Twitter kicks off live sports streaming with Wimbledon
Twitter paid a reported $10 million for the rights to live stream NFL broadcasts, and now we have an idea as to what that will look like. The social network is now livecasting its first live sports event, Wimbledon, using an ESPN feed. The company emphasized, however, that it’s using the world’s most popular tennis tournament as a trial run. “This livestream is an extremely early and incomplete test experience, and we’ll be making lots of improvements before we launch it in its final form,” the company said in a statement to Recode.
That said, the quality of the stream looks good, as several Twitter users have observed (a frame grab is shown above). For now, though, it’s just a basic feed accompanied by the #Wimbledon Twitter stream. While Twitter intends to sell ads for its NFL livestreams, there are no signs of them for Wimbledon, either in the video or feed beside it. The stream doesn’t appear to be geolocked for now, either, because it’s working fine for me here in France.
Live @ Wimbledon – Day 9. Watch LIVE now: https://t.co/JI7WEdvcQQ … #Wimbledon
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 6, 2016
Twitter hasn’t said how much its paying Wimbledon or ESPN to broadcast the feed. While it’s an unusual place to catch sports, folks love to tweet during sporting events and even shows like Game of Thrones, so it makes some sense to have the video in the same place. Anyway, the social network needs to try different things, because despite having hundreds of millions of users, it’s still losing money.
Source: Twitter
Pro Football Hall of Fame brings in holographic coaches
Think visiting a sports hall of fame involves little more than looking at athletes’ relics? The Pro Football Hall of Fame wants to liven things up a bit. It’s introducing the A Game for Life exhibit, where holographic versions (sadly, not likely true holograms) of famous figures like Joe Namath and Vince Lombardi will deliver pep talks and convey just how hard it is to make the Hall of Fame. This isn’t just a glorified slideshow, either. The exhibition theater uses 15 projectors and 360-degree audio to give the NFL veterans more of a presence, and Rudy screenwriter Angelo Pizzo helped produce the script.
You’ll have to book a trip to Canton, Ohio to see the exhibit when it launches in mid-July. Thankfully, however, it’s included with the usual admission fee ($24 for adults). You probably wouldn’t want to go just to see these holographic coaches and players, but they may tip the balance if you were already toying with the idea of paying tribute to football history. And look at it this way: in some ways, they’ll be more engaging than virtual singers on a distant stage.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Pro Football Hall of Fame (YouTube)
AP now automates news for most minor league baseball games
The Associated Press announced plans to automate financial stories back in 2014, and last year the media outlet started doing the same for college sports. Expanding its partnership with Automated Insights, the AP will now generate coverage for nearly every minor league baseball team. This is an expansion of existing bot-powered sports writing as it will now handle game storylines for 142 teams in 13 leagues. To put it another way, every Triple-A, Double-A and Single-A team is included with only Rookie Leagues left out.
The automated game stories will be available for every team in those classifications. They’ll also get posted to each team’s site and the MiLB’s web home. The AP’s human baseball writers worked with Automated Insights to ensure that the coverage is in line with the media company’s “news judgment and standards.” It’s easy to see the benefit for modest news staffs in smaller markets that are home to Single-A teams, and on the whole, the move into more baseball coverage provides more local coverage — during baseball season, at least.
NFL legend Jim Brown settles ‘Madden’ lawsuit with EA
Nearly eight years after Jim Brown sued EA over the use of his likeness in Madden 09, the two parties are finally settling the case. According to Hagens Berman, the law firm that represents the legendary NFL running back, Brown, 80, will receive a $600,000 compensation from the video game maker in exchange for a dismissal and release of his claims. Back in 2008 the former Cleveland Browns player said EA had asked to feature him in the popular football franchise, but he declined the request.
As a result, he claimed, the developer and publisher opted to create a Madden character resembling his height, skin color, weight and skills. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2009 by a US District Judge in California, who ruled EA was protected by First Amendment rights. But, in 2010, Brown’s legal team appealed that decision in the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals. The wait seems to have paid off, especially when, according to ESPN, EA pays less than 500,000 to Madden cover athletes.
“I took a stand for all athletes and laid a framework for future plaintiffs with my great legal team,” Brown said in a statement on Monday. “Hopefully, this is a step forward in getting companies like Electronic Arts to recognize the value that athletes have in selling their products.”
Via: ESPN
Source: Hagens Berman
‘Football Fan Shirt’ uses haptics to help you feel the big match
If you’re already a huge fan of football (aka soccer) and wish you could feel those sweet victories and bitter defeats, Wearable Experiments thinks it can help. Just in time for the Euro 2016 tournament, it’s showing off an international version of its smartphone-connected Football Fan Shirt that sends haptic vibrations to your torso whenever there’s a big play by a team you follow. You’ll savor goals that much more, of course, but the clothing can also register everything from tackles to the dreaded red card.
There’s no mention of how readily available the shirt will be or how much it’ll cost if it goes on sale. However, it’s reasonable to say that this is more of a special occasion wearable than something you’d want to wear around town — you probably don’t want to explain why you’re vibrating when you’re getting a drink with friends.
Source: Wearable Experiments
Recommended Reading: Why is ‘Orange Is the New Black’ so good?
