SuperbCrew.com: Q&A Interview on the Story Behind Creation of WinView Games

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Silicon Valley-based company WinView Games’s recently raised a $3.4 Million Series A funding round led by entertainment veteran Hank Ratner and TiVo chairman Tom Rogers. We sat down with Dave B. Lockton, founder of WinView Games to learn more:

Q: Dave, tell us please how the idea to create WinView Games was born?

A: The idea to play along with a live sporting event on TV, like football, using a second screen app, was something I created and patented back in 1987. I had founded a company called Interactive Network (IN) based upon a U.S. patent I received for the use of wireless push technology to control TV viewers in real-time games of skill based upon unfolding televised sports, game shows and entertainment programming. In short, we pioneered “two-screen television” and created technical platforms to deliver synchronized, real-time two-screen information and entertainment services to consumers. But my vision was ahead of its time. Technology and market conditions to eliminate friction and the requirements for our business model have just recently intersected. Smart phones, battery life, Wi-Fi, cloud servers, the iPhone/App Store and Android/Google Play, the ubiquitous use of the cell phone with the TV, and the education of the market by daily fantasy leagues about sports-based games of skill, have made in-play gaming on mobile a $165 billion business in just five years in Europe.

As the interactive TV model continued to flourish in Europe, it was time to create a new platform for sports enthusiasts here in the US and give them the opportunity to play along live, test their skills,
and make in-game predictions in real time throughout the duration of the game. As the average American spends six hours a week watching football during the season and fantasy league players spending 8.5 hours a week, we saw an opportunity for a new groundbreaking alternative to daily and season-long fantasy sports where players could add to what they were already obsessed about but couldn’t do before, but now they can with our WinView Games platform.

Q: Tell us something more about WinView Games and your betting app?

A: Well, I wouldn’t call it betting at all, because that would imply gambling. We don’t meet the gambling criteria, which is consideration, chance and payout. We don’t charge consideration,
which is a fact, not perception.

We’re good, family fun. Our app is free to enter because it’s advertising supported. There’s never any money required by a user, so participation is completely legal across the country in every state. WinView Games is an experience, a game of skill, not chance. Watch football, have fun, and make money is a simple way to look at us – we offer users a unique entertainment experience to play along live when watching sports on TV. Right now, we’re focused on professional and college football. Players are able to experience football in a new way by making ingame predictions for a chance to win cash prizes. The experience is perfectly balanced to play long with the game without being distracted from actually watching and enjoying the game. In short, it’s fun and additive to watching the game.

Our games are produced live, not robotic, by real people, real producers, who are watching the game live unfold like you are. They are knowledgeable and experts. They’re adept at predicting the odds of what might happen on the play to make it interesting for the skilled players. Our users play for the excitement and competition among themselves and to socialize with friends. Our modest prize pools directly relate to the number of players and will also be significantly different than typical “freemium” mobile apps that are free to play, but require cash payments for game tokens required to win. Our users play for points in each one quarter football game. At the end of each game, the player’s points convert into WinView points, which convert into cash.

Q: How is WinView Games different than existing platforms?

A: WinView is the only two-screen experience where users get to play along live in real time and predict the play. Sports fans and fantasy football fans are already on their phones
during the game, tweeting and posting and checking scores. Now they have something to do that’s even more fun and exciting in addition to what they’re already doing.

For example, fantasy leagues focus primarily on season-long and daily fantasy competitions where viewer engagement in fantasy leagues stops when the game begins, whereas WinView’s experience starts at game time and lasts until the very last play of the game. Blow out games are no longer checkout games by the viewer. WinView users watch and predict what happens until the very last play.

WinView Games is also a highly social experience whereas daily fantasy is not, opening the door for WinView Games. People want to be involved with the sport they love in an interactive way because
when watching a sport, you’re deeply involved and emotionally invested in the game.

Q: You’ve recently announced a $3.4 million series A funding round; what are your plans?

A: With successful beta test of the 2015-2016 season under our belt, which proved our business model and viral interest in our app, we were able to raise our next round of funding. Going forward, we are focused on building out the next version of the app, which will be available on iOS and Android, with plans to be ready to roll the official start of the upcoming football season on September 8th.

We’ll also use part of the proceeds to launch a multi-million-dollar national advertising and PR campaign across all the top digital and social platforms, which will last all the way up to the Super Bowl.

Q: How would you convince the reader to start using WinView Games?

A: If you love live NFL or college football, if you like fantasy sports, you’re going to love the reality of WinView Games. Interest in football and fantasy football starts to surge in August, gearing up to the first game of the season. Fans are going to draft parties and fantasy camps all summer long and watching the preseason games. When it comes to game time, now they can for the first time play along live and predict the play, test their skills, socialize with friends and talk ‘smack,’ and make a little money by watching football. It’s free, it’s fun, it’s wildly rewarding. You’ll never just watch a game again, you’ll be playing right along with them with a heartpounding sensation until the very last play.

