new digital media holding company , group nine media , that merged thrillist media group , nowthis media , the dodo and discovery’s digital network seeker and its sourcefed studios . group nine is headed by ben lerer , formerly ceo of thrillist .
the links to those more recent videos and the discussion about them should be removed , per wp : iinfo . also , why is the discovery digital networks navbar included with her ( real ) name on it , but no mention of this whatsoever in the article ? talk ) 16 : 22 , 27 may 2014 ( utc )
louderback , the former ceo of revision3 who saw the digital platform integrate into discovery communications’ portfolio , said he “got the itch” to take some time off after seven years in a leadership role .
kolb , who joined discovery in january , was previously president of nbcuniversal’s e ! entertainment .
fy2020 earnings estimate for discovery communications inc . common stock ( disca ) issued by imperial capital
all told , discovery now offers more than 600 hours of original online video programming across various properties .
zacks : discovery inc series b ( discb ) given $ 30 . 00 average price target by brokerages
los angeles head of discovery digital networks jeremy azevedo said in a release how his network is catering to an audience that is well served by a gaming vertical . “if there’s one thing we know about this community , it’s that they were practically born with a game controller in their hands . they love gaming as much as we do , if not more , ” he explained .
under the terms of the pact , discovery has an option to buy a controlling stake in group nine media in the future . in addition , the deal encompasses a commercial agreement between discovery and group nine under which both will be able to sell advertisers packages that span linear tv , digital and social content , and live events .
like rival cable programmers such as viacom and a & e television networks , discovery uses its portfolio of channels to segment its audience by programming each network around specific interests . the strategy gives each of discovery ' s channels a distinct identity and simplifies the company ' s marketing efforts . it also increases the value of commercial air time for advertisers trying to reach those audiences . discovery generates the lion ' s share of its revenue through advertising and carriage fees paid by cable system operators .
discovery communications is spinning off velocity into a new joint venture with ten : the enthusiast network , coupling the tv network with the digital and live - event businesses of ten’s 20 - plus automotive brands including motor trend and hot rod .
supports building up a network of key opinion leaders to collaborate with discovery on new product opportunities . . . .
those four companies are thrillist ( lifestyle ) , nowthis media ( video news ) , the dodo ( animals ) and discovery’s digital network seeker ( including its production studio sourcefed ) . thrillist’s ben lerer will become ceo of the combined organization .
discovery’s foray into digital video kicked off with the 2012 acquisition of revision3 , followed a year later with its purchase of defranco creative , the online channels and ventures of youtube star philip defranco . now called seeker and sourcefed studios , those businesses will become part of group nine media . discovery also led rounds of funding in the dodo in 2014 and 2015 .
discovery communications is spinning off velocity into a new joint venture with ten : the enthusiast network , coupling the tv network with the digital and live - event businesses of ten’s 20 - plus automotive brands including motor trend and hot rod . the venture — in which discovery will have a majority controlling interest — will bring together velocity and ten’s entire [ … ]
the early returns are promising . for instance , the video about the diabetes patch has done 13 . 5 million views on the platform . like other publishers , facebook overall has been the place with the largest growth for discovery digital networks . of the 300 million views seeker and sourcefed studios generate per month , a third are now happening on facebook , the company said . its facebook videos averaged 700 , 000 views in april .
the emotional bonds that a consumer creates with any brand are based on experiences – digital , social , and environmental . . . .
newly formed group nine media — the parent company of thrillist , nowthis and other digital brands — is building up its executive ranks .
the venture — in which discovery will have a majority controlling interest — will bring together velocity and ten’s entire automotive digital , direct - to - consumer , social and live event portfolio . financial terms weren’t disclosed . ten’s print businesses will not be part of the new venture , but the jv will have a commercial agreement for continued cross - promotion between the print magazines and digital properties .
“we made a strategic decision early on to invest in original programming rather than attempt to aggregate a staggering scale , ” as youtube multi - channel networks typically do , decker told digiday . “if there’s one thing that the founder of discovery understood , it’s building an audience over time and building a brand . ”
this position requires the ability to follow industry standard methods of properly identifying , collecting , preserving and analyzing digital evidence with an . . .
back in 2012 , discovery barely had a digital video presence . it licensed some television shows to netflix and amazon , but didn’t make much original content for the web . that changed in may 2012 when discovery spent roughly $ 35 million to acquire revision3 , an early web video network , bringing the company a strong stable of web properties like tech shows “ tekzilla ” and “ systm . ”
supporting a consistent metadata structure for all digital assets . the production & metadata specialist will work collaboratively with other team members , cross . . .
