David Ballard Lockton is an American serial entrepreneur. Several of his consumer-focused companies have pioneered or significantly expanded billion dollar markets, including:
Data Broadcasting, which invented the $100 billion wireless data industry with “push” or multicast, real time wireless data services; and
Interactive Network, the first company to use a synchronized second-screen to enable television viewers to interact in real time with live sports and game shows, television commercials in real time utilizing wireless technology.
WinView, Inc., The only platform for two-screen games of skill in the U.S. with 76 foundational patents protecting multiple business segments including live and mobile sports betting in the US.
Biography
Lockton was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on March 28, 1937 to Richard Curtis and Violet Ballard Lockton. His father was also a serial entrepreneur. Lockton attended Broad Ripple High School, The Lawrenceville School, and Yale University. Lockton, a two time Interscholastic All American swimmer, learned the butterfly from one of the stroke's developers and demonstrated it in exhibitions two years before it became legal. Leveraging his head start, as a relay swimmer on dominant and undefeated swimming teams; he swam the butterfly on teams which held state, National Junior, Freshman, and American records.
After graduating from Yale in 1959, he attained his J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School in 1962. Two years out of law school, working for Ice Miller,[1] a large law firm in Indianapolis, Indiana, he represented an indigent defendant in a federal criminal narcotic case (United States v Ewell) The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law and won a series of motions which were ultimately appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Not realizing Lockton did not meet the length of practice requirements, Justice Hugo Black appointed Lockton to represent the defendant In Forma Pauperis, making him the youngest lawyer ever so appointed to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court.[2]
Lockton leveraged his position as the drivers representative on the Board of United States Auto Club (USAC), then the largest automobile sanctioning body in the United States, to develop in the Los Angeles area the first modern multi track super speedway. In 1967 on behalf of a small group of private equity investors which included Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette; Lockton optioned 14 parcels of land constituting 800 acres (3.2km2) in Ontario, California. In 1968, he raised $25 million in tax-free municipal bonds and $5 million in equity. As President and CEO he oversaw the construction of the Ontario Motor Speedway (OMS), the marketing campaign and launched the first year of racing. OMS opened on Labor Day 1970 with the Inaugural California 500 Mile Race, an Indianapolis 500-type open wheel oval track race.[3]
Ontario was the first and only automobile racing facility designed to accommodate major races sanctioned by all of the four dominant and independent racing sanctioning bodies: USAC, for an Indy 500 open wheel oval car race (The California 500); NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing), for a stock car 500-mile (800km) oval race, (The Miller 500); National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), for a drag race, (The Super Nationals); and a FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile) Formula One race, (The Questor Grand Prix). Each of these races drew attendance second only to their counterparts, the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, the NHRA Indy Nationals and the Watkins Glen Formula One race. It is estimated that the 800-acre (3.2km2) facility with 155,000 permanent seats and an air-conditioned private stadium club would have a replacement cost today of over $500 million. It remains the largest stadium built and one time. The 155,000 permanent seats were sold out almost 90 days before the Inaugural California 500. The race drew 178,000 in paid attendance, second only to the Indianapolis 500 and until 2004, was the largest crowd ever to attend a single day sporting event.
In addition to the award-winning marketing and PR campaign, Lockton introduced many innovations to the sport of automobile racing, including a private stadium club with annual subscription members, corporate suites, crash absorbent retaining walls and safety fences, the first Pro-Am celebrity race, and a computerized, wireless real-time timing and scoring system. In 1971, Lockton sold his interest in OMS and was honored by the Society of Automotive Engineers[citation needed] for his contributions to safety in Automobile Racing. He was also voted by the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association as one of three individuals who had most contributed to the advancement of the sport.[4]
International Race of Champions
Upon leaving the Ontario Motor Speedway, Lockton created and developed the format for International Race of Champions (IROC), airing on ABC from 1973 to 2006, and the longest running made for television series that aired on ABC from 1973 to 2006. IROC was an auto racing competition. Series Champion drivers from the Indianapolis, NASCAR, F1, and road racing series were invited to race identically-prepared cars set up by a single team of mechanics in an effort to make the race purely a test of driver ability.
California Business
In 1972 Lockton purchased California Business, a controlled circulation tabloid format business publication based in Los Angeles and converted it to a paid weekly. Using direct mail to acquire paid subscribers, he increased advertising revenues and brought the publication to break-even in two years. California Business was the first regional business weekly in the country. Regional business publications subsequently became a multibillion-dollar publishing segment. The publication pioneered the concept of “Annual Reports,” “Corporate Update” and “Corporate Listing” sections, in which companies paid to distribute their annual reports, ran “advertorials” and brief corporate descriptions. These features have subsequently been used by many business publications including Fortune, Barron's, and Forbes. California Business won a Gerald Loeb Award in 1972.
