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Watching Motocross- Lucas Oil Motocross heads to Spring Creek

July 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I was flipping through the channels last night and came across a guy soaring in the air on his dirt bike doing an acrobatic jump that I cannot do in my imagination. The tag line was this weekend is the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships.

This caught my interest. I knew there was a championship(s) in this sports but it got be to wondering how many divisions there were along with a few other questions, so I went and looked. The first thing I learned is that the championships are not this weekend; it is now just past the halfway point of the season.

I knew that there are several different bodies supporting different motocross or derivative events but the Lucas Oil one is sanctioned by the AMA Pro Racing and that is what I am looking at here. There is a 12 race season that started in Hangtown in early May and the final is in Lake Elsinore in September.

Two heats or motos for each event and three categories, the first two broken down by engine type and the third for women. These are the 450 Motocross, the 250 Motocross and the WMV Motocross. The AMA has been holding sanctioned races since 1972.

On top of the leaderboard for the 450 Motocross is Ryan Dungey with a total of 286 points followed by Mike Alessi at 214, Jacob Weimer at 202, Andrew Short at 178 and Broc Tickle in the number five post with 162 points.

In the 250 Motocross class Blake Baggett is the leader at 273 points closely followed by Justin Barcia at 253 and then Eli Tomac at 236 and Ken Roczen at 235 with Marvin Musquin filling out the top five at 189 points. In the WMX Motocross Jessica Patterson is the current leader with 201 points then Tarah Gieger at 192, Ashley Fiolek at 175, Mariana Balbi at 155 and finally Jacqueline Strong at 144.



Broadcasts

This week the racers will compete at Spring Creek MX Park near Rochester, Minn. The course has 250 feet of elevation. There are several broadcast options for viewers including live streaming of the events. The first motos will be run at each track between 1 pm and 3 pm local time and are live on Fuel TV as well as streamed at allisports.com. The second WMX motos will also be live streamed.

The second motos will be broadcast on either NBC or NBC Sports Network and there is also a highlights program as well on NBC Sports Network.

Spring Creek
Sat 7/14 FUELTV 2:00-4:00pm 1st Motos
Sat 7/14 NBC Sports Network 4:00-6:00pm 2nd Motos
Mon 7/23 NBC Sports Network 2:00-4:00pm 2nd Moto Re-Air
Sat 7/21 NBC Sports Network 4:30-5:30pm Highlight Series

If you attend one of these events or have YouTube video of one we would be happy to look at it and possibly share it in a future piece on the sport. This is a new area for us and we are certainly not proclaiming any expertise, but have a growing interest and would be happy to hear from fans.

Filed Under: Live Sports Video Consumption, Motocross, NBC Sports, Outdoor Activities Tagged With:

Adobe, NBC Team Up for Real-Time Olympic Action Apps

July 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

When NBC announced plans to stream every single bit of Olympic action from London this summer, you knew eventually there would be an app for that. Today, NBC and Adobe announced they’ve been working together to create apps for iPhones, iPads, and Android phones and tablets. Here’s a short video blurb to explain:

What is confusing (and will no doubt frustrate many folks) is that there is not one, but TWO apps — one is called NBC Olympics, and one is called NBC Olympics Live Extra. The latter one is the one that’s most interesting. Read here to see what NBC says it does:

The NBC Olympics Live Extra app will live stream every athletic competition for the first time ever. In all, the app will live stream more than 3,500 total programming hours, including every athletic competition, all 32 sports, the awarding of all 302 medals as well as event rewinds. NBC Olympics Live Extra will also live stream the Olympic content that airs on the four NBCU cable channels – NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC and Bravo.

In another first, NBC Olympics Live Extra will provide multiple concurrent streams for select sports, such as gymnastics (each apparatus), track and field (each event), and tennis (up to five courts). For example, during a session of track and field, instead of viewing only a single feed that moves from event to event, a user can choose to watch a stream dedicated to a specific event, such as the long jump or javelin.