“cats riding donkeys defined the early days of animal videos on the ‘net but today’s viewers want much more , and we’re bringing it to them with animalist , ” said jim louderback , head of discovery digital networks . “whether you identify with an animal’s instinctive nature – to hunt and fight for territory , or you identify with that innocent and trusting relationship between us and them , our addictive slate of shows will make you laugh , make you cry and make you smarter . ”
and while it is exploring subscription video - on - demand distribution through a number of partnerships , it is also producing its own digital platform experience .
the deal combines discovery’s san francisco - based digital networks with three ventures backed by seed - stage vc fund lerer hippeau ventures , headquartered in new york city : lifestyle publisher thrillist , founded in 2005 by ben lerer ( son of ken lerer ) , which focuses on food , drink and travel ; news aggregator nowthis , founded in 2012 by ken lerer and eric hippeau ; and the dodo , dedicated to animal lovers and advocacy , founded by izzie lerer ( daughter of ken lerer ) in 2014 .
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the agreement forming group nine will let thrillist , nowthis and the dodo remain independent while benefiting from discovery’s backing , according to ben lerer .
revision3 , the online - video unit of discovery communications , has acquired phil defranco’s portfolio of youtube video channels and ventures , defranco creative .
revision3 , the online - video unit of discovery communications , has acquired phil defranco’s portfolio of youtube video channels and ventures , defranco creative . financial terms of the deal were not disclosed . under the terms of the acquisition , defranco will join revision3 as senior vp of phil defranco networks and merchandise . defranco , whose videos have generated more than 1 [ … ]
scientists can now manipulate the memories inside the brains of mice ! here’s how this new discovery can change the way we look at our own brains .
paul guyardo , discovery’s chief commercial officer , will serve as chairman and ceo of ten : a discovery communications company in addition to his current responsibilities . reporting to guyardo will be scott dickey , president of ten , and bob scanlon , who will be appointed president of velocity and ten video content .
discovery plans to add content from velocity’s nearly 7 , 000 - hour library to ten’s motor trend ondemand subscription video - on - demand service , marking discovery’s first direct - to - consumer push in the u . s . the velocity channel is currently distributed to 73 million american pay - tv homes .
“if i was to put up a video that is even remotely divisive or controversial — which is going to happen a lot with news and comedy — on youtube , what often happens is people dislike it or flag it . that affects the algorithm in a way that’s out of your control and the video will be dragged down , ” said jeremy azevedo , head of discovery digital networks la . “for good or for hell , on facebook people are going to share . the algorithm doesn’t differentiate between someone who thought it was funny and someone who disliked it . ”
discovery acquired revision3 in may 2012 . earlier this month revision3 debuted the testtube network , aimed as young males , stocked with new and existing online shows .
perhaps , when you look beyond the headlines , you may think he has the clearest vision of how historic media properties can evolve and reinvent themselves in the new digital world .
now he ' s taking on group nine , which was formed in december as a roll - up of thrillist , nowthis , the dodo and and discovery digital networks ' seeker , and will look to leverage the company ' s 4 billion monthly video views .
group nine has the rare combination of enormous scale , influential brands and powerful engagement metrics , coupled with a truly entrepreneurial spirit ,
said beckman .
i am delighted to be joining such an exceptional organization . the collective scale puts us in the ' big leagues ' of digital - first media and gives us permission to sit in any room and at any table . i look forward to bringing group nine ' s brands to the most important partners in the media world .
while youtube remains discovery’s biggest social video platform , azevedo admits that he’s been devoting a lot more resources to facebook than he thought he would a year ago .
for group nine , liontree advisors was financial adviser and cooley llp acted was the legal adviser on the transaction . for discovery , proskauer rose llp was legal adviser .
defranco’s channels now average 50 million views monthly and have nearly 2 . 6 million subscribers . he has already worked with discovery , serving as on - air host for discovery channel ’s “ shark week chompdown” in 2012 . last year , defranco inked a deal with revision3 , which has provided ad - sales and production support to his firm .
