The college space big and small continues to be pretty unwieldy for both those working in the space, and those looking to engage in it. Where can one go for the best, most concise and consistent information at all levels, and how can even a casual observer be informed?
One of the go-to places for influencers, decision makers and even media looking for a great daily digest is D1 and D2 ticker, to daily aggregation news sites run by Matt Roberts.
The sites pull together all the wheeling and dealing in college athletics by division (D 3 Ticker is on the way) and also expands into links on general media or interesting topics that the audience may find engaging. The early morning delivery puts it on par with platforms like Media Redefined, Cynopsis or on a pay level, Sports Business Daily, but it is targeted, and free, for those wanting the scoop in the NCAA pace.
We caught up with Roberts to find out the genesis of the platform, where it is, and where it is going.
How did the idea for D1 and D2 ticker come about?
After spending a number of years in the industry, I felt there was a better execution framework possible to keep busy senior leaders efficiently updated on key developments around college athletics. After figuring out the right curation methodology for D1.ticker over the course of two years, it became second nature for us to also deliver a similar product to administrators in DII college athletics (D2.ticker).
What are some of the other services or platforms you now offer?
D1.ticker is a daily news curation product efficiently wrapping up the most important broad-based items from the day prior sent around 7a EST each morning. D2.ticker is a nearly identical product, but tailored for the DII audience & sent three times per week on M/W/F mornings. Total Campus Report is an academic version of D1.ticker curated & delivered by athletic league, which for the ‘Power 5’ doubles very closely to institutional peer groups. We currently deliver TCR for each of the P5 leagues (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 & SEC) twice per week.
Who is the audience…is it beyond just those involved in college athletics?
The core audience is administrators up & down the leadership spectrum in college athletics. Beyond that scope, D1.ticker also has a number of media members who subscribe, as well as leaders in higher education, many students studying the business & some general fans. In addition to senior athletic leadership from the ‘Power 5’ leagues, Total Campus Report has a solid cohort of C-suite campus leaders, such as Presidents, Chancellors, EVPs, VPs, etc. who are engaged in their individual league emails.
You have a partnership with Learfield; how does that work in terms of content. Is it limiting at all?
While Learfield is technically a title or “powered by” sponsor, the relationship is far more of a two-way partnership. They do not limit content one iota, but most importantly, Learfield serves as a very valuable sounding board on a number of topics. Learfield’s brand equity, positioning & expertise in the industry is undoubtedly one reason our products have gained significant traction within college athletics & higher ed.
How many sources does your staff pull from and what is the best way to engage with the platform?
It’s really hard to put a number on how many sources we turn to for daily content/news. It’s surely in the hundreds, but with modern tech & social media, there are tools that can be used to make the process more efficient on our end. D1.ticker is moderately active on Twitter, which is one solid point of engagement & we naturally field dozens of pitch emails daily on stories those in the industry would like us to consider for inclusion in the emails.
Is the audience global or just confined to the US?
Predominantly just the United States, but an interesting aside is that one member of DII, Simon Fraser, is located in Canada, so we do have some friends north of the boarder.
How do you measure the most impact full news?
That’s a great question. The core aim of the products are to efficiently deliver the most important developments to senior leaders in the business. To that end, some news that may get all kinds of traction with fans or middle- or lower-level admins may not be all that crucial to the Senior Assoc. AD level & up. Conversely, some items that don’t receive much traditional news coverage at all can be extremely important to the senior cohort of leadership. So, it’s a little bit of gut, a lot of talking to senior staff in the business & a fair amount of tracking on key developments at a level that may not make a newspaper. We’re not perfect, but it’s really the hidden gems of info that don’t bubble to the top of traditional media circles that we find & include that can continue to set us apart.
Where would you like to see the business expand?
We can still grow in all three of our main products & while there are other inefficiencies in the marketplace I think can be leveraged, we’re really focused on continuing to deliver valuable emails to subscribers every single day of the week to save them time & therefore money, while efficiently keeping them abreast of the most important news in the overall industry.
