Live NBA Coming to the iPad

At the paidContent Mobile conference on Tuesday, NBA Digital Senior Vice President and General Manager Brian Perez announced that Apple’s iPad will begin streaming live NBA games beginning this fall. Few specifics have been released to this point, but Perez said the NBA needed to move quickly into the realm of mobile media to stay in line with fan interest.

“This (mobile growth) is happening so quickly, we needed to test as many business models and pricepoints as possible—free app, paid app, team app—every single team across three platforms [iPhone, Android, Blackberry],” he said. “We’ve gained a lot of knowledge. So you’ll see us rationalize those platforms, create a bit more elegance and bring all that learning together. We’ll still maintain some form of team branding because people are fans of the team first.”

Though the NBA began utilizing apps to stream live games in October 2009, the league’s approach was marked by a “wide array” of of options, including packages, ala carte premiums, and lite modes (i.e. highlights, updates, scores). This fractured strategy led to confusion not only among fans, but also service providers and mobile devices. Perez’s announcement on Tuesday solidifies the league’s commitment for a fully integrated and seamless option for mobile web users and puts the NBA firmly beside both the MLB and NHL in terms of media advancement.

The announcement comes as little surprise to iPad users and the mobile world. In a time when we’ve come full circle — that is, the need for larger screens on more mobile devices — leagues are now reaping the benefits for patiently waiting out the technological wave and not fully surrendering to the handheld craze that began almost a decade ago (ESPN Mobile missed that mark). It’s only a matter of time before Apple fully integrates themselves into the linear media market, using the iPad as the next integrated remote. Olympics? World Cup? Just wait.

PODCAST: How to Find Success Through Viral Marketing

This month’s podcast features top strategies and tips on how to create successful viral marketing initiatives and the importance of connecting these ventures to your brand identity.

Length – 5:18

NHL.com Scores with Facebook

Over the past year, the National Hockey League has taken significant strides in spreading their digital content and expanding their social media involvement. The latest move allows Facebook members to use their log-in information at NHL.com to access exclusive content and media—all of which they can then share and comment on with friends and other users.

The new initiative is part of the NHL’s “hockey marketplace” strategy, aimed at spreading digital media to popular social networking sites such as Hulu, YouTube, MySpace, The Hockey News, Bleacher Report, and Yard Barker, to name a few. The next logical step for the league was to incorporate a third-party platform into its own site. Now, all stories, profiles, and game notes are accompanied by a ‘Like’ button, in which users can express and connect their affinity with others.

“The philosophy behind it is that when a brand incorporates functionality like this, it both drives engagement on their sites and also builds their Facebook following,” says NHL Senor Director of Digital Business Development Alex Simon. “We know a lot of our fans consume content on platforms other than NHL.com, so the next step was to speak to them on sites they were using rather than waiting for them to come to us by building up NHL fan pages on sites like Facebook and Twitter. But if phase one and two is really us speaking to fans—one to many—phase three is a ‘many to many’ type model: not just us communicating to them, but our fans advocating for us to their friends.”

Like other sports entities across the spectrum, the NHL is constantly looking for new and better ways to integrate and expand their fan base, especially through their primary web site. Increased revenue through merchandising and sponsorship are just a few of the advantages to these low-cost initiatives. Unlike the other major American sports leagues, however, the NHL is struggling to maintain its market share in an ever-expanding competitive environment. Add to that the general financial problems of the league itself and it is evident why the NHL might be willing to do anything to bolster its new media presence.

Live Game Stats for Little League?

Last week, CNBC’s Sports Business Reporter Darren Rovell reported on the revolutionary new iPhone app and online game tracker, GameChanger. Launched in January, GameChanger gives users the ability to follow any type of baseball or softball game live, whether its your hometown high school team or your son’s little league squad. Using the GameChanger scorekeeper app, a team representative uploads all the game statistics through a consumer-friendly interface. Those live game stats are then filtered to the GameChanger server where users can watch live via their own iPhone or a simple web browser. Ultimately, any team can set up an account for free and begin streaming their game updates immediately.

“We’ll have everything you see at the major league level, immediate calculations of batting average and on-base percentage. We’ll also have advanced post-game and full season stats,” co-founder Ken Sullivan told CNBC. “If your stuck on Wall Street and you can’t get to your kid’s game, it’s like a savior. It doesn’t replace being at the game of course, but it’s nice when you can get a text alert to your phone saying that your kid is standing on second base, having just hit a double.”

GameChanger is designed by Fungo Media, Inc. and is led by Sullivan, who played briefly in the Cleveland Indian’s minor league system and went on to receive an MBA from Harvard University. The technology has been featured in Gizmodo, PCWorld, The Los Angeles Times, Forbes, and Mediaweek, and also won the 2010 Best in Show award from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). Currently, all aspects of GameChanger are free, but Rovell reports that a premium statistics tracker will be available soon, costing between $8-$12 per month.

