This week's inaugural Cynopsis Sports Summit in NYC featured an all-star panel line-up. Here's my highlight reel:
NASCAR Keynote speaker CMO Steve Phelps outlined the company's recent strategic transformation:
1. Strategic reviews identified a key challenge: new (read younger) fans were not "inheriting" the older generation's loyalty to NASCAR. Making big investments in digital and social media as one strategy to address.
2. Realized fans at tracks were less plugged in to the race than those at home. So installing fiber at tracks so fans can engage more fully during the race (e.g., get data pushed from individual cars).
State of the Sports Industry Panel with sports execs from CBS, Turner, NBC, Fox and Univision on why sports is so hot - and expensive:
3. Fans want to watch it live to avoid hearing sports scores via social media. Advertiser value live viewing. Think "DVR" proof.
4. Social media buzz drives huge awareness of programming.
5. iTV engagement opportunities (social media and stats) are a natural fit for sports, "the original reality programming".
6. Penetration of HD sets makes it great to watch at home.
7. While TV Everywhere means never having to miss a game.
Using Digital Content to Drive Audiences with media strategy execs from ESPN, NFL, Turner, NBC and Yahoo!:
8. Turner / CBS college basketball partnership exceeded expectations. Live streaming app for the first time charged $3.99 (see my blog 3 Points on March Madness) and introduced authentication so saw "modestly fewer viewers" but those viewers watched more across more platforms. Tablet + mobile streaming consumption equaled laptop (vs. one-third of usage LY).
9. ESPN remains enthusiastic about its Watch ESPN app but acknowledged that a substantially smaller number than the 8mm who downloaded actually authenticated. "No one knows what their cable provider user name and password is." Agreed, as I pointed out in my US Open Tennis blog.
10. NFL championed Fantasy Football as one of the original social media platforms and a key driver for getting fans to watch games they wouldn't otherwise tune in to.
I'll cover the afternoon sessions in an upcoming blog and include some key points on t-commerce.
Will Keller, President, Interactive TV Commerce, is the go-to expert for t-commerce sales strategy and execution. For more iTV insights, subscribe to Inside the Screen or follow him @iTVcommerce.
iTV Can Win Points with Sports Fans
Targeting engaged viewers? Sports fans are your bull's-eye. So given this home field advantage, why aren’t we seeing more true two-way interactivity when it comes to sporting events? Let’s take the 2011 US Open tennis tournament as an example.
Multiple Channels is Interactive Lite
DirecTV with ESPN and the Tennis Channel are providing early-round match coverage to subscribers free of charge. Viewers can watch six live matches on the US Open Mix Channel (701) and select any to watch in full-screen mode. They can “interact” via the red button to see scores, schedules and draw info.
Given the technical limitations on two-way interactivity with satellite providers, I understand why stepping up to truly interactive experiences, such as polls, is challenging. But what a great opportunity for a dual screen campaign. Get your fans engaged via polls, trivia contests and social media conversations, key components of interactive television marketing strategy.
Note that AT&T recently announced that it will be rolling out a similar multi-screen viewing experience for tennis fans.
Let’s Go to the Second Screen
ESPN does take advantage of second screens for distribution. Per the network, “All of ESPN2’s telecasts are also available online through ESPNnetworks.com, and on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app.” The WatchESPN app [Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks or Verizon FiOS TV] can be a little difficult to set up, but I’ve found it easy to use once it's running, and terrific for fans who aren't satisfied with single-screen coverage. In addition, ESPN Mobile TV will carry 65 hours of live coverage.
The court is covered in terms of ways to watch. In terms of interactivity, viewers can get a more robust second screen experience with the US Open’s On the Go app (iPhone, Android, mobile site) that provides viewers with:
- LIVE Scores and completed match results
- Latest News updates throughout the tournament
- Around Me for those attending the matches to find the nearest live matches, concessions, or the next train home
- USOpen.org Radio live streaming play-by-play Open coverage
- On Demand Video around the grounds, insider player profiles
- Tweets from the US Open official Twitter coverage
- Visiting the Open featuring maps of the grounds and other great spectator info
The US Open will also update fans via text message on match start times, final scores, etc. for the players a fan checks off on the Open site.
Who Finally Scores?
US Open got some game on with its Bracket Challenge on the Open website. Fans accumulate points by selecting the winners of each match in a bracket format. Grand Prize winners get a trip for two to the 2012 US Open. It’s a page right out of my earlier blog on incorporating gaming elements into interactive campaigns.
And ESPN is blogging and tweeting about the Open, but it's up to fans to search that interactivity out on ESPN.com or via Twitter.
All in all, it looks like it won’t be until 2012 or beyond that the US Open and fans get to hit across the net at each other with iTV campaigns synced to live matches. As a two-week event with enthusiastic fans, the Open is full of opportunity for additional interactive television elements.
Meanwhile, I’ll be watching the US Open and updating my bracket. I’ll update this blog if I encounter additional interactive elements. Feel free to post comments with your iTV Open experiences.
Will Keller, President, Interactive TV Commerce, is the go-to expert for t-commerce sales strategy and execution. For more iTV insights, subscribe to Inside the Screen or follow him @iTVcommerce.