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Daytona 500 features Huge Mobile and Social Media Push

February 21, 2012 by 1 Comment

The Daytona International Speedway (DIS), home of this week’s 54th Daytona 500 has been working to expand the sports appeal to the users of social media and has launched a series of programs that will enable fans both at the track and at home to follow the race.

The effort actual started last Saturday night with the first event of the NASCAR season, the Budweiser Shootout, which kicks off its annual Speedweek push. In case you missed the race it was won in spectacular style by Kyle Busch.

Speedweek has something for just about any racing fan and a quick look at its web site shows a comprehensive wealth of information for the fans including overall schedules, FANZONE schedule, track activity and appearances by drivers to list just a few of the events.

However the outreach to directly interact with fans is on Twitter, where fans can join into conversations with drivers, teams, DIS and the media that track this sport. Look to add these onto your Twitter feed – with @DISupdates, #DAYTONA500, #BudweiserShootout, #GatoradeDuel, @NextEra_Energy Resources 250, #DRIVE4COPD300, #Speedweeks. For fans at the track on race day there is also contact @DIS_help and #DIShelp for customer service questions.

The track has been working to enhance its online and social media presence for some time and this push is a continuation of that effort. NASCAR’s Facebook page has over 2.5 million likes while Daytona’s has over 400,000.

“There’s a reason why Daytona International Speedway boasts the largest social media following of any racetrack in NASCAR,” said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said in a release. “During Speedweeks, we’ll continue our efforts to make it easy and enjoyable for fans to get closer to the sport, while also reaching out to our younger, more technologically savvy race fans.”

DIