action press becomes a media tech asset and launches streaming business model in the digital sports photo market with UK-based SmartFrame Technologies

Hamburg, July 5, 2023 - The action press photo agency (Hamburg) will exclusively take over the entire official photo production for the New Zealand national rugby team "All Blacks" and distribute it worldwide via the innovative streaming platform of the British software specialist SmartFrame Technologies, Inc. (London).

On this occasion, action press is establishing a technology partnership with SmartFrame for the digital photo market. This enables potentially attractive economies of scale, as a significant portion of the expected revenue is based on the monetization of image views on the Internet. Further photo projects with global reach sports brands are in the pipeline, New Zealand Rugby with All Blacks are the first client in the new streaming business model.

For coverage of all All Blacks matches and other official dates in New Zealand and abroad, action press has built up a ten-strong team of experienced professional sports photographers in New Zealand and otherwise uses its own global network of photographers, established over decades.

New monetization model through streaming

With SmartFrame technology, action press succeeds in monetizing image views on the Internet instead of licensing the use of photos for a fixed fee, as was previously the case. At last, sports clubs and leagues are tapping into new revenue streams and achieving stronger fan loyalty as a result of the high-quality media material. The respective association pays for the assignments and advertisers pay per view. Depending on the number of page visits (page impressions), media receive a share of the advertising revenue and pay nothing.

Publishers receive free access to high-quality image material. The streaming platform allows the placement of attractive, interactive and multi-format in-image advertising, the revenue from which is shared between the parties involved. The club has full ownership and control over the images captured. In addition, there is protection against photo theft.

"Photography captivates and inspires Internet users all over the world, especially in areas as passionate as sports," comments Ulli Michel, CEO of action press. "action press reports daily from sporting events around the world. Whether it's Wimbledon, World Cup football, the Olympics, Formula 1 races and many other competitions. One of our photographers is always on location. Our technology partnership is now opening up new, larger revenue markets, especially in sponsorship and advertising. This is a win-win concept for the sports sector."
 

New viewing features, contextual ad placement, value creation also for publishers and photographers. 

SmartFrame's streaming platform offers interactive viewing capabilities from high-resolution full screen to hyper-zoom on details. This enables stronger user engagement in general and, specifically in sports photography, more fan engagement, better sponsor placement and effective contextual ad placement. The New Zealand Rugby Union will receive increased revenue from SmartFrame's new ad-supported model. Publishers and photographers will also share in sponsorship and advertising revenue.

Rob Sewell, CEO of SmartFrame Technologies, adds, "Sports brands and photographers have long had little control over their imagery. Intellectual property was too often not assigned to the sports brands that had paid for photography services. We are on the cusp of a change that reshuffles the cards and breaks that cycle. Content owners are back in charge, deciding how to create, control and maximize the value of their assets. New Zealand Rugby is among the first major sports brands to recognize the potential of the fast-growing digital advertising market to create sustainable value. We look forward to working with some of the world's most prestigious sports teams and action press to create a new concept in image-centric and independent advertising revenue." The official photo collection of New Zealand Rugby can be found here: https://images.nzrugby.co.nz/

About SmartFrame:

Founded in 2015, SmartFrame Technologies Ltd. is a London-based software provider that is redefining the standard for digital images. Its SmartFrame platform enables content owners and brands to protect and showcase their content in the best possible way . At the same time, publishers can source and embed high-quality images, and all stakeholders can tap into new revenue streams through integrated advertising.

About action press:

action press international GmbH (Hamburg) is active in 120 countries and, together with partners, relies on a network of around 5,000 photographers. Together with ddp Media GmbH, also based in Hamburg, it is part of action press AG, which is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. The photo agency group has one of the largest databases of digital media assets in the world, with a stock of more than 200 million photos and videos. action press is regarded as a leading brand for news, sports and entertainment content. ddp is the cross-departmental quality provider of photos, which includes the brands ddp images, Picture Press, Intertopics and Food Centrale, as well as the photo agency Stella Pictures (Stockholm). The Management Board of action press AG is made up of Ulli Michel and Prof. Moritz Hunzinger, while Vicente Poveda is CEO of ddp Media GmbH.

Queries:

action press AG Management Board

- Prof. Moritz Hunzinger: moritz.hunzinger@actionpress.de, +49 171 60 333 20

- Ulli Michel: ulli.michel@actionpress.de, +49 172 253 73 03

https://www.actionpress-ir.de

ddp media GmbH Management

- Vicente Poveda: vicente.poveda@ddpimages.com, +49 170 285 42 13

https://ddpimages.com