Forget Tiger; The Star Of The Masters Will Be 3D TV

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit the SNY studios on 51st street and check out Comcast’s test footage of the Masters in 3D.

As a 3D TV skeptic, I did not expect to be impressed — or even entertained.  But I was captivated.  And after seeing a side-by-side comparison of the Tournament in HD and 3D, I was sold.

Chad Campbell at the 2009 Masters. Details such as sand flying out of a sand trap come to life on 3D TVs. (Image via TheePochTimes)

After spending an hour and a half watching professional golfers play the Augusta course, I think 3D TV and sports could actually take off.

I wrote a post about it at Business Insider, but here are the highlights of my argument:

• If you are in the market for a new TV in the next few years, you will buy a 3D TV.  This is because “3D TVs” aren’t exclusively 3D — manufacturers are making HD TVs with 3D capability, Comcast Fellow and engineer Mike Francisco told us. Switching from HD to 3D will be as simple as pushing a button, although they will be much more expensive for now.
• While some “active” glasses are battery-powered and as much as $150 a pop, many sets are opting for “passive” technology.  The glasses for these TVs could cost as little as one dollar each, and will be available starting this summer. Plus, they work just as well — if not better.
• 3D TV isn’t like the movies. Things don’t fly out at you and make you feel sick. The Masters in 3D has all of the subtlety of the Masters in HD, but adds depth, angles, and the contours of the course.
• 3D glasses won’t be necessary. 3D technology, sans glasses, is currently in the works, and should be ready for the consumer market within the next five to 10 years.

Go over to Business Insider to read more about the Masters in 3D, and the future of 3D television.

ESPN To Roll Out New York-Exclusive Site

New York is finally catching up to LA, Boston, and Chicago, as ESPNNY.com launches April 2.

The latest edition of ESPN’s string of local sites, ESPNNY.com will feature both exclusive and original content orientated to New York’s major professional, collegiate, and high school sports programs.

ESPNNY.com, launching April 2, will focus exclusively on NY sports (Image via Cris Snider Design)

Highlights and analysis of teams including the Yankees, Knicks, and Giants will be included in the site’s video coverage.  ESPNNewYork SportsCenter, which features the usual SC faces, will be central to the site, framing both exclusive and original NY content from ESPN’s top programs.

So far, ESPN has had great success with its other city-tailored sites.  According to comScore, more than 6.2 million sports fans visited one of the four (Boston, Chicago, L.A., Dallas) sites, spending more than 20.4 million minutes there.

These types of numbers ring true with advertisers, who may be hesitant to pay for space on the web.  So far, StubHub, Anheuser-Busch, and Audi have gotten in on the action, and will appear as charter sponsors for the ESPNNY site.

With their unrivaled brand and pre-established content and distribution streams, ESPN has been able to cater to users in new, cost-effective ways that are already paying off.   According to a release from ESPN, ESPNChicago.com has content syndication deals with The Huffington Post Chicago and with ABC-owned TV station WLS.  ESPNLosAngeles.com also has similar agreements.

March Madness Just Got Even Better

CBSSports.com revamped its NCAA March Madness On Demand video player just in time for the first round of games on March 18.

Like last year, NCAA March Madness on Demand will stream every men’s NCAA championship game from the first round through the finals.

But now, users can also check out screen-in-screen highlights and access a wide range of statistics (including tournament and game leaders in points, assists, rebounds and three-pointers) that will overlay the game they are watching these live streaming games.

CBSSports is making sure you miss none of the March Madness action (image via CBSSports)

Another great feature of the video player is the Boss Button.  The Boss Button hides and mutes your game when pressed to give the appearance that you were not just watching college hoops.  According to a statement released by CBS Sports, it was clicked more than 2.77 million times last year.

Not only are these features great for viewers who can’t access a TV, but they are great for CBS Sports as well.

According to the release,

In 2009, the CBSSports.com production of NCAA March Madness on Demand recorded 7.52 million unique visitors in 2009, a 58% increase over 2008 figures.

Additionally, there were 8.6 million total hours of video and audio consumed, a 75% increase over 2008 figures.

Check out the NCAA March Madness On Demand video player on March 10 to see all of your favorite NCAA tournament highlights and get pumped for this year’s games.

CSN v. ESPN

In response to ESPN’s campaign to launch local sports sites in cities across the country, Comcast is now intensifying its own regional sports coverage.

