A guy with a scarf

The Microshifter's Guide to Fragmented WorkWelcome to our discussion on Microshifting: the new rhythm of work that aims to make your professional life "shorter, sharper, and more human". This practice is gaining traction, especially among solo professionals and Gen Z, and has been called the next evolution of flexible work. What is Microshifting? Microshifting is defined as the art a...

This week, I asked my ex-colleague Jim Irving about one of the biggest frustrations in streaming — finding what to watch. His new app, Recce, takes a surprisingly human approach to solving it.🎙️ Q: What is Recce?💬 Jim’s take:Finding what to watch has become one of the biggest pain points in media — and Recce wants to fix that by bringing trust back into recommendations.➡️ Recce is a movie and TV...

🎙️ Q: What are the traits and skills to get hired in our industry in 2026?💬 Chris’s take:The game of hiring has changed — and not always for the better. AI and automation aren’t necessarily improving recruitment; they’re exposing how broken and outdated many processes already were.➡️ Recognize that job hunting today can be demoralizing — applications often disappear into a black hole.➡️ Stop “job...

At IBC 2025, I sat down with Giles Baker of Dolby to explore how the company is shaping the next chapter of live sports and immersive streaming. Dolby is a brand we encounter daily — from iPhones with Dolby Vision to cinemas with Atmos — but with Dolby OptiView , they’re pushing further into live experiences. Giles has spent 15 years at Dolby, driven by a passion for sound and vision: “What excite...

🎙️ Sébastien is a French sports media expert with 20+ years of experience in the industry. Q: With Ligue 1 going D2C and the new app being deployed in France, what is the reception of the app and of Ligue 1?Sébastien shared that fans in France have welcomed the new Ligue 1 app — lower price (€14.99/month for 8 out of 9 games) and strong editorial coverage have made the experience feel premium. Pre...

This year at IBC, instead of writing another list of highlights, I sat down with analyst Paolo Pescatore to reflect on what the show really told us. Paolo put IBC in context with other global events. CES sets the tone, MWC defines connectivity, GITEX is now the largest consumer electronics show, while NAB and IBC feel smaller but remain key networking hubs. Attendance and exhibitor numbers were do...

For this special IBC 2025 edition of A Guy with a Scarf, I spoke with Dan Coffey, Director of Product at Dolby OptiView, about the future of immersive streaming, new ad formats, and the role of consistency in low-latency delivery. Coffey joined Dolby six years ago through the acquisition of Hybrik. Since then, he has been shaping Dolby OptiView’s product roadmap. For him, technology is always in s...

💡 How Server-Guided Ad Insertion (SGAI) Could Redefine the Streaming Ad Experience

Paul Boustead's journey started "as a researcher doing research for telcos in Australia" back in 2000. Hel worked on real-time CDNs during what he calls "a super interesting time" when it was "very hard to actually get good scalable streams out there and working."His path led through gaming technology—"voice communication, massively multiplayer computer games...

Ep. 55: Paul McGrath - From Cannibalization Fears to YouTube Success: How CBC Cracked the Creator Economy CodePaul McGrath, a 20-year CBC veteran now leading strategy in the entertainment department, shared how Canada's national broadcaster evolved from fearing digital cannibalization to embracing the creator economy through scientific methodology. Three Phases of Digital EvolutionPhase One: Canni...

In episode 54 of "A Guy with a Scarf," host Carlo De Marchis interviews Paolo Pescatore, an industry analyst with over 25 years of experience covering telecommunications, media, and technology convergence. The Analyst's Unique ApproachPescatore has evolved from analyzing mobile devices to examining "the connected user in the converged world." His hands-on methodology is striking: he's converted hi...

At 31, when most athletes chase one last payday, Beckham placed a calculated bet on American soccer that would make venture capitalists jealous—and transform him from global icon to business mogul

What if the billion-euro deal you bragged about became the life-raft you never boarded? French football’s about to show us. French football's Ligue 1 has experienced a dramatic rollercoaster of broadcasting deals that transformed from a record-breaking triumph to a cautionary tale of financial instability. This fascinating story begins in May 2018, when optimism ran high as PSG flourished with...

Scott Gutterman, SVP of Broadcast and Digital Technologies at PGA Tour, offered a fascinating look into the complex technology ecosystem that powers golf broadcasting and digital experiences during the latest episode of "A Guy with a Scarf." Host Carlo De Marchis explored how the PGA Tour leverages cutting-edge technology to bring the sport to fans worldwide. The PGA Tour's broadcast...

The Evolution of VAR Technology: Democratizing Football Officiating In the heart of modern football's technological revolution, Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology stands as a testament to how digital innovation is reshaping the beautiful game. At SPOBIS, Tom Janicot from SportTech Solutions provided an exclusive insight into the intricate workings of VAR systems and their vision for the...

In a significant move to revolutionize how fans access sports information, Perplexity has launched Perplexity Sports, marking one of the first direct sports-focused initiatives by a major AI platform. This new product aims to transform the way fans interact with sports data by combining AI-powered search capabilities with real-time updates and comprehensive coverage. Understanding Perplexity: The...

The latest episode of "A Guy with a Scarf" featured an insightful conversation with Paola Marinone and Bengu Atamer from BuzzMyVideos, revealing significant shifts in YouTube's landscape and its growing importance in the connected TV space. Key Takeaways: Connected TV Dominance Streaming viewership has increased from 34.3% to 37.7% in just 12 months Cable TV decreased from 30.2% to 27.6% in the sa...

In this episode of "A Guy with a Scarf," Carlo de Marchis interviews Josh Walker from Sports Innovation Lab about the evolving landscape of sports fandom, data-driven decision making in sports, and the future of the industry. Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ The Fluid Fan Concept Sports Innovation Lab introduced the concept of the "fluid fan" to describe the changing nature of sports fandom. Walker defines a fl...

📚⚽ Special News: "Let's Kick the Rules: Rebel Soccer" - A Book for Young Sports Lovers! ⚽📚I'm embarrassed to announce the release of my new children's book, "Let's Kick the Rules: Rebel Soccer"!A mix of my own experience as a dad of a 9 years old player and innovation a-la Kingsleague .Available on Amazon in English and Italian links in the comment section. As someone who's spent years in prof...

In this episode of "A Guy with a Scarf," I had the pleasure of speaking with Dave Lipp, who leads Business Development and Strategy for Direct-to-Consumer initiatives at Manchester United. Our conversation explored the club's evolving approach to fan engagement in the digital age, the challenges of global brand management, and the impact of emerging technologies on sports marketing. Dave's journey...

🧠 As you may know i have recently started a collaboration with Ably for the Realtime Fan Engagement initiative, as I really believe that what they have is very useful to many of in sport and media tech. 🎙️ To share more about what they do I thought of (again) asking for the help of my good AI friends Miles and Faye and recorded a podcast to deep dive, instead of boring you with feature lists. 👩‍...

The third instalment of Product Byte Live, held in London, brought together industry leaders to discuss the future of product development in media, sports, and entertainment. I talked to the organizer Tom McDonnell, CEO of Monterosa , and Matthew O'Riordan , CEO of Ably , who shared their insights on real-time fan engagement and the challenges facing the industry in a panel I moderated in the...

🥇 Post-Paris mini-series! Episode 6 with Alex Balfour I have asked few of people in my network with direct experience of the games these 3 questions for A guy with a scarf :1. How was Paris 2024 compared to your expectations? What exceeded, what fell short.2. The most innovative thing you saw (in any of venue, broadcast, digital, social).3. What should be improved in LA?Here is what Alex had to s...