Data Broadcasting (formerly Dataspeed, now IDC)
In 1981 Lockton moved from Los Angeles to Silicon Valley to apply his experience at California Business with subscription based financial information and at the Ontario Motor Speedway with the wireless technology behind the real-time timing and scoring system, to stock market trading information. He purchased a controlling interest in Data Broadcasting (originally Dataspeed, a company that had developed a pc version of the Ontario wireless real time scoring system) where he invented the hand held wireless QuoTrek, the first product to utilize “push” technology and wireless data, to deliver real time stock and commodity trading information to paying subscribers in a mobile environment. He successfully petitioned United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deregulate and permit the use of the analog sub-carrier (FCC Docket 82-536) for the real time broadcast of digital data. He successfully negotiated with the Boards of Governors of the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ, and Amex exchanges as well as the Chicago Board of Trade and Commodities Exchange Center to create a low cost “non professional” fee structure for their real time trading information, thereby pioneering a consumer market for real time stock and futures trading. The first nationwide real time wireless data network he created supported the QuoTrek and Signal services which won numerous awards. With the QuoTrek's companion invention, Signal, a wireless modem linked to a PC and Lotus 1-2-3 software to manage multiple investment accounts, the services generated over $1.3 billion in revenues over their product lives. George Guilder credited the QuoTrek in Life After Television (Norton 1992, pp 66–67) as the invention which created the communications paradigm known as “push” or “always on” data. Guilder predicted a revolution in the way time sensitive data would be delivered which is now pervasive on the Web and Cellular 3G networks. In 1984 Lockton designed and developed the prototype of a multi-purpose hand held device, the Informa, with a backlit LCD screen and alpha/numeric keyboard, designed to use the nationwide real time wireless data network of FM radio stations Lockton had assembled. In addition to user specified stocks and commodities quotes, news, weather and sports information in real time, the user could send wireless email and messages via a built in phone modem instantly received by the addressee wherever they were. The Informa concept preceded the Web by nine years, real-time wireless messaging by several years and the data capabilities of the 2G cellular networks by 10 years. In 1985 Data Broadcasting was sold to Lotus Development Corporation which never introduced the Informa.
Interactive Network, Inc.
In 1987 Lockton founded Interactive Network (IN) based upon a patent 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. Interactive Network pioneered "two-screen television." Financed by NBC, Cablevision Systems, TCI, The Grenada Group (Great Britain), Le GroupeVideotron (Canada), United Artists, A.C. Nielsen, Gannett, Sprint and Motorola, Interactive Network developed a device similar to the Informa, the “Interactive Control Unit,” which won the International Design Award idesignawards.com for best consumer product in 1990. IN went public on the NASDAQ exchange in 1991. The Company operated a subscription based, two-screen “play-along’ or "In-Play" entertainment service, developing over 50 games of skill to play along with live TV sports, news, and entertainment programming for prizes. IN conducted four increasingly successful test markets from 1990 to 1995 in Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago and Indianapolis. The Company pioneered many of the interactive television game formats now utilized worldwide in connection with live television programming. At the time, these were variously called, “Enhanced TV,” or “Play Along TV.” IN established a Charter Interactive Advertising Consortium with P&G, Chrysler, Pepsi, American Airlines, and the Ad Council (the leader in public service announcements) to develop and test the first real time interactive and lead generating two-screen TV commercials.[citation needed] In addition to pioneering its entertainment service, the Company pioneered many technological firsts, including the first field-upgradable, RAM-based mobile device, the first to use the VBI (vertical blanking interval of an FM radio signal) of the NPR TV Network, to transmit digital data to wireless devices; and one of the first companies to have a consumer web site in 1996.
In August 1994 on the eve of the national roll-out of the Interactive Network service, with a NASDAQ market capitalization of $250 million, IN suspended operations and the board of directors subsequently file litigation against lead investor, TCI for conspiring to wrongfully acquire title to IN's patents and intellectual property through a financing scheme.[5] The litigation was settled in IN's favor in April 1998. The lawsuit against TCI was the subject of a front-page feature article in the February 26, 1996 Wall Street Journal.
AirPlay, Inc.
