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Here's everything you need to know today - in under 5 minutes.

Today's big stories:

⚽️ Optus wins EPL rights for another 6 years

🚘 Apple wants to launch a fully self-driving EV in 2025

🤔 Staples Centre is rebranding to Crypto.com Arena for 20 years

Oh and get this...

Big bank ANZ reckons house prices will finally start falling...in 2023. And while that's pretty good news for home-buyers, house prices will still be 27% higher than they were in 2019. Yikes.

Optus Sports win the EPL rights for another 6 years and u mad, Foxtel?

Background: Optus are the number two mobile carrier in Australia. But outside of cell services, they're a big player in the sports streaming biz thanks to Optus Sports.

What happened: Optus Sports launched in 2016 after winning the rights to the English Premier League, and let me tell ya...this did not go down well with soccer fans.

What else: After that, Optus started building a pretty big portfolio of sports for their new service. We're talkin' regional soccer comps, as well as the Women's World Cup and the cricket. And now, they've won the streaming rights to the EPL for another 6 years in a blind auction.

So what's the key learning?

💡Blind auctions are a type of auction where bidders submit private bids at the same time. It means no bidder knows the bid of any other participant...or who the participant is.

💡 The highest bidder, wins. But the trouble is, you don't know whether your opponent has bid $1 more...or $1 billion more. You're really flying blind.

💡In many sports, strategic considerations like reach and exposure of the sport are more important than absolute dollars. But the EPL seem to prefer the highest-bidder-wins model.

Apple's pushing ahead with fully self-driving electric vehicles so buckle up

Background: Apple have had a special team dedicated to creating their first electric car since around 2014. It's called Project Titan (Marvel character?).

What happened: The plan was to investigate two different types of EVs:

1. A model with limited self-driving capabilities (i.e. steering and acceleration)
2. A fully self-driving car that doesn't' need any human intervention (i.e. no steering wheel, no pedals).
   

What else: Now, sources say Apple is focusing solely on option 2, with plans to launch in 2025...but some reckon this is a little (ok, very) ambitious.

So what's the key learning?

💡The buzz around self-driving cars is huge right now...but it's been buzzing since 2014, and still no dice. And the reason? There are still some major challenges that no company has been able to overcome.

💡We've got the problem of sensors (which nobody has cracked) where they just can't hack wet weather, or road signs with graffiti on them.

💡We've also got limitations with current regulations around self-driving systems...not to mention, are the public really ready to share the road with these EVs? We'll just have to see how Apple plans to overcome these challenges...and whether they hit their 2025 deadline.

Iconic LA stadium Staples Centre is rebranding to Crypto.com Arena and this is what we call a sellout

Background: The Staples Centre is hugely iconic in the US. It's the home of the LA Lakers and the LA Clippers...it's where Kobe Bryant scored a career-high 81 points back in 2006...it's where MJ's memorial service was held...it's where Taylor Swift performed 16 sell-out shows.

What happened: Now, a crypto exchange called Crypto.com has just purchased naming rights to the stadium for 20. Whole. Years. And the deal is said to be worth a massive US$700 million.

What else: If the rumours are true, it's one of the largest sums ever paid for a sporting venue's naming rights. And, they reckon it's worth it 'cos the people who attend the Staples Centre are their exact target audience.

So what's the key learning?

💡Understanding your business’ target audience is critical to developing a marketing strategy. It's the people that are most likely to purchase (or have an interest in) your products or services.

💡Your target audience will generally share a few things in common (i.e. they may be the same age, gender...or share the same lifestyle habits). And boy, oh boy did Crypto.com hit the nail on the audience's head here.

💡Sports fans are twice as likely as non-sports fans to be familiar with crypto. So, by attaching itself to Staples Centre, Crypto.com is reaching its target audience...and a whole new audience too.