Are You Ready for Some (Mobile) Football?
We’re nearing the start of football season again, and with large numbers of US consumers owning smartphones and tablets, the time is ripe for a look at NFL mobile offerings. One of our customers, the Kansas City Chiefs, ramped up its mobile presence in 2010 with a new mobile site and new mobile apps. The team’s mobile features include:
- Nearly 2,000 videos, including game highlights, live press conferences, and player interviews
- GPS features for navigating the team’s newly renovated Arrowhead Stadium
- A Connect feature for purchasing tickets or connecting to the Chiefs’ Facebook page
- Seat views for a preview of the field from the seat you purchase
For the video portion of the KC Chiefs’ mobile offerings, the team has chosen to work with the Limelight Video Platform. Our flexible APIs mean we can provide key data around video assets including thumbnail images, clip titles, descriptions, and metadata tags. The Chiefs have used that information to create their own mobile interface, and to offer innovative mobile functionality like customized playlists, and the ability to search within video clips by keyword. In the future, fans will also be able to submit their own videos and photos from watching and attending games.
Not every NFL franchise has the mobile chops of the Kansas City Chiefs, but expect sports teams to continue improving their mobile offerings as consumers grow increasingly dependent on being web-connected around the clock. Meanwhile, here’s what Lance Brown, Manager of Internet and Digital Media with the Chiefs, has to say about his team’s experience taking football to the mobile masses.
“These mobile experiences are unlike any other, and the NFL is incredibly impressed by them. The speed at which the videos have become so popular has far exceeded our expectations and has significantly increased fan engagement. Our fans can now enjoy an interactive game-day experience anytime, anywhere.”
September 12th, 2011 at 6:52 pm
[...] August? There’s a good chance it comes from sports sites and apps updating their content in anticipation of fall football, basketball, and more. It will be interesting to see what this year’s September data brings. [...]