Link to article

EliteDaily.com: This App Helping NFL Fans Win Money Is Completely Changing The Game

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by Adam Silvers, Editor
@silversurfer103

In 2009, FanDuel burst onto the scene and changed the fantasy sports world as we knew it. You were no longer stuck drafting a fantasy football team a month before the NFL season started, only to see your top two draft picks go down in Week 1 with nothing you could do about it.

For about three years, FanDuel was the only game in town when it came to daily fantasy sports; not that users were complaining. The concept of daily fantasy sports was immediately excepted and praised by most fantasy players, Millennials in particular.

Most 20-somethings I know, myself included, cannot sit and watch one NFL game for three and half hours. What with all the timeouts and commercials, it’s pretty much a Millennial’s nightmare.

In 2012, DraftKings launched and became a direct competitor to FanDuel, essentially offering the same daily fantasy sports services. Again, the big winners were Millennial sports fans.

Now, this generation is to get their biggest win yet with the launch of WinView, an app that allows you to participate in multiple propositions during live NFL games.

For instance, you can predict whether or not Eddie Lacy will fumble on a particular drive, or if Aaron Rodgers will complete 10 passes in a particular quarter.

I recently spoke with WinView CEO David Lockton, the man behind the app changing how you’ll watch sports for years to come.

In order to get the full understanding of what exactly WinView is, I asked Lockton how he sees this sports game-changer. He said,

WinView is a company that is going to offer synchronized, two-screen games, initially around the major television sports and eSports. It allows viewers of those telecasts to compete against one another, either in the same room or remotely, for prizes.

Basically, your phone or tablet is going to become as integral to your NFL viewing experience as the television screen in front of you. Whether you play with your friends in the same room or someone on the other side of the world will be completely up to you.

The concept of daily fantasy sports has always appealed to me in theory, but I’ve never been a massive DraftKings or FanDuel addict.

In light of this, I asked Lockton if his app is the future of sports betting, to which he replied,

Well, it’s not sports betting. Sports betting is illegal. What we’re doing is completely legal. The first iteration is free, so that’s obviously legal.

Ultimately, we will segway from the free to the games of skill laws, which I helped pioneer.

Games of skill have been around since the 1800s; they’re legal in 46 states depending on what kind of games they are.

We have nothing to do with fantasy. We’re not a fantasy game. The laws that apply to us look at us as an entirely different game.

We ultimately will utilize the state laws and the federal laws to charge people cash and pay cash because it’s a game of skill.

The last part of what Lockton said struck a chord with me immediately. If I play Winview, and presumably win, how exactly am I getting paid if I haven’t wagered any money initially?

Lockton told me,

The way we support that is through the sponsorships. We’re already talking to major advertisers aimed at our target market who can’t [currently] reach them, as well as in-game video.

If you play any kind of video game, you’re fully aware of the concept of gaining something of value through interaction with some kind of ad. Whether it be a click-through on a display ad or interacting with a video.

A combination of viewed videos account for points in the game, and overall sponsorship allows us to subsidize a prize structure, even though it’s completely free to play.

The more I spoke with Lockton, the more I could see my friends and I using WinView to spice up what’s already become one of the most exciting days of the week during the fall. NFL Sundays are king.

With WinView, you’re not only able to interact directly with the game as it’s going on, you’re actually adding something tangible to the social aspect that already exists.

How often have you been watching a game with friends and said, “You know Tony Romo’s going to throw a pick this drive, right?” Well, with WinView, you’ll be able to actually cash in on that proposition.

Speaking on this aspect of his application, Lockton said,

…the [existing] daily fantasy league is not a social activity. We’re looking at the 50 million seasonal fantasy players who have nothing to do once the game starts, who are all watching with their phones in their hand [while] texting their buddies, checking their stats, trash talking and so forth.

We’re going to give them something to do with the knowledge they’ve been gaining in the particular fantasy sport they’ve been following and playing for years, and allow them to actualize that behavior that already exists.

Another genius aspect of WinView is the app’s ability to keep the action going during timeouts. Lockton explained this, saying,

Our game is specifically designed to interact with you at times when the action is dead on the field.

We start out before the game, maybe a day before the game, and offer four or five pre-kickoff propositions.

Who will win the first quarter? Which quarterback will have the most passing yards? The over and under for that quarter.

While you’re thinking about those and maybe doing some background research, you’re wagering points on that proposition and selecting the yes or no odds that we offer.

When there’s a timeout, you’ll get push notifications if you’re out of the app of two or three props during that timeout.

That goes on for a quarter, and a game is four quarters. We have four contests and four winners for each football game.

While WinView maybe revolutionary, in terms of how you watch sports, Lockton says there’s nothing new about this idea. According to the app’s CEO, television has demanded user interaction for years.