Unlike ESPN’s web sites, which include ESPNChicago, Boston, and Dallas, Comcast SportsNet’s expanded coverage will not be limited to the Internet.  In addition to reviving its web site, CSNNE.com, the sports media group has also created a live sports news show, SportsNet Central.  The 30-minute Sports Center-esque program will air on their regional sports networks three times a week and will offer in-depth sports analysis, according to a company press release.

The site will feature content from SportsNet network shows, exclusive online video of player and coach interviews, breaking news and analysis, blogs, and game-day email updates, Comcast said.   While sites for Washington, Baltimore, Chicago, and San Francisco are in the works, Boston is already live, due to the strength of the entire New England market.

“Deep New England roots and strong ties to the local sports community enable  to provide original sports coverage around the clock, more local video than any other entity, and exclusive fan experiences with local teams and their players,” said Grilly in a statement.

Comcast SportsNet to Intensify Local Coverage (http://tinyurl.com/yz3zg5f)

Unlike ESPN, which mostly transferred existing resources to the new sites, CSN is pouring in money for optimal local coverage.  It has already built a new newsroom and studio, created 40 jobs in production and reporting, hired a number of new on-air commentators — and that’s just for Boston.

CSN stands to lose far more than ESPN.  ESPN has established itself as the destination for online sports information, and it is toting that brand as it moves in to each individual city.  But what Comcast does have is established regional networks, and if it can successfully channel its viewers to its web sites, it may be the only competition to the worldwide leader in sports.

ESPN Eyeing the Future

ESPN is embracing the shift to the internet, unlike many of its fellow media outlets.  

The Worldwide Leader in Sports is in the midst of a campaign to launch local sports sites in major cities across the country.  ESPN started its pilot site in Chicago on April 13, and it quickly became the city’s top-visited sports website.  ESPNChicago.com logged an unrivaled 1.4 million minutes from 590,000 unique visitors, according to comScore, an Internet measurement company.

The site is a compilation of information on all Chicago sports, delivering real-time scores, top stories, radio, and podcasts from local reporters, columnists, and bloggers.  It focuses not only on the city’ seven professional sports teams, but also on regional colleges and high schools as well.

One of the most popular features of the site is a Chicago-oriented online Sports Center, complete with ESPN SC anchors.

ESPNChicago.com (http://tinyurl.com/loz4hb)

After their success in Chicago, ESPN launched its ESPNBoston.com site yesterday, and recently announced plans to hit Dallas, New York, and Los Angeles within the coming months. 

“Our commitment to expand ESPN’s network of localized sites is a testament to our dedication to serve sports fans and their passion,” said Marc Horine, VP of digital partnerships and sales development/ESPN digital media, to Radio Business Report (http://tinyurl.com/mxfqxg)  “We understand that local sports interests ignite strong passions, and Dallas, New York, and Los Angeles have some of the most storied franchises and fan bases in history.”

ESPN is expecting these dedicated fan bases to serve it well.  And judging from the Chicago site’s popularity, they will.  ESPN’s costs for moving into these markets are minimal; to cut expenses it is building off its local radio stations’ websites and utilizing many of its current contributors – such as Bill Simmons, whose relevant columns will appear on the Boston site. 

Despite this limited investment, however, the new local sites could prove to be a rewarding move for ESPN.  Their unrivaled brand name and technological and financial means to distribute content cannot go unnoticed by potential advertisers. 

So far the Chicago and Boston sites have drawn in a balanced number of local and national advertisers, including StubHub and MillerCoors.  And typical of ESPN’s past sales, “most of the buys have had some type of integrated element, blending some mixture of radio, online display, audio and video insertion, podcasts, and in some cases, on-site activation,” said Eric Fisher in his article in the Sports Business Journal (http://tinyurl.com/my4crl).  “Local subscription offerings and other such premium content elements are not currently in the mix.”

But what is in the mix: new mobile applications.  Sometime this fall ESPN will launch several mobile applications, including a Blackberry version of its

http://tinyurl.com /lgn5vv

MVP service, a fantasy football iPhone application, and an ESPN radio application for both the iPhone and Blackberry, said Fisher in the Sports Business Daily (http://tinyurl.com/lu9upo).  The applications will either be one-time paid downloads or one-time subscription costs. 

“We see this as a major growth area for us, and importantly, people seem more likely to pay for content on mobile than they are for the PC, so that opens up additional opportunities,” said John Zehr, ESPN Senior VP/Digital Media Production, in the Sports Business Daily.

While ESPN has yet to report any earnings from the Chicago site, the sports media company has seemingly discovered a winning combination for their future.  By embracing new technologies and by delivering fans’ favorite content through a number of different streams, ESPN has reaffirmed its position as the Worldwide Leader in Sports for a long time to come.