‘Orange Is the New
Black’ is Netflix’s
only great drama
Alison Herman,
The Ringer
The fourth season of the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black starts streaming this weekend, and if you haven’t watched your first episode yet, now’s the time to catch up. The show is widely regarded as the best on the streaming service, or at least the best drama in the library. Alison Herman from The Ringer discusses that latter point and why Netflix’s other dramas just don’t stack up.
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Apple’s brain trust — Iovine, Reznor, Cue and Kondrk — on streaming’s new world order and why ‘we all should be’ worried The rumored Apple Music redesign was revealed at WWDC this week, but the folks behind the service had some things to say about music streaming as a whole. |
Replay Revolution: How to remove human error from officiating There have been a number of blown calls in this year’s NBA playoffs. NFL officials make their fair share of mistakes as well. However, 360-degree replay angles could help, and the tech might not be that far off. |
Recommended Reading: The Golden State Warriors’ tech training
Golden State Warriors
use tech to their
on-court advantage
Terry Collins,
CNET
The Golden State Warriors set an NBA single-season record this year with 73 wins and are currently facing the Cleveland Cavaliers for the championship. Part of the reason for that success can likely be attributed the team’s use of tech to track player performance and physical activity. CNET has the story on all the gadgetry and how the Warriors are using it to ensure they continue their winning ways.
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The trailers for ‘Ghostbusters’ (2016) and the art of editing comedy Trailers for the new Ghostbusters movie are edited differently based on location and other factors. As it turns out, small tweaks make a big difference. |
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FIFA will test in-game video replays next year
It took FIFA, soccer’s governing body, years to bring goal-line technology into the sport. And even now that the system is approved, there are only a few leagues world taking advantage of it. Still, that decision showed the organization’s willingness to evolve and keep up with other sports. Today FIFA, along with the International Football Association Board (which sets the rules for soccer), is taking another step forward by approving tests of video replays to review controversial plays during matches.
According to IFAB, that includes helping referees with “game-changing” decisions such as penalty calls, direct red card incidents and, of course, goals. While trials are expected to begin early next year, FIFA and IFAB won’t decide if the Video Assistant Referees (VARs) system will be a permanent fixture until 2018 or 2019. What’s more, as part of the wider testing, live experiments are going to be conducted around the world.
Major League Soccer will participate in these tests (its wish came true), as is the case for Germany’s Bundesliga, Austria’s Hyundai A-League and several competitions under the Brazilian, Dutch and Portuguese football federations. Not a bad start.
Source: IFAB, MLS
NBC will air the 2016 Rio Olympics in 4K, HDR and Atmos
NBC has announced that it will make content from this year’s Olympic Games available to carriers in 4K and HDR, however there’s one little catch. In a setup that will seem familiar for early HDTV adopters who still can’t get Sony’s “we brought chips… and salsa!” ad out of their heads 12 years later*, 4K UHD footage of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, swimming, track and field, basketball, the men’s soccer final, and judo is coming home on 24 hour tape delay. NBC will provide a downconverted version of the 8K feed Olympic Broadcasting Services and Japan’s NHK are experimenting with, to 4K, and present it in HDR with Dolby Atmos surround sound audio. According to NBC Sports president Gary Zenkel, “The Olympics have been a consistent driver of technological advancements, and Rio will be no different.”
Of course, the big question — for those properly equipped with a 4K TV set — is will your provider actually make the content available from NBC? We haven’t received official confirmations yet, but with DirecTV broadcasting live 4K channels and Dish pushing Ultra HD to its latest TV boxes those seem like good candidates right off the bat. Multichannel News points out that Comcast has said it will begin distributing an HDR-ready Xi5 box by July, and has plans for a 4K-ready Xi6 set-top.
The 2016 Rio Olympics will start on August 5th, so you’ve got until August 6th to get your home theater setup together — or find a friend who does.
*NBC broadcast the 2004 Olympics in HD on 24 hour tape delay, however because of a mix-up, one Sony Wega ad played repeatedly all week, earning the ire of early high definition adopters who tuned in to the channel. It feature a schlub named Todd, watching sports in high definition who looked out his window to find a mass of people asking to come up and join him. The tag line was when the crowd exclaimed “We brought chips,” followed by a single voice saying “…and salsa. It echoes in my nightmares to this day.
Source: NBC Sports
The US Olympic cycling team is training with smart glasses
When the US cycling team heads to the Olympics in Rio this summer, it’ll have an ace up its sleeve: training with smart glasses. Solos has worked with the team to create augmented reality glasses that show vital data in mid-ride (such as cadence and heart rate), making it ideal for athletes looking to push themselves a little harder. It talks to common cycling apps, too, such as MapMyRide, Strava and TrainingPeaks. However, the best part may be the availability — Solos is running a crowdfunding campaign to get everyday cyclists using the eyewear.
As I write this, you can pledge $250 (normally $400) to get the glasses as soon as they ship in October. You might want to act quickly if you like the idea of having Olympian-approved biking data always within sight, mind you. The glasses will normally sell for $500, which is a lot to ask unless you spend most of your days racing on two wheels.
Source: Kickstarter, Solos
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