Ever screamed at the TV during Jeopardy!? This is the same thing, really, except you’re actually able to do something with your correct answer.

According to reports, WinView has raised $6.5 million in funding, a large portion of which is reportedly being used to ensure WinView is fully operational by kickoff of the 2016 NFL season.

Lockton himself guaranteed me WinView will be ready by the start of this season.

At the moment, WinView will only be available for NFL games, but according to Lockton,

Once we get football out and rolling, we’re looking at adding sports as the seasons arrive on us. And, at some point, we will add eSports to the mix.

“There’s real magic in real time,” Lockton told me. After speaking with him, I’m definitely a believer.

Click link to article.

Adam joined Elite Daily as a Sports Writer in March 2015, having previously written for Complex Sports and the NASL’s New York Cosmos. Before that, Adam Studied Broadcast Journalism and International Relations at Boston University.

Multichannel News: Betting on the Future of Enhanced TV

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TiVo’s Rogers, Cablevision’s Ratner get behind sports-focused WinView

By Jeff Baumgartner, Multichannel News, June 6, 2016

INTERACTIVE AND ENHANCED TV services — a concept fueled by hype and promise in the early 2000s before flaming out as pay TV providers focused on video-on-demand — appears to be heating up again.

And instead of getting pushed forward by integrating apps into the set-top box that sync up with live TV, this time it’s smartphones and apps that appear to be stoking the flames.

With an eye on what’s next, TiVo chairman Tom Rogers and Cablevision Systems vice chairman Hank Ratner last week said they have led a $3.4 million series-A round for WinView, a company developing a free, ad-supported mobile app that lets users to win cash and other prizes by making situational predictions during live TV sporting events.

YOU MAKE THE CALL

During a football game those “propositions” could include calling the opening coin toss, predicting the outcomes of field goals and other individual plays, and wagering on whether a running back might fumble the ball during the current quarter.

Under WinView’s model, consumers would start a contest with a set number of points, wagering them against different propositions that carry specific odds. Players would win or lose points based on whether they’re right or wrong.

“It’s an incredibly skill-oriented game,” Rogers said, noting that WinView will also include a loyalty element that lets users “bank” their points toward future competitions.

WinView, which has raised $6.5 million so far, will use those fresh funds to complete development of the WinView Games app and launch it in time for the 2016 professional football season. It tested the app last season.

Rogers and Ratner, who now also serve as co-chairmen of the WinView board, come on board amid big changes at their respective companies. Rogers is the former CEO of TiVo, which is merging with Rovi. Cablevision Systems, Ratner’s company, is about to be acquired by Altice Group.

Rogers said he and Ratner, whose 30- year business relationship dates back to when Rogers was an executive at NBC, had been discussing new ventures that they both might find interesting and the WinView opportunity “came to the top of the pile.”

Both were involved with WinView founder and CEO Dave Lockton when he headed a company called Interactive Network, which pioneered the notion of a service that enabled viewers to play along with live sports telecasts. “We thought at the time that having a tangible way to express that competition and give people all kinds of ways of creating tournaments and awarding prizes would be a great idea,” Rogers said.

The problem was that the service required a separate $190 terminal and other costs required to build an interactive service that synced with TV content in real time. “It was not economic, and the venture went away,” Rogers said.

But Lockton kept at it, building intellectual property and filing patents that protect how second-screen services can work in concert with live television. QB1, a service similar to WinView from NTN Buzztime, operated with a license for Lockton’s patents and was essentially the “bar implementation” of that technology, Rogers said.

Now, thanks to smartphones and apps, Rogers and Ratner believe the concept is more practical and poised to go mainstream.

WinView’s upside, Ratner said, is that sports remains one of the hottest content categories for TV at the same time that consumer interest in gaming shows no signs of abating.

“You can mix the two together and people with their own smartphone and a free download can have access to enhancing the total sports experience in ways not done before,” Ratner said. “This is so responsive to today’s world and what advertisers are looking for in order to deliver to their demographic and the people they want to reach.”

WinView will initially focus on pro football games, but plans to expand into other sports.

BETA WAS POPULAR

The company tested the service on the iOS platform (an Android version is in the works) during the past NFL season under an open beta program that quickly gathered about 1,000 participants without any marketing. This fall, it will feature an in-app texting capability that lets users invite friends to play.

Don’t expect WinView to integrate its service with set-top boxes anytime soon. Rogers said he had some discussion with a few “key cable operators” at last month’s INTX show in Boston, but both sides realized that the service will achieve scale more easily and rapidly by focusing on smartphones.

The New York Times: Start-Up Gets Financing for Real-Time Sports Wagers via App

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SAN FRANCISCO — A start-up that let users bet on real-time sports and that it is free to use has secured a new round of financing — and gained some high-level backers.

