Prior to the launch of the SEC Network, I was asked by our Chief Product Officer to participate in a brainstorming session with some ESPN guys that were coming down from Bristol to talk about some interesting ways to really enhance the viewership experience on the streaming and tablet side of things. I was asked to propose some potential groundbreaking ideas and here is what I proposed:

1. Give the user the ability to select which camera angle that they want to view during the game. They can select any camera coming from the game feed and they may also have split screen or multi-screen availability. If the user wants to see the all-22 angledone. If they want to see the camera trained on the cheerleadersdone.

2. Give the user the ability to bring in the radio feed from either team. I told the ESPN geeks that here in Georgia, the Bulldog fans would have wanted to trade a first born child in order to listen to Larry Munson call a game with the TV feed. I told them if I could listen to Bill Roth (he was still on the job at the time of this meeting) I would be a very happy man, especially during the ESPNU telecasts that feature the JV team of announcers.

3. Bring in the stadium jumbotron feed as a video option to help really experience the game like you were actually sitting there.

4. Keep a twitter feed going that relates specifically to the game along side the video. This can show the real time reactions to things going on to enhance the communal experience.

Now, the joke was that some of these innovations were not possible at the time but were also not far off either. Following that conversation, ESPN started providing a stream of the Spider cam for big games through Watch ESPN. Personally, I like to take credit for that idea. :)

So when you ask about the value of the streaming product, have these ideas in mind and think about how the fan interaction with the product can be enhanced in ways that previously were unimaginable. The advancements that are coming in the future will be far more interesting than what the linear delivery will ever be able to provide.



[Post edited by CobbCountyHokie at 07/19/2016 3:49PM]