On August 1, Mynet Co., Ltd., which aims to expand people’s connections and operate communities for the long term through the promotion of DX in the game and sports fields, acquired the “Basket Count” business from T&S Co., Ltd. Mynet has declared that it will use both media and fantasy sports and the synergistic effects they create to increase the heat of the basketball fan community in Japan. And this time, Hitoshi Uehara, the president and CEO of Mynet, Minoru Iwaki, the director and senior managing executive officer, and Shigeki Inaba, the representative director of T&S, gathered to discuss the background to this business transfer and future prospects. rice field.
“I felt the strength of his love for basketball and the depth of his strategy.”
──Please tell us the circumstances that led to the business transfer.
InabaOriginally, when I, a basketball fan, wanted to contribute to the Japanese basketball world in some way, Basket Count went to the Japan Basketball Association with former Basket Count Editor-in-Chief Suzuki to say hello, and the basketball-specialized media I started listening to the story that there are few. We had been doing it for about 7 years before the B League was launched, and we felt that we also had to move on to the next stage. Meanwhile, Mr. Hitoshi (President Uehara), who is promoting sports DX, bought the team correctly, and started fantasy sports correctly. I was.
UeharaAs the name suggests, Mynet is a company with the concept of enriching human connections. Human connections are things that people gather around enthusiasm and content, and in the case of games and sports, people gather around them and create a community. When I thought about how to tackle this sport, I thought that it would be a waste not to be able to make full use of the power of digital technology in the management of professional sports clubs. rice field. The activities that took place in order to tackle these old-fashioned parts were the acquisition of Shiga Lakes, management improvement, and fantasy sports. In particular, I think that the club and the management are now in a state of formation for the next jump-up because of the deep action with the B League. We also had our first monetization in fantasy sports. For the next breakthrough from here, it is very necessary to have a place to serve as a base for users. And I thought it was important to do this together in a place where people who like basketball gather.
InabaI was the one who asked Mr. Jin about it. When I thought about how to solve various problems in the sports world today, I thought it would be very meaningful for a listed company to become the owner of a basketball team. There is significance in having an ownership like Jin’s, and Mr. Iwaki starts operating fantasy sports. In terms of timing, I thought the Mynet Group was the best. I had a detailed discussion with Mr. Iwaki, and even though I didn’t ask for it, he sent me extremely thick materials (laughs). I felt the strength of his love for basketball and the depth of his strategy, so I thought it was purely a choice, so I decided to talk to him.
──Mr. Iwaki, have you always had an eye on the basket count?
IwakiIsn’t it a bad feeling to say that I was watching you (laughs)? But when I thought about how to proceed as a business, it is true that I strongly believed in the role of the media. I think the final form is that customers can enjoy basketball every day, just like watching ramen photos on Instagram or watching videos of dogs and cats. Among them, I feel very strongly about the role of fantasy sports, and even before we joined this time, we had deep discussions about promotion, and by doing it together, we will be able to enjoy basketball every day. I thought the challenge was exciting.
In the old days, people only cheered for the home team, and it was a tradition of succession, but with the passage of time, the way people look at the game and the way they interact with the sport has changed rapidly, with some fans changing the team they support because they are dragged along by their favorite player. I think it’s coming. The more entertainment there is, the more people’s awareness will be dispersed, but I believe that the appeal of the sport itself has not changed, and I believe that basketball in particular has an overflowing appeal. Reading something like Buskan’s article makes you feel like you’ve actually seen the game, and reading previews gets you in the mood for the weekend’s game. Fantasy sports can be enjoyed just by looking at the stats without watching the whole game, and basketball is far from lacking in flavor, but there are still many elements to enjoy. I would like to transmit it from multiple angles and liven up the basketball world.