WinView, which lets users compete in games that run at the same time as sports games, said on Tuesday that it had raised $3.4 million. The new investments bring WinView’s fund-raising efforts to date to $6.5 million.

The start-up also said that it had named the two investors who led the round, Tom Rogers and Hank Ratner, as its co-chairmen. The two bring experience in the media industry to the company: Mr. Rogers is the chairman of TiVo and the former head of NBC’s cable division; Mr. Ratner is the vice chairman of Cablevision and the former chief of the Madison Square Garden Company.

What drew both men to the eight-year-old WinView, they said in an interview, was the potential of the company to serve as a new platform for advertising tied to live sports, drawing on the sort of “second-screen” phenomenon that is part of Twitter’s appeal.

The basic idea of WinView is relatively simple: Users challenge each other on various aspects of a live game using the company’s smartphone app, ranging from a father taking on his daughter during a quarter of an N.F.L. game to a group of friends setting up a league tournament.

It is a system that the two men said has already taken hold in Europe, where such synchronized competitions have overtaken daily fantasy sports in popularity.

Underpinning the company are what Mr. Rogers and Mr. Ratner said were 26 key patents that cover running an online competition at the same time as a game.

Yet the business of running games tied to live sports raises the specter of daily fantasy sports businesses like DraftKings and FanDuel, which have faced sharp questioning over whether they constitute online gambling.

Mr. Rogers and Mr. Ratner were quick to dismiss any comparisons, noting that WinView for now was free to play and would — at least initially — draw its revenue from advertising. (They conceded that in Europe, WinView operates largely as a pay-to-play system.)

And they added that the various competitions that could run on WinView require far less of the sometimes arcane details and knowledge that populate daily fantasy sites.

“This is free to play,” Mr. Ratner said. “This is a far broader audience than a fantasy sports audience. This is for anyone who wants to play.”

As part of the announcement, WinView said that it would officially open for business in the United States this fall, coinciding with the start of the professional football season.

Both men said that they viewed the service as a way to tap into audiences that have grown to shun commercials — something that Mr. Rogers said he has long observed during his tenure at TiVo.

“Advertisers are having a hard time reaching millennials,” Mr. Rogers said. “This has created what we think is a huge advertising opportunity.”

WinView will be led by Tom Rogers, left, and Hank Ratner as co-chairmen.

By MICHAEL J. de la MERCED

Credit: Gus Ruelas/Reuters; Richard Drew, via Associated Press

WinView Closes $3.4 Million Series A Funding Led by Media and Sports Industry Executives Tom Rogers and Hank Ratner for Its Play Along With Live TV Sports Games

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Company Appoints Rogers and Ratner as Co-Chairmen of WinView’s Board

San Francisco – May 31, 2016 – WinView Inc. (www.winviewgames.com), the pioneer of synchronized two-screen TV and creators of live television sports play-along experience WinView Games, today announced it closed a $3.4 million Series A round of equity financing led by cable television and next-gen TV pioneer Tom Rogers, and media, entertainment and sports veteran Hank Ratner. Tom Rogers is currently Chairman of the Board of TiVo, Inc. having served as its CEO for almost 11 years. Hank Ratner is Vice Chairman of Cablevision Systems Corp. and former CEO of The Madison Square Garden Company. As part of the investment, the Company appointed Mr. Rogers and Mr. Ratner as Co-Chairmen of the WinView Board of Directors. Together, their combined backgrounds in next-gen TV and sports media provide the right expertise to actively weave WinView into the broader sports and media ecosystem. The investment brings WinView’s total funding to date to $6.5 million.

The WinView Games app brings together the worlds of live TV sports, mobile apps, gaming, and interactive advertising so that casual sports fans and dedicated second-screen fantasy players can enjoy sports on TV in a new way by having more fun and interacting with their favorite teams, and with each other. The proceeds of the investment will be used to complete development and launch the WinView Games app coinciding with the 2016 professional football season. WinView allows users to play along in real time with live televised sports in order to compete and win prizes based on an advertising supported business model. All of the games WinView covers are produced in a live studio environment by game producers based on what is happening in real time on the playing field. TV viewers can demonstrate their knowledge of sports and enjoy the experience of forming teams and leagues to compete, enabling friends to play each other, and even parents to play against their kids. Because the WinView app taps into what has become commonplace TV viewing behavior of engaging with a mobile device while watching the big screen, viewers are more likely to remain engaged in the TV broadcast throughout the entire live game.

The Company stated that in-play gaming on mobile while watching live TV sports is already a multi-billion-dollar industry in Europe. WinView’s mobile game sports app is built by European firm Ex Machina Group (www.exmachinagroup.tv) and is based on their fully developed PlayToTV platform, which has been used by multiple hit reality and entertainment TV programs around the world with millions of simultaneous users.

