The LA Dodgers were sold for 2.1 billion dollars this week.  A billion dollars more than was expected and twice what a sports franchise has ever sold for.  I’m calling it the DVR premium.  Follow me on this for a minute and then I show you the next place where values are going to increase.

A DVR (Digital Video Recorder) allows a viewer to fast forward through commercials.  So if your okay with watching CSI later you can watch it in 40 minutes by fast forwarding through the commercials.  But sports is a contest that is best watched live so its value as a deliverer of viewers to commercials is higher than that of shows that can be recorded like dramas and comedies.

The $2 billion valuation of the Dodgers franchise is an estimate of this new reality.  It is however contingent on a few assumptions that have yet to be tested.  One potential issue is that network driven, free to the consumer, advertising financed television is not the only model available.  Another is that competition to sports as a deliverer of advertising viewers is already developing in the form of reality TV contests.  Shows like American Idol, Dancing With the Stars and The Great Race have injected an audience participation element, typically voting, that causes some viewers to want to watch live.  This is good for advertisers.

But there is a way it could be better.  If a show like Dancing With the Stars also gave its voting audience points that were redeemable for discounts and free stuff they would increase viewership of their target demographics and with the premiums the brand loyalty of the viewers.  This is a win-win the audience would receive rewards for playing and the advertisers would get live viewers.  Move over Frank McCourt this is a billion dollar idea.

“A gift confers no rights.” 

Friedrich Nietzsche

German Philosopher

“You can’t depend on

your eyes when your

imagination is out

of focus.”

Mark Twain

 Simon Twain

Life is Good!

A new and useful word: Copathetic; when two thing together are even worse than the sum of their parts.

Usage example: “Republicans and Democrats are copathetic.”

Another:  “Teenagers and alcohol are copathetic.”

“The border has not always been a barrier and there is no reason to think that it will not become something else in the future.”

Rachel St. John

Line in the Sand: A History of the Western U.S.-Mexico Border

When someone comes to your website you have four seconds to make then feel:

• like they are in the right place.
• like they want to know more.
• good
• entertained
• angry

Feel Something

But you only have four seconds to make a person feel something that will cause then to stay.  A web site is more than a billboard but less than a TV commercial.

This important data came from Tom Reynolds the principal of Reynolds Group who spoke to my Federation Networking Breakfast Group last month.  Tom specializes in “Internet Business Strategy” which is an evolving and very interesting field.

It is Spring in London and we were lucky enough to be in Kew Gardens

For the daffodils.

And the Magnolias in bloom with a perfect guide.

Free postcard in Hebrew and ?

 A Real estate lesson:

 Built in the 1860’s and

depressed since, the “German

Colony” in Haifa is finally

getting trendy.

 Shalom

 Haifa

Haifa with Simon

We were in the Derby area in the north on England over the weekend for the wedding of Bethany, my niece and James Atherton. It was a lovely affair with lots of dancing and good fun. Here are a few unedited and badly uploaded pictures.

James and Bethany cut the cake. Delicious

Nicholas and his grandfather

Simon with Auntie Florence and Auntie Janet

Rebecca, Bethany Burrow Atherton and Lilli

The Burrow “boys” in attendance. James, Simon, Matthew and Thomas

Nurit and Lynne

Here is an App idea from Howard R.  Using the regular sightings and twitter posts of celebrities create an iPhone app that tells you what direction and how far it is to the celebrities on your list from where you are right now.

Where is Kim Kardashian?

Where is President Obama?

Where is Anthony Weiner?

Where is Rush Limbaugh?

You get the idea.  The technology exists.  All you have to do is put it together and start to rake in the money.  People want to know this stuff.