that ' s why we created discovery , an important part of our enterprise - level toolset that ' s available from right within our entry editor where you create articles . using proprietary technology , discovery enables you to identify key pages and profiles that could be interested in sharing your content . and through varying levels of social outreach , you can repurpose and share content from your discovery findings in a way that validates the original message of those influencers . from there , you amplify the content through your own social channels .
the merging of the millennial - focused properties makes group nine one of five biggest u . s . - based digital - media companies , generating more than 3 . 5 billion global monthly video views
discovery communications is taking the funny - cat - video legacy of youtube to a whole new level in trying to scratch out some incremental digital bucks from animal lovers . the media conglom debuted animalist , a new internet video network stocked with adorable pet videos — and more — primed for viral viewing . the slate of 15 short - form series runs the gamut [ … ]
plastic pollution is threatening thousands of galápagos animals , many of which exist nowhere else on earth . # theswim # benlecomte be sure to follow the swim on seeker and discovery !
louderback announced that he is leaving discovery communications in a post on his personal blog monday to take time off and write a book about being a first - time ceo . discovery in 2012 acquired revision3 , specializing in content about technology and videogames , that he had run since 2007 , in a deal reportedly worth $ 30 million to $ 40 million .
at group nine , los angeles - based kolb ' s duties include leading the creation of group nine studios , which will focus on the development and production of programming across digital , linear , social and virtual reality .
animalist , which discovery expects to deliver 7 million monthly views , features new shows , such as “discovery sharks” and “animals with low self - esteem , ” while jackson galaxy of animal planet’s “my cat from hell” is hosting a show set to launch later this year . oh , and there will be a bunch of humorous cat videos with the “cat pack” series starring “cat celebrities” including lil bub .
the division’s channels and shows include discovery vr with virtual - reality programming , sourcefed , “the philip defranco show , ” dnews , “rituals” with laura ling , and sketch - comedy channel nuclear family .
“war & pizza” : long - form pizza - making competition series in partnership with t group productions that will span the digital , linear and physical worlds ( culminating with a thrillist pop - up restaurant for the winner ) .
discovery is also creating videos specifically for facebook . two recent examples include a text - heavy sourcefed clip about mexican authorities capturing the drug lord “el chapo” and an animated explainer about the oregon militia men .
“each of our brands has found great success independently , but with consolidation of digital content companies around the corner , there is extraordinary value in all existing under one multi - brand roof , ” lerer said in a prepared statement .
discovery will own a 35 % stake in group nine . german media conglomerate axel springer , a minority owner of thrilist , will maintain its investment as the second - largest shareholder of group nine . according to the companies , the merging of the millennial - focused properties will immediately make group nine one of five biggest u . s . - based digital - media companies , generating more than 3 . 5 billion global monthly video views .
group nine also will combine thrillist’s pinnacle and nowthis’s switchboard publishing platforms for all the brands . in addition , the new company will create a centralized , long - form video unit responsible for creating digital and linear tv programming across all properties .
this week we talk with victor harwood , mr digital hollywood . victor is the founder and director of the well - known and attended industry conference , digital hollywood , which focuses on the convergence of entertainment and technology . rarely is victor the one behind the mic but this week we get up close and personal and with one of the most prolific industry event producers in the country . not only is victor able to manage sponsors , attendees , speakers and all the madness of event production but he has an uncanny way of interpreting industry trends and creating content verticals around them before the hype and the business really begin . victor’s latest events featured one of the first virtual reality film festivals as well as a women’s entertainment summit . he knows everyone doing everything in every part of the digital media business and still manages to go for walks in the park in new york , his home base . join us this week to hear from victor harwood , mr . digital hollywood
“today marks the start of a strong new company with tremendous brands , reach and scale , ” said david zaslav , president and ceo , discovery communications , in a statement . “the merger of these assets will bring together best - in - class management , led by ben and his team , expertise in data analytics technology and global reach to create one of the world’s largest digital - first content companies attracting young passionate enthusiasts that advertisers want to reach . ”
and discovery / scripps ad sales would account for 60 % of the revenues . that would be “by far the largest in the industry , ” according to barclays analyst kannan venkateshwar , as quoted in deadline / hollywood .