Compared to that, the second app sounds like a forgotten orphan:

The second app, simply titled NBC Olympics, will provide short-form highlights, TV and online schedules, live results, columns and the new Primetime Companion feature – the ultimate complementary, second-screen experience for NBC’s nightly primetime Olympic broadcasts.

Well, OK. Maybe it was too hard to put two apps together? But we’re just glad to have the opportunity to watch online, so no more kvetching.

Of course, nothing this good could possibly be free but if you are already a paying customer for a cable contract that includes CNBC and MSNBC, you’re covered. How do you verify mobile devices so that you can watch? Here is a quick list from NBC:

— Download the NBC Olympics Live Extra app
— Open the app
— Tap the “Touch Here & Get Ready” callout
— Select your cable, satellite or telco provider
— Enter the username and password that corresponds with your account
You are signed in throughout the Games on that device!

Plus, NBC has also created an entire Live Extra Help Site page, complete with a video featuring Carson Daly. Why Carson Daly, we are not sure. But he does a very professional teleprompter-reading job of explaining how to set it up.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Apps, BBC, iOS, iPad, iPhone, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, NBC Sports, Olympics Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Friday Grab Bag: ESPN’s Strong Euro, Archos $250 Tablet

July 6, 2012 by 1 Comment

ESPN followed Spain’s’ lead and finished strong in the Euro 2012, bringing in its strongest soccer ratings to date. The broadcaster reported double and triple digit increases in viewers across all of its platforms that carried the matches.

The finals match that featured Italy against Spain, won by Spain 4-0, set a record as the most-watched UEFA Championship game in the United States and was watched by an average audience of 4.068 million viewers. This represented an 8% increase from four years ago from the Spain vs. Germany match.

For the whole of the tournament, which took place over a three week period and featured 31 matches, ESPN’s English language presentation had a 51% viewership increase from 2008. Its digital properties were in some ways even stronger with 900,000 unique viewers on its ESPNFC.Com and ESPNSoccernet.com , up 54% and 28% respectively while mobile usage across its platforms was up 497%.

Samsung fails to block injunction
A US Court has denied Samsung’s request for a stay on a preliminary injunction against the company that is preventing it from selling its Galaxy Nexus smartphone as well as for a similar injunction against it selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet.

The injunctions are the result of a ruling in a long running patent dispute between Samsung and Apple. The company wanted the suspension while it takes its case to the US Court of Appeals, according to an article in Infoworld.

Tablets to outsell notebooks in four years
A report from the research firm NPD Display Search predicted that notebooks will be supplanted by tablets and the mobile computing device of choice by 2016. It said that notebook sales will continue to increase, from an estimated 208 million units this year to 393 million units by 2017.

However during that same time span tablet sales will grow at a much faster pace, increasing from 121 million units this year to an estimated 416 million units by 2017. Among that factors that will fuel the growth are its improved portability and battery life when compared to notebooks.

Apple loses patent round in UK
While Apple has managed to block Samsung in the US, to a degree, it has failed in a similar suit in the United Kingdom, where the courts have ruled against it in a fight with HTC. The high Court ruled that HTC did not infringe on Apple’s photo management patent.

It also ruled that three additional patents that were in dispute were invalid, including apple’s ‘slide to unlock’ feature, according to TechWorld. If Apple had succeeded in its cases it would have affected both tablet and smartphone products from HTC.

Archos unveils 97 Carbon Tablet
Archos has taken the wraps off of its latest tablet, the Archos 97 Carbon. It features a 9.7-inch display with 1024 x 768 pixels that is capable of running 1080p HD video. The 1.5 pound tablet features 16GB built-in storage and supports an additional 16GB via either a SDHC card or a USB flash drive.

The tablet features a mini-HDMI port and has 1GB of memory. It runs the current Android 4.0 operating system and is powered by a 1GHz ARM Cortex processor. The starting price for the table is expected to be $250.