During the 2015 - 2016 football season, WinView successfully beta tested its app, which validated the Company’s business strategy, market potential and patented technology reliability. WinView’s U.S. target audience for its advertiser-supported app includes 57 million sports fantasy league players and 200 million TV sports viewing fan base. In addition, WinView has a portfolio of 26 foundational patents that cover the synchronization of the second-screen with TV broadcasts and commercials, as well as patents that cover the optimum methods to monetize sports-based games of skill.

WinView founder and CEO Dave Lockton said, “Completion of this financing led by industry notables Tom Rogers and Hank Ratner will help drive the development and growth of WinView Games. As Co-Chairs, our board leadership now includes a cable, media and interactive TV pioneer in Tom paired with a leader in sports, entertainment, live events and media in Hank. Tom’s background includes creating substantial franchises that deal with data and information on the screen, having been the founder of CNBC and at TiVo, where he won Emmy awards for delivering deeply engaging interactive experiences. Hank has a unique history in sports, entertainment, live events and media, including having been CEO of Madison Square Garden, as well as having served as a board member of NBA and NHL leagues. Tom and Hank have also worked together in the past, creating the first national network of regional sports channels. We are delighted they are taking an active role at WinView, and we look forward to working with them to help bring this huge new innovation to sports TV this fall.”

Mr. Lockton added, “Live sports is premium programming with a massive captive audience, and it is one of the last bastions to engage millennials. Technology and market conditions are now converging and giving rise to position our app, which is uniquely synchronized with live TV, to be a huge mobile engagement and revenue generation opportunity for the networks, leagues and advertisers involved, especially those seeking the coveted young adult male audience. WinView will be a premium gateway for advertisers to access viewers on the second screen. Our leadership now has the right mix of experience and expertise in interactive TV along with a portfolio of 26 patents that cover the synchronization of the second-screen with TV broadcasts and advertisements, all of which combine to position us at the forefront of the next-gen TV viewing experience.”

Mr. Rogers said, “Playing along on a second screen while watching TV sports live is all the rage in Europe, having reduced fantasy sports to also-ran status. Millions of people in the U.S. are already using a second screen, checking stats while they watch, which has set the stage for this next big leap in sports television, enabling the viewer, unlike fantasy, to play along in real time with the live game itself. WinView has deep intellectual property for two screen live play along on TV. Dave Lockton has pioneered synchronizing a second screen to live TV so that all of WinView’s contests are credible and real prizes of value can be awarded. Equally compelling, WinView’s ad-supported business model requires no payment necessary to play, but yet has as well all the necessary technology and IP for purposes of games of skill where viewers could pay to enter to win even bigger prizes. This combination of a great new experience for the TV viewer, and a great new avenue of growth for the media business, is the biggest venture upside Hank and I have seen in the TV space in years.”

Added Mr. Rogers, “For the millions of fantasy players, once the live action starts, they are locked out, and there is no way to enjoy competing based on the live action itself, until now. It’s remarkable that it has taken this long for mobile technology in the U.S. to catch up with the innate consumer desire to play along as a live game unfolds by predicting what will happen.”

Mr. Ratner said, “Both Tom and I were involved with Dave when he pioneered the second screen play-along with TV programming category at his earlier company, Interactive Network. Now, with our involvement combined with our relationships with all the constituents in the sports television industry, including the leagues and networks, the stage is set for WinView to take off and scale this fall by tapping into sports fans’ inherent desire to engage with this next-generation TV sports entertainment experience.”

Added Mr. Ratner, “We believe there is enormous potential and scale with the WinView mobile games platform, and we look forward to working on behalf of WinView to help establish WinView Games as the industry standard for two-screen synchronization based on its many patents and well tested approach.”

The Company also announced that the WinView board will be expanded to include investors Steve Goodroe, former Vice President Global Customer Marketing of Procter & Gamble and CEO of Dunnhumby USA, and Bryan Jacoboski, Managing Partner of Abingdon Capital Management. In addition, John Costello, President Global Marketing and Innovation of Dunkin Brands, Inc. and Global Chairman of the Mobile Marketing Association, is joining the Advisory Board.

About Tom Rogers

Tom Rogers is the Chairman of TiVo. He was President and CEO of TiVo, a leader in the advanced television entertainment market through January 2016. With a career that has operated at the nexus of media, technology, advertising and public policy for more than two decades, Mr. Rogers has a distinctive blend of operational leadership and corporate strategy experience across multiple facets of the industry. With vast experience in running traditional media and new media companies, and in creating innovative business models for companies facing new challenges, he has pioneered the way consumers watch and access home entertainment.

Prior to TiVo, Mr. Rogers was Chairman and CEO of PRIMEDIA, Inc., which then was the leading targeted media company in the U.S. Prior to joining PRIMEDIA, he was President of NBC Cable and Executive Vice President of NBC, as well as NBC’s chief strategist. Among his many accomplishments, he founded CNBC, the nation’s leading business news channel and established the NBC/Microsoft cable channel and Internet joint venture, MSNBC.