search : the rebelmouse cms has the tools to help you optimize each post for seo . like everything else in the current digital climate , the strategy around search is always changing . we ' ll make sure your current efforts are up to snuff .
the much - anticipated internet trends report by mary meeker made its annual splash last month , unveiling both predictable and unpredictable insights about the current digital climate . while print consumption continues to decline at a rapid pace , digital consumption has not stopped its relentless growth . meeker ' s report found that u . s . adults spent over five hours more a day consuming digital media in 2017 than they did in the previous year . more than half of those hours were spent on mobile . and as adults spend more time online , teens are not - so - shockingly way ahead . new data from pew research center shows that 95 % of teens have access to smartphones , and 45 % of that group says they ' re
constantly
online .
axel springer was an investor in nowthis media in addition to its stake in thrillist . with the formation of the new company , jens müffelmann , president of axel springer usa and ceo of axel springer digital ventures , will become board member of group nine .
discovery is following up the success of testtube by organizing another group of revision3 channels into a sub - network of their own . it’s called animalist , and you can probably take a good guess as to what its theme is .
financial terms of the deal were not disclosed . under the terms of the acquisition , defranco will join revision3 as senior vp of phil defranco networks and merchandise . defranco , whose videos have generated more than 1 billion views on youtube since 2006 , produces popular shows include “the philip defranco show , ” “sourcefed” and “the vloggity . ” defranco creative has 25 employees , including talent .
launch of animalist follows discovery’s 2012 acquisition of online video network revision3 . this year the company launched testtube , an ad - supported online network with nonfiction programming aimed at young males , and acquired defranco creative , run by popular youtube personality phil defranco .
the parties will dub the joint venture ten : a discovery communications company , which will have a combined reach of more than 150 million automotive superfans and car buyers . the combined properties of the jv generate nearly 1 billion monthly social - video views .
the company cites the popularity of non - fiction programming as a key factor in its success ; discovery has carved out its leading position in the tv business by focusing on non - fiction and reality - based shows that mix entertainment and educational content .
a lot of publishers were slower to understand the importance of distributed publishing when digital started to gain steam . luckily , it ' s something we ' ve been working to perfect since we launched our cms in 2012 . producing quality content is only half the battle — after all , there ' s no point in publishing engaging content if nobody is around to read it . this is why dynamic distribution is so important in order to succeed in today ' s digital world . and the good news is that tackling this doesn ' t have to be a solo effort .
for the defranco transaction , discovery and revision3 were advised by proskauer rose llp . michael bienstock of semaphore tax and business solutions was the exclusive business advisor to defranco creative , with hubert smith jr . of hts media law advising on all legal and contract representation .
while discovery ( which previously invested in the dodo ) will be a minority investor in group nine , it will have the option to buy a controlling stake . axel springer , which backed thrillist and nowthis , will be the second largest shareholder in the company .
all of the content is handled by the 70 - person team behind seeker . this includes producers , writers and other staff members devoted to brands such as testtube , “dnews” and revision3 , which have been rolled up into seeker as discovery tries to build one “cohesive” brand .
the new joint venture “brings together the most trusted media brands in the automotive industry to create a multiplatform business with the reach , talent , and consumer insights to nourish car enthusiasts on all devices , ” david zaslav , discovery’s president and ceo , said in a statement .
nowthis sports : a new sub - brand about the stories behind athletes and how sports intersects with nowthis’ core issues . nowthis sports will partner with discovery - owned eurosport ( the exclusive european home for the olympics from 2018 - 2024 ) as an official content partner in europe .
this sharing cycle has led to the success of some of our biggest clients . the dodo — one of the most successful new media companies to date — used discovery to become the center of all things animals on the internet . it can do this for you , too .
testtube and animalist , two of ddn’s five networks , are wholly original ddn properties . some of their series have amassed major followings , like testtube’s “ dnews , ” which hit a million youtube subscribers this week . recent episodes tackle topics like “ why alcohol ruins your sperm ” and “ why men go bald . ” most episodes rack up tens of thousands of views on youtube , with popular ones cracking 100 , 000 views , though they also appear on platforms like hulu and yahoo screen .
lerer , at the company’s digital content newfronts presentation thursday evening in new york , said group nine’s four brands — nowthis ( news ) , thrillist ( food , drink and travel ) , the dodo ( animal lovers ) and seeker ( science and tech ) — program for social media with a recipe for high engagement , in a way few other companies do .