Recapp adds Summer Olympics news
Sports news aggregator Recapp has added support for the upcoming Summer Olympics in London. The app, which brings the leading news stories on user selected sports topics has expanded its support so that now you can follow your favorite teams and events during the games with articles from a wide source of news outlets including Sports Illustrated and ESPN.

A tale of two smartphones
Samsung, developer of some of the most popular smartphones, has reported that its latest quarter had a profit of $5.9 billion with earnings from its mobile phone division more than doubling in the quarter as Galaxy sales soared.

On the flip side is HTC, which had a very poor quarter, reporting that its net profits fell 58% from the same quarter a year ago, with a net profit of $247 million and it said that the current quarter’s outlook is cloudy due to increased competition.

LUMOback- the anti-couch potato device?
A sensor and app designed for better posture? That is what LUMOback is designed to provide. The sensor pad fits in your chair and vibrates when you slouch in your chair and provides feedback to your iPhone in an effort to promote good posture. Android and other platform support is on the horizon, the company said. The project on Kickstarter has already exceeded its $100,000 goal. I wonder if it is a comfortable vibration because I could get a pretty good massage while watching the NFL.

Rumors de jour
Amazon is planning on fighting back against Google and others by introducing its own smartphone and is looking to buy patents in that space first. Amazon has declined to comment.

It also looks like the next generation Kindle, the Kindle Fire 2, will be available in the fall as well. This is not really a surprise considering how hot the original Fire sales were during last year’s holiday season.

Is Apple preparing a mini iPad for Fall introduction, many sources say so. Numerous sites and news agencies have reported that a 7-inch version is on the way in order to fight Amazon, Google and others that are concentrating in this space.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apple, Apps, ESPN, ESPN FC, ESPN3, Euro 2012, FTC, Google, HTC, iPad, iPhone, Kickstarter, Kindle, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, Olympics, PCWorld, Samsung, Smartphone, Soccer, Tablets, WatchESPN Tagged With: , , , , ,

BCS Playoff Gains Approval while ESPN Extends its Rose Bowl Relationship

June 29, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Earlier this week the second round of approvals needed for the creation of a playoff to decide the BCS Championship made it with flying colors as conference commissioners and university presidents and chancellors came to an agreement on the topic.

There are still a number of issues that need to be decided, but most of these are simply housekeeping issues. Among the topics are: Ink a new TV deal and work out how the revenue sharing will work, and of course what is the new name for the playoffs. The composition and election of the selection committee that will determine the playoff teams is also a topic that needs to be worked out. I wonder if they will also create a new trophy?

The move will end the reign of the BCS Championship Series after next year, when the four team playoff is scheduled to begin. There are a number of people that have called for a larger number of teams to be allowed in the playoffs, but that seems unlikely at least in the near term and the current playoff plan is slated to run for 12 years starting in 2014.

The semifinals will rotate between six bowl games and the final game will be put out to bid for host cities just like the NFL’s Super Bowl. It had appeared earlier that the bowl games had already been decided but it now looks like that is not true. The marketing activity to be included should be tremendous in the upcoming year.

At the WWL ESPN the news is that it has reached an agreement for a 12 year extension of its broadcasting the Pasadena Tournament of Roses with the Pas-12 and the Big Ten Conferences. Starting in 2015, after the current deal expires, the deal will continue ESPN’s broadcasting of the Rose Bowl.

ESPN could, and most likely will, get a nice bonus from the deal if the BCS Playoff system selects the Rose Bowl as a playoff site, as the agreement is expected to cover that opportunity as well. The Rose Bowl is the site of the 2014 BCS Championship already.

All of the games will be played on Jan 1 at 5 pm ET except for the years that the 1st is on a Sunday. The broadcasts will span much more that television and will include, ESPN Radio, ESPN Mobile TV and can be seen on smartphones, tablets, online and on Xbox LIVE via WatchESPN and will be available on ESPN 3D .