Prior to NBC, Mr. Rogers was Senior Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Telecommunications, Consumer Protection and Finance Subcommittee, where he was responsible for drafting a number of communications laws, including the Cable Act of 1984, as well as overseeing the FCC. He began his career as an attorney with a Wall Street law firm.

Mr. Rogers was inducted as a member of the Cable Center Cable Hall of Fame in May 2016 and the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in October 2013.

About Hank Ratner

Hank Ratner has been a leading media, sports, entertainment and telecommunications executive throughout his career, serving in various executive positions including President and CEO of The Madison Square Garden Company, Vice Chairman of Cablevision Systems Corporation and Chief Operating Officer of AMC Networks (formerly Rainbow Media).

An executive with Cablevision for nearly 30 years, Mr. Ratner helped set corporate direction and oversee major business partnerships and negotiations. During his tenure, he helped guide Cablevision through several strategic transactions, including the spin-offs of The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) in 2010 and AMC Networks in 2011, both now standalone, public companies.

From 2009 to 2014, Mr. Ratner served as President and CEO of MSG where he directed the overall strategy and day-to-day operations of the business. His leadership included involvement with television networks, live events, professional sports teams and real estate development with the transformation of Madison Square Garden to maintain and enhance its status as the ‘World’s Most Famous Arena.” Prior to Cablevision, Mr. Ratner spent nearly 15 years at AMC Networks where he served in various positions, including COO and leading the executive management team directing AMC, IFC, Bravo, WE tv, 10 regional sports networks, two national sports networks, five News 12 regional news networks, Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation, among others.

Prior to working in the media, entertainment and telecommunications industries, he was an associate with the law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell.

Mr. Ratner is on the board of Madison Square Garden Networks and was the driving force behind the creation of The Garden of Dreams Foundation, the nonprofit that works closely with all areas of MSG and MSG Networks to positively impact the lives of children facing obstacles.

About WinView Inc.

WinView, Inc. is a Silicon Valley-based company that is focused on free mobile two-screen synchronized televised sports games for prizes in the U.S. The Company plans to leverage its extensive experience in pioneering real-time interactive television games played on the mobile second screen, its foundational patents and unique business model. The WinView app is an end-to-end two-screen TV synchronization platform for both television programming and commercials. The free WinView Games app uniquely enhances TV viewing enjoyment and rewards sports fans with prizes as they answer in-game questions while competing with friends in real-time during live televised sports. These free games of skill are legal in every state. For more information, please visit www.winviewgames.com.

About WinView Inc.’s Intellectual Property

WinView’s portfolio of 26 foundational patents covers the synchronization of the second-screen with TV broadcasts and commercials and the optimum methods of monetizing sports-based games of skill, among other types of programming content. The WinView platform and its foundational patents permit it to provide sponsors and advertisers with exclusive access to all the two-screen game participants through sponsorship of the game, in-game videos and incentivized interactive commercials in sports telecasts. The Company plans to expand its service in partnership with the TV and cellular industries, leveraging its intellectual property to establish a two-screen synchronization standard across the entire TV broadcast and cellular networks, which are industries that rely upon standards to function efficiently at scale.

###

Business & Advertising Contact:

Whit Clay, SloanePR, wclay@sloanepr.com, 212-446-1864

Sports Media Contact:

Matt Kovacs, BlazePR, mkovacs@blazepr.com, 310-395-5050

WinView Contact:

Anthony Giombetti, anthony@winview.tv, 818-821-7530

What’s Next for WinView Post Super Bowl 50

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With the Broncos upset over the Panthers in Super Bowl 50, this concludes the 2015-2016 football season for WinView Games.

Peyton Manning and the Broncos’ defense delivered a crowning upset over MVP Cam Newton and the heavily favored Panthers.

A super congrats goes to the top 10 winners of our season-ending contest, The Super 1000, which had a $1000 prize pool. A special thanks also goes to everyone who played along live in the final game, tested their skills and formed a few leagues.

“THE SUPER 1000” CONTEST WINNERS

1st Place - Nate Tuen
2nd Place - Kerry Buring
3rd Place - Linda Thai
4th Place - Steve Goodroe
5th Place Tie - Sean Kelly & Kameron Barton
7th Place - Rob Dyer
8th Place - Paul McLean
9th Place - Matt DeCoursey
10th Place - John Goodroe

WHAT’S NEXT FOR WINVIEW GAMES?

What’s next? First off, the WinView team would like to extend its deep appreciation to all the WinView gamers - from the hardcore gamer to the casual player - who signed up and participated in our first football season of WinView Games.

Your passion for football came through week in and week out, not only in how well you played, but also in the feedback you provided us to make our app experience better.