louderback was ceo of revision3 , a tech - focused web video platform that streams popular shows like tekzilla and rev3games , from 2007 to 2012 . after discovery bought the platform in 2012 for a reported $ 30 million , louderback was hired as gm to lead the integration and oversee expansion of the company’s web - video portfolio .
azevedo said discovery has seen a range of its news and comedy videos succeed on facebook . a sourcefed youtube clip about a teenager who lifted a truck to save her dad’s life has received 6 million views since jan . 12 . in this case , it’s an uplifting news story , which the facebook audience has always gravitated toward .
less than five months ago , revision3 launched testtube , a sub - network that combined the video archive and influence of discovery communications with the talent of an online multi - channel network . testtube has been an instant hit , with several fascinating channels and series from the likes of tory belleci and i f * * king love science under its belt .
group nine media isn’t a household name . but ceo ben lerer wants you to believe his seven - month - old company is poised to become a next - generation media powerhouse a la buzzfeed or vice media . lerer , at the company’s digital content newfronts presentation thursday evening in new york , said group nine’s four brands — nowthis ( news ) , thrillist ( food , drink and [ … ]
l . a . - based ten , which is owned by goldentree asset management , has an option to sell its stake in the venture to discovery at “fair market value” in the future . overall , ten operates 60 - plus sites and 50 publications . its auto group includes motor trend , hot rod , roadkill , automobile , automotive . com , and intellichoice .
the fact that discovery owns many of these intellectual properties outright gives it a lot of leeway to craft enviable distribution deals with partners or work with advertisers on sponsored content . a company like microsoft fills both roles : ddn has an app on xbox one , and it also partnered with xbox for a “ week of explosions ” campaign to promote the new xbox - exclusive video game “sunset overdrive . ”
content creation has never been static . since the early days of social , the relationship between publishers and readers has blurred and warped into what ' s now the state of digital publishing in 2018 . at rebelmouse , we started out as a social feeds aggregator and subsequently went viral as the
social front page .
since then , we ' ve obsessed over the best ways to share content in today ' s social world despite its unpredictable seasons .
the creation of group nine sees the combination of several ventures all connected through buzzfeed chairman and viacom board member kenneth lerer . his lerer hippeau ventures incubated nowthis ; son ben lerer co - founded thrillist and daughter izzie lerer runs the dodo . at the time of their merger , group nine ceo ben lerer said the goal was to create a media company with scale that could leverages its resources to create both digital and linear programming for its different content verticals .
“the more you own , the bigger cut you take , the better the business model works , ” said paul kontonis , executive director of the global online video association . “discovery understands where this space is going , that this is a very critical piece of their business moving forward . so instead of throwing a whole bunch of shit at the wall and seeing what sticks , they’ve been much more focused . ”
the formation of group nine hasn’t been without bumps in the road . in february , thrillist laid off about 20 employees . earlier this month , popular youtube vlogger philip defranco parted ways with group nine to go solo ( four years after discovery bought his company ) . that came after group nine shut down defranco’s sourcefed and related sites and rebooted them under the nowthis umbrella — prompting a backlash from former fans .
we ' ve never been one to stick to boxes at rebelmouse . we started out on the cutting edge of social in 2012 , and stayed close to the heart of digital publishing ever since . that ' s why our clients don ' t get a stagnant software platform like wordpress . instead , they get a full - service creative agency full of content optimization specialists , social media gurus , and monetization experts . we blur the line between product and strategy to drive success .
“each of our brands has found great success independently , but with consolidation of digital content companies around the corner , there is extraordinary value in all existing under one multi - brand roof , ” he said . “we will be stronger brands working together – we will have more influence ; we will have better data and insights ; we will be better partners to our advertisers ; and most importantly , we will be substantial enough to make a real difference and stay ahead of the market . ”
tegna inc , a media company , provides broadcast advertising and marketing products and services for businesses . the company operates 47 television stations in 39 markets of the united states that produce local programming , such as news , sports , and entertainment . it offers local and national non - political advertising ; political advertising ; production of programming from third parties ; production of advertising materials ; and digital marketing services , as well as advertising services on the stations ' websites , tablets , and mobile products .