Filed Under: BCS, ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN3, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, NCAA Football, Rose Bowl, WatchESPN Tagged With: , ,

ESPN’s Euro 2012 Broadcasts Drawing Strong Viewership

June 27, 2012 by 1 Comment

ESPN is continuing to draw strong viewership for its Euro 2012 soccer broadcast through last weekend’s quarterfinals, with the Italy versus England match last Sunday leading the way.

The quarterfinal rounds witnessed a slight increase in viewership overall, compared to the opening round, 1.4 million versus 1.3 million, while the top match on Sunday drew an average of 2.96 million viewers.

One of the interesting aspects of the viewership numbers is how well it is doing on week days. While the Italy/England match drawing double the viewership of the weekday matches, most people I know work at 2:30 pm, so quite a few are sneaking away to catch some of the action. I suspect that with the finals, played on a Sunday, will destroy the Italy/Germany numbers as more and more fans are tuning in to catch the matches.

Overall the first two rounds of the Euro 2012 championship, which was a total of 28 games, saw an average of 1.1 million viewers, up 63% from the same 28 matches four years ago, with the quarterfinals up 31% over the same period of time.

ESPN is also continuing to see strong viewership on its on-line and other broadcast properties. Online the quarterfinals saw ESPN’s two soccer properties, ESPNFC and ESPNsoccernet.com average 878,000 daily visitors and 3.1 million page views per day globally. Four years ago, when ESPN only had Soccernet its three online properties, including ESPNdesportes.com are up 24%, 13% and 132%. ESPN3 and WatchESPN had 2.1 million unique viewers, with computer usage to watch the games up 688% compared to four years ago.

Compared to ESPNsoccernet.com during the same time period for EURO 2008, the site is up 24 percent, 13 percent and 132 percent, respectively. In total, ESPNFC.com, ESPNsoccernet.com and ESPNdeportes.com generated 13.3 million total page views during the quarterfinals, up 14.6 percent compared to EURO 2008.
The Semifinals begin later today at 2:30 ET with Portugal vs. Spain and then tomorrow at the same time for the Germany vs. Italy match. The finals will begin at 2:30 on Sunday.

Filed Under: ESPN, ESPN FC, ESPN Radio, ESPN3, Euro 2012, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, Soccer Tagged With: , ,

PGA Tour to Part Ways with Turner, Manage its Own Digital Properties

June 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment

We’ve seen this movie before, when the NFL started taking control of its own content and starting the NFL Network. Now golf’s big professional tour, the PGA Tour, has announced plans to completely take over production of its own digital properties, ending a relationship it had with Turner Sports since 2006.

It’s perhaps a small surprise that golf’s biggest operator should want more control, since by its own account digital consumption of content is growing fast with no top in sight. And Mobile Sports Report readers already know that the PGA is planning to expand its live video options in 2013, with full simulcasts of broadcast TV available to the mobile, digital audience.

Paul Johnson, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President of Strategic Development, Digital Media and Entertainment, put it simply in the PGA’s press release:

“With the speed in which the digital landscape is changing, we feel it is important to control all aspects of the business directly,” Johnson added. “This does not reflect upon Turner, which has done a wonderful job and has been a great partner; it is about our overall strategy regarding our fans, players, sponsors and other stakeholders, and our desire to control those elements directly out into the future.”

The PGA and Turner, in our view, have done a pretty impressive job innovating, with cool online apps like Shot Tracker, which is due for an upgrade as well in 2013, maybe even getting to mobile platforms.

The real question, as golf writer Geoff Shackelford asks, is whether or not digital coverage will be better or worse in 2013. Is it a rebuilding year, or will the talent in Ponte Vedra Beach perform like LeBron? We, along with lots of other digital golf enthusiasts, will be watching.

Filed Under: Apple, Apps, Golf, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, PGA, Turner Sports Tagged With: , , , ,
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