We hope we provided a new dimension to enjoying the game. But we’re not done. We’re just getting started.
Going forward, we are exploring other nationally televised sports to produce on a weekly basis.

We can’t reveal the details at this time. So stay tuned and we’ll be in touch soon with some exciting news.

- Game on, Team WinView!

Important App Update + New Tournament Contest

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Exciting news! We just launched a big update to the WinView app on the iTunes App Store. Here are the important points:

NEW TOURNAMENT CONTEST

  • Starting this weekend, WinView will be holding single-game tournaments called The Super Daily.
  • Each football game will be its own tournament.
  • Prize pool is $200 and pays out top 5 winners.
  • Winners are determined by their best 2 quarters played based on a percentile ranking.
  • First place wins $100 and 2nd through 5th wins $25 each.

APP UPDATE

  • Now you can invite friends to leagues and head-to-head challenges via your phone contact list.
  • Heads up for our early adopters: There is a chance that after you log back in, you may need to re-enter your phone number. If so, you will be prompted to do so.

ACTION TO TAKE

  • We recommend that you update your WinView Games app as soon as possible, or at least before our first game this Saturday, January 9th.

If you run into any issues or need help, please contact us at support@winview.tv.

- Team WinView

The NFL In-Game Predictions App That’s Sweeping the Nation

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You’re watching the game and the Broncos are in the Red Zone. Suddenly, an in-game prediction notification appears on your phone: “Will the Broncos score a touchdown?” How many points are you willing use?

This isn’t Vegas…

This is the future of football.

This is WinView.

WinView Games is a new NFL in-game predictions app that’s recently become a popular alternative to daily fantasy sites like FanDuel and DraftKings. WinView is FREE TO PLAY. That means you can win cash prizes with NO ENTRY FEE required. WinView has tournament-style contests of skill that pay out to the winners.

It’s one thing to read about, but trying it out is a completely different game! When you’re the QB, the in-game prediction notifications come at you at blazing speed throughout each quarter, so you gotta think and act fast. When the game is on, what will you choose?*

  • Team will complete 4 passes on this drive (YES/NO)
  • There will be a play greater than 30 yards in this quarter (YES/NO)
  • Team will get a first down on this drive (YES/NO)

*Example in-game prediction for a game situation. Real notifications will vary and change dynamically throughout the game.
Even when a football game is slow, WinView adds a fun and addictive layer to the game experience. Pretty soon, you’ll wonder how you ever watched a game without it!

During this season, NFL football fans and daily fantasy players have been loving the new way to watch-and-play football on their smartphones (only available on iPhone 5 and above in the iTunes App Store).

“Finally a football game app that got it right,” said Mitch Backster of Michigan and an an avid DFLer. “I’ve never experienced watching a game live on TV
and playing along in such a heart-pounding way.
My palms got sweaty and crampy from holding the phone so much and so tight.”

Football fans agree: Every game is more fun when there’s something on the line!

WinView is producing 4 games a week on average, like Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, and Monday Night Football. They also cover a big college game on Saturday.

Love football? Get the app! Think you know what’s going to happen in each game? Get the app! Want to make your favorite games even more exciting? You get the idea.

Download the WinView Games App on the iTunes App Store

WinView Games App Transitions from Test Flight Mode to App Store

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WinView, Inc has transitioned its beta WinView Games in-game predictions app from Apple Test Flight Mode to the iTunes App Store. Currently available for download only on iOS platforms / iPhone 5 and 6.

Inviting friends to play and be part of the ultimate 2nd screen football experience is easier than ever. Cash prizes are coming soon once a few more games are tested.

Beta test users will need to delete the current app on their phone followed by going to the iTunes App Store and download the new version of WinView Games. They will need to re-register when logging in. As part of the transition from “test flight” to being in the App Store, their account details had to be purged in order to start fresh.

As part of the soft launch in the App Store, the team at WinView Games is producing 7 football games this week to play!

THANKSGIVING DAY EXTRAVAGANZA
GAME 1: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Detroit Lions at 12:30p ET on FOX
GAME 2: Carolina Panthers vs. Dallas Cowboys at 4:30p ET on CBS
GAME 3: Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers at 8:30p ET on NBC

COLLEGE GAME DAY
GAME 4: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Michigan Wolverines at Noon ET on ABC

NFL SUNDAY
GAME 5: Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants at 4:05p ET on FOX
GAME 6: New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos at 8:30p ET on NBC

NFL “MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL”
GAME 7: Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns at 8:30p ET ESPN

If users experience any technical issues or need help, please contact us at support@winview.tv.

The Inevitable Rise of Real-Time Fantasy Sports

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DFS today, RTFS tomorrow?

Acronyms aside, daily fantasy’s rise in popularity is impossible to miss — but real-time fantasy sports is imminent. If permitted under federal and state law, live prop bets could be coming soon too. And both promise to be second screen experiences that sports fans will likely devour.