GameChanger exemplifies the potential of the new media industry. The increase and advancement of technology won’t just be seen on the collegiate and professional levels. Its true impact will be found in the home, on the personal laptop, and now in the dugout of the community field.

Fox Gears its Coverage into ‘Overdrive’

Last Friday’s NASCAR sprint at Phoenix International Raceway saw the return of Denny Hamlin only ten days after intensive knee surgery, a major gaffe by Kyle Busch during a caution, and the first win of the 2010 season by Ryan Newman. Unfortunately, fans tuning into Fox found very little reaction and post-race coverage following the 3 hour, 48 minute event. Going a full 50 minutes past its broadcast allotment, the network aired only a few minutes of interviews and analysis after the race, yet still ran two commercial breaks totaling nearly seven minutes. After a considerable amount of fan complaints—Friday’s Subway Fresh Fit 600 wasn’t the first time the network was forced to cut its coverage—Fox took the cue and turned to new media for a solution.

The Overdrive on FoxSports.com will be launched today immediately following this afternoon’s Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, allowing fans extended access of post-race analysis and driver interviews. Fox will commit their entire nine-person broadcast team to the new venture.

“It’s something we should have been doing all along,” Fox Sports Senior Producer Bill Brown told The Associated Press. “It’s definitely a can’t lose, especially when you take into account what the audience wants to see. We are trying to take care of an audience that has invested four hours into the race, wants more, and we can give them more.”

The move marks a refreshing, but not entirely new strategy for the network. Though sometimes a bit antiquated in commentary and more than a little over-the-top in coverage, Fox has been an industry leader in connecting their multiple media platforms through social technology. Award-winning scoring bugs and on-screen graphics, an early adoption of high-definition programming, a successful chain of regional sports networks, and online initiatives steeped in new media technology are only a few enhancements that the network has provided over the years.

On a broader level, the idea of moving post-game analysis to an online forum is not only more liberating in terms of content and programming, but also much more cost efficient. An hour or so of online coverage is dwarfed significantly by that of an equal television block, not to mention considerably less costs on advertising and production. What it also continues to accomplish is the gradual shift from one-way television viewing to the exchanged discourse of online participation. Ultimately, more access with more athletes means higher ratings, increased web traffic, and much more loyal viewers.

A word to the wise though: just don’t bring back the glowing puck strategic disaster of FoxTrax.

Octagon Finds Revenue Streams in Twitter

Twitter and Facebook have long been criticized by marketing industry executives for the lack of monetization associated with the social media platforms, citing issues such as the tangibility of return and the misrepresentation of target demographics. Though the difficulty associated with capturing revenue streams in these media is well documented, many organizations have taken significant steps in transforming the subjective technology into objective results.

Octagon Digital, the new media arm of the marketing megafirm Octagon, has launched FanWaves.com, a new option for advertisers and publishers to fully monetize Twitter without significantly affecting the primary content. FanWaves inserts a banner ad on top of sites linked from the Twitter feeds of participating clients. So far, that list includes the New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns, as well as NBA stars Rudy Gay, Chris Paul, and Stephen Curry.

Publishers are given the opportunity to utilize sponsors and more efficiently expand their brand. Advertisers can now tap into the Twitter platform and substantially increase their market accessibility. Though FanWaves website claims the product is non-intrusive, permission-based, cost-efficient, and viral, its true impact has yet to be seen.

“What we’re after is a large-scale, Twitter-based ad network, specifically for sports,” Octagon Digital VP Jim DeLorenzo told Sports Business Daily. “Since these are only on the linked pages of people and brands being followed on Twitter, we believe there is both really strong reach, and higher-than normal engagement and click-throughs.”

It is only a matter of time before the connection between new media and sports marketing fully blossoms into a fully integrated and central focus of industry organizations. Octagon Digital and FanWaves is one step closer to that goal.

VODCAST: Sports, Now in 3-D

3-D television has arrived and sports programming will be the first to find your living room. Ryan Pierce provides the first glimpse at what to expect from the new technology.

For low-bandwidth version, click here.

Length – 3:27

The Next Generation of Online Sports Ticketing

The recent universal acceptance of online sports ticket brokers by both professional leagues, the NCAA, and fans has led to a substantial increase in both the number of sites and the technology associated with them. Though organizations like StubHub and Ticket Master have significant control over the market due to exclusive rights with many sports properties, other independent brokers have gained notoriety with cheaper prices, less fees, and more easily navigable layouts.

SeatGeek, for example, provides a revolutionary platform that actually forecasts ticket prices using an algorithm based on historical transactions, the success of the teams and players participating in the event, the venue, and even the weather. SeatGeek than suggests the best deal available and whether to purchase the tickets at the present time or wait until a defined period. Advertising an 85% accuracy rating, the site has been featured in publications such as TechCrunch, CNET, Fast Company, and the Los Angeles Times.