Upon the expiration in 2004 of the Lockton/Interactive Network patents, Lockton founded AirPlay, Inc.,[6] to apply the wireless "two-screen" technology developed at Data Broadcasting and Interactive Network to the cellular platform.[7]
From 2004 to 2009, AirPlay developed for the cellular platform many of the games pioneered at Interactive Network, playable with televised baseball, basketball and football games as well as game shows such as Jeopardy, Deal or No Deal and Big Brother. Lockton served on the board of directors and consulted part-time to the company concentrating on intellectual property and special projects, including negotiations with Sony (owner of Jeopardy). AirPlay was the first and only company to utilize the cellular networks to allow TV viewers to play along with television programming and win prizes in real-time games of skill on their cell phones. AirPlay established broadcast distribution agreements with all the major carriers. The Company launched Jeopardy with Sony Pictures Entertainment on 220 syndicated TV stations using patent pending technology to precisely synchronize the fast-paced game with the unfolding telecast for each separate syndicated station. In August 2009, after AirPlay failed to raise the marketing capital required to launch the service on a nationwide basis in the recession, all of the AirPlay intellectual property, including pending patents and software was acquired by WinView, Inc.
WinView, Inc.
WinView, Inc. is a Silicon Valley and New York based company that provides the nation's leading live In-Play sports prediction mobile platform. The platform is focused on paid entry, mobile two-screen synchronized televised sports games of skill in the U.S. The Company is leveraging 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 Games app is an end-to-end two-screen TV synchronization platform for both television programming and commercials. The paid entry, skill-based 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 all 50 states, and paid entry games are legal in 36 states. The Company launched its Alpha test in 2015, Beta test in 2016 and Paid Entry games in 2017. As of January 2020, the Company has raised $30 million to develop and market the only platform offering real time two-screen games of skill in the U.S. The Company's business segments are fully protected by 76 foundational patents granted to Lockton and assigned to WinView. For more information, please visit www.winviewgames.com.
Arizona Colorado Land & Cattle Company (Amex:AZL)
Co-Founder, Director 1965 – 1975
AZL was the largest integrated cattle/feeding/land company in the US. Subsequently, acquired by a Canadian conglomerate. Purchased with four partners a bankrupt cattle company and grew to $120 million in sales and $8.5 million in after-tax profits in five years. It was sold to Tosco Corporation.[8]
Laister Sail Planes, Inc.
Chairman of the Board 1972 – 1975
Laister was a sailplane manufacturer using advanced techniques in epoxy-bonded metal wing construction invented by Jack Laister, whose gliders were widely used in World War II. Laister built the first and only US manufactured glider to ever win the North American Standard Class Soaring Championship.
Lockton was a founding investor, director in the purchase of Rytex by Richard Morris, which became the largest thermal-engraved personal stationery company in the United States at the time.
Patents
At Interactive Network, AirPlay and WinView, Lockton has been granted 100 patents. These patents issued since 2011 are considered "Foundational" to both the technical requirements to synchronize the mobile second-screen with the TV picture to monetize the entertainment content and the commercials. The patents also cover the methods of monetizing games of skill and chance, based on televised sports, including a family of patents that cover separate contests with friends and games of skill for cash, including some major elements of Daily Fantasy Leagues.
Related Research Articles
DISH Network L.L.C., a subsidiary of EchoStar, provides multichannel television and satellite television via Dish Network, mobile phone service via Dish Wireless, Boost Mobile, and Boost Infinite, as well as over-the-top IPTV services via Sling TV.
Vidéotron is a Canadian integrated telecommunications company active in cable television, interactive multimedia development, video on demand, cable telephony, wireless communication and Internet access services. Owned by Quebecor, it primarily serves Quebec and Ottawa, as well as the Francophone communities of New Brunswick and some parts of Eastern Ontario. Its principal competitors are Bell Canada and Telus Communications.
Tet is a Latvian internet service provider, telecommunications, technology and entertainment company. It has also been an electricity service provider since 2017.
Ontario Motor Speedway was a motorsport venue located in Ontario, California. It was the first and only automobile racing facility built to accommodate major races sanctioned by all of the four dominant racing sanctioning bodies: USAC for open-wheel oval car races; NASCAR for a 500-mile (800 km) oval stock car races; NHRA for drag races; and FIA for Formula One road course races. Additionally, several motorcycle races were held at the track. Constructed in less than two years, the track opened in August 1970 and was considered state of the art at the time.