While in-game betting is commonplace in Europe, it barely registers in the United States. Likewise, U.S.-style fantasy is just beginning in the United Kingdom, for example. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has mentioned live options as a possibility for basketball, but it has yet to take hold. Dynamic fantasy sports and as-it-happens proposition wagers may be the vehicles for change.

Micro-fantasy, perhaps?

“In-game fantasy sports platforms are certain to gain some traction in the next few years, as the appetite for new games, instant gratification and marketing dollars is so significant right now,” said Tom Masterman, chief revenue officer for Sportradar US in Minneapolis.

Masterman explained how aspects of Sportradar’s recently inked exclusive deal with the NFL will be activated in ways that transcend gaming too.

“Beginning this season, real-time player tracking will be captured for every player, every play and every game,” Masterman told ESPN Chalk. “Broadcasters, portals, fantasy sports and social media are just some of the platforms that will make use of this innovative data.

“By this time next year, we expect new stats like openness, separation/closing speed and route efficiency to enter the vernacular of the average football fan.”

Daily fantasy contests of the type made available by industry titans DraftKings and FanDuel have already given way to real-time offerings by a number of upstarts. These contests commence after the underlying games start. They continue as events unfold on the court, field, pitch or diamond.

“Real-time fantasy is the future,” explained InGame Fantasy CEO and co-founder Dan Cook during a recent phone interview with ESPN Chalk. “In our case, it is also the present; the real-time aspect is more engaging.”

The prospect of real-time fantasy has garnered the attention of industry stakeholders outside the U.S. as well.

“There is definitely a potential for fantasy sports to head in the direction of real-time,” said Mark Locke, CEO of Sport Integrity Monitor, a London-based technology and betting data company. “The question is how this will be affected by legalized sports betting in the U.S.”

During March 17, 2015, oral arguments in the yet-to-be-decided New Jersey sports betting case, attorney Paul Clement, representing the NCAA, NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB in their lawsuit against Gov. Chris Christie, may have foreshadowed the leagues’ plan in this space.

In the course of questioning from the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit in Philadelphia, Clement repeatedly referred to a low-stakes “friends and family plan” as a permissible exemption to the 1992 federal law that has put the freeze on expanded sports wagering options in the U.S.

“When I read the court transcript, his comments resonated with me immediately,” said Kasim Ahmad, founder and CEO of Cincinnati-based Waygr (pronounced “wager”), a new exchange-based platform that tracks wagers among participants in real time. “Clement is foreshadowing where the market is going.”

David Lockton of Winview Games in San Francisco has a view of where the market is moving as well.

“Real-time options blew away DFS in Europe years ago,” said Lockton. “All of our offerings are free to play [and] have the same feel as the in-game betting that is so popular in Europe.

“Our version is tournament-based, with sponsor-backed prizes that include various real-time propositions as determined by our experts.”

The fuel for all these fast-acting ventures, whether cash-based, free to play or largely unrelated to gaming altogether, comes from high-quality real-time data. A growing industry of private companies (as well as the sports leagues themselves) brings instant data to fans.

“Breadth of data, speed of data, accuracy of data and presentation of data now lie at the heart of any serious or sophisticated sport platform,” said Alex Inglot, head of communications for Sportradar AG. “This applies] whether it is traditional media, social media, second screen applications, mobile or fantasy products.”

The foundation for such applications was laid decades ago.

In 1991 congressional hearings, former NBA commissioner David Stern testified in support of legislation that eventually became the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, the same federal law at issue in the current New Jersey sports gambling case.

“The proposed legislation would also help protect sports leagues’ valuable property rights in their games, scores, statistics and trademarks,” explained Stern.

The same issues reappeared five years later in a legal case.

“The most valuable economic asset of any professional sports league is live sports competition,” wrote lawyers for the NFL, NHL and MLB in a 1996 court document obtained by ESPN Chalk.

During the same legal proceeding, lawyers for the NBA provided more details.

“[Our] principal product is the action and excitement of NBA games in progress,” wrote the NBA’s attorneys. “Games achieve their greatest value while they are in progress — that is, in ‘real time.'”

This exact sentiment is espoused today.

“We’re incredibly protective of our live game rights,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics conference earlier this year.

Technology has now caught up with the legal arguments from the 1990s. The result is engaged fans watching live game telecasts while simultaneously interacting with any number of contests on their smartphones, tablets or laptops. Fully immersed in a DVR-proof second screen experience rarely seen outside of sports, fans become active, not passive, consumers. That is something sports leagues, broadcasters, advertisers and fantasy operators all understand — in real time.

“The optimal situation for illustrative purposes is the last at-bat situation in baseball,” said Dan Cook of InGame Fantasy. “Both the game itself and the fantasy contest are on the line.”

by Ryan Rodenberg, ESPN Contributor

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