Seats 3D (click for larger view)

Other organizations are taking a different approach. Rather than compete with box offices and larger brokers, companies like Ballena Technologies are developing cutting-edge systems to supplement already existing sites. Ballena’s Seats3D provides “sports venue 3D visualization” outsourcing to clients from nearly all professional and collegiate leagues. The technology allows customers to access the visual perspective of any seats in the venue of interest. Whether it’s the view from the giant Coca-Cola bottle in San Francisco’s AT&T Park or the panorama from the midcourt at Indiana University’s Assembly Hall, Seats3D provides an integral service to those fans looking for the most complete and direct ticket purchasing process.

Mobile ticketing options are also making a major impact on the sports industry. Tickets.com and its 16 MLB clients will implement the ProVenueMobile wireless ticketing process for the 2010 season, allowing fans to search, select, and buy tickets as well as scan their purchase via paperless entry into the venue—all with a simple smartphone device. The move comes after the highly successful debut between the company and the Oakland Athletics during last year’s campaign. And sports tickets are only the tip of the iceberg. A recent article in The Independent claims that more than 15 billion tickets will be delivered via mobile phone worldwide by 2014, primarily in entertainment events and public transportation.

But what does this really mean for the fan? The combination of increasing competition in the ticketing industry with the integral advancement of related technology means buying tickets will be easier, faster, and cheaper than ever before. Critics of the movement also say that it yields more unfavorable outcomes, such as difficulties in consumer-to-consumer resale, the loss of hard copy ticket souvenirs, and potential security issues. Like all evolving systems, though, these problems will soon be replaced by solutions and the sports industry will never look back.

Sports and the iPad

The iPad has officially arrived. After months of expectations, reviews, and postulations, Apple officially released the iPad to the world on Saturday and the company reports that 300,000 units were sold on the first day alone.  The laptop impersonator/electronic reader/music player/movie viewer has taken the technology world by storm ever since Apple CEO Steve Jobs revealed the device nearly ten weeks ago.

Though many skeptics feel that the iPad’s everyday use might be a bit overstated, there is little doubt that its impact will be quite significant. In fact, its official launch on Saturday has again prompted many to wonder about the death of traditional media, including newspapers and magazines. One of the primary topics included in this debate is that of sports coverage and specifically its transition to the digital medium over the past few decades.

League-sponsored applications like At Bat 2010 and NBA Game Time: Courtside allow fans to experience games in real-time. The NHL has repurposed its own website, nhl.com, for iPad compatibility. News organizations, such as The Sporting News, have also officially announced new versions of their publications soon to be found on the device. Though consumers still need the television medium to consume games in their purest live format, the next best thing on the iPad has all but obliterated the need for anything else, especially those defined by rigid formats and cumbersome publishing times.

Though some media purists like Rupert Murdoch claim newspapers aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, it seems that the second phase of digital media is now upon us. Defined by universal access, portability, and new media standards, the iPad might represent the first note of the newspaper swan song.

Even the Nets are Winning in the New Media Game…

New Jersey Nets CEO Brett Yormark

The New Jersey Nets are putting together quite a winning streak. After winning three of their last four contests, the Nets have successfully avoided the tag of the “Worst Team in NBA History,” leaving that distinction to the 1972-1973 Philadelphia 76ers. The Nets are also putting together an impressive new media resume off the court—at least in terms of their damage control.

At noon today, njnets.com will be streaming a live “Brown Bag Lunch Summit” with Nets Sport and Entertainment President & CEO Brett Yormark and disgruntled basketball fan Chris Lisi to discuss the future of the struggling franchise. Nets radio broadcasters Chris Carrino and Tim Capstraw will also attend.

The meeting comes after a heated exchange between Yormark and Lisi during a Nets loss to the Miami Heat last Monday night. Yormark reportedly approached the Middletown, NJ native—who was wearing a brown paper bag over his head—and began shouting and pointing in his direction. People close to the incident claimed Yormark asked Lisi why he was wearing the bag and Lisi simply responded, “Because the Nets are so good.”

Though Yormark defended his actions the next morning to the local press, it seems that the team’s marketing and public relations department might have stepped in and are trying to turn the negative incident into a positive one, creating a forum where a true fan can actually air his grievances and concern directly with a key decision maker.

As the new media industry continues to grow in the sports world, it is not surprising that team’s utilize its power in a multitude of ways, including that of public relations. Message control, instant feedback, and low cost are just a few of the reasons a strategy like this one can be most appealing to a department executive. Even with all the problems the New Jersey Nets have faced this season—from game play to ownership to the team’s uncertain future—they have found a way to convert a very bad situation into a potentially good one, all with the help of new media.