Liberty Global plc is a multinational telecommunications company with headquarters in London, Amsterdam and Denver. Its respective legal names are Liberty Global Plc, Liberty Global B.V. and Liberty Global, Inc., with the first of these being publicly traded. It was formed in 2005 by the merger of the international arm of Liberty Media and UnitedGlobalCom (UGC).
WRTV is a television station in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. The station's studios are located on Meridian Street north of downtown Indianapolis, and its transmitter is located on the city's northwest side near Meridian Hills, Indiana.
MLB Advanced Media, L.P. (MLBAM) is a limited partnership of the club owners of Major League Baseball (MLB) based in New York City and is the Internet and interactive branch of the league.
Mobile phone content advertising is the promotion of ring tones, games and other mobile phone services. Such services are usually subscription-based and use the short message service (SMS) system to join up to them. Another method is broadcasting messages to the mobile phone's idle-screen, enabling the mobile operators or advertisers to reach millions in real-time. The advertising and sale of ring tones in particular has seen a massive growth in recent years, with some commercial breaks, particularly on music television channels and in motor racing, being dominated by such adverts. Advertising in newspapers and magazines has also become popular.
The Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards, or Technology and Engineering Emmys, are one of two sets of Emmy Awards that are presented for outstanding achievement in engineering development in the television industry. The Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards are presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), while the separate Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards are given by its sister organization the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS).
Paul Page is an American motorsports broadcaster who is best known for serving as the play-by-play commentator for the Indianapolis 500 for a total of 27 years across radio and television. Page was the radio Voice of the 500 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network from 1977 to 1987, and again from 2014 to 2015. He served the same role on television in 1988–1998 & 2002–2004.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, is an in-house radio syndication arrangement which broadcasts the Indianapolis 500, the NTT IndyCar Series, and Indy Lights to radio stations covering most of North America. The network, owned by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and headquartered in Speedway, Indiana, claims to be one of the largest of its kind in the world. It currently boasts over 350 terrestrial radio affiliates, plus shortwave transmissions through American Forces Network and World Harvest Radio. The network is carried on satellite radio through SiriusXM, and is also accessible through online streaming, and downloadable podcasts. For 2017, the broadcast reached 20.5 million listeners.
Robert Francis Jenkins was an American television and radio sports announcer, primarily calling Indy car and NASCAR telecasts for ESPN/ABC and later Versus/NBCSN. Jenkins was the radio "Voice of the Indianapolis 500" on the IMS Radio Network from 1990 to 1998, then held the same role on ABC Sports television from 1999 to 2001.
Martin Reid "Marty" Klingeman, known professionally as Marty Reid, is an American television sportscaster who worked for ESPN from 1982 to 2013, covering motorsports for the network. Reid served as the network's lead IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500 announcer from 2006 until that year, and did lap-by-lap for ESPN's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series telecasts in 2010.
NASCAR on CBS was the branding formerly used for broadcasts of NASCAR series races produced by CBS Sports, the sports division of the CBS television network in the United States from 1960 to 2000.
GMA New Media, Inc. is the digital media and technology arm of GMA Network, Inc. which offers interactive applications in the television, mobile, web, marketing and online gaming industry, and produces video and livestream content for social media. Its headquarters are located at the 2nd and 12th floor of the GMA Network Center in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.
A second screen involves the use of a computing device to provide a different viewing experience for content on another device.
IndyCar Series on NBC is the blanket title used for telecasts of IndyCar Series racing produced by NBC Sports.
Adam Alexander is a television announcer with Fox Sports. He currently is the play-by-play announcer for Fox's NASCAR Xfinity Series coverage and a host of NASCAR Race Hub. He previously was the play-by-play for NASCAR on TNT from 2010 to 2014 and prior to that was a pit reporter for TNT, NASCAR on Speed and Motor Racing Network. He also has called college football and college basketball games for Fox.
SMT is a business that specializes in graphics for broadcasts, webcasts and live events in sports and entertainment. They were the first company to employ real-time scoring and wireless data systems on television. SMT’s customers include broadcasting television networks, regional and specialty networks and sports governing bodies. In 2012 it acquired IDS as a division of the company to provide scoring, results and statistics on-site for live events. In 2016, SMT acquired Chicago-based rival Sportvision.
Optimum is an American telecommunications brand owned and operated by Altice USA. It is the fourth largest cable provider in the United States and a Fortune 500 company. Optimum offers Internet, television, mobile and home phone serving in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Long Island and New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia.
↑ "LEGENDS IN RACING". American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association. American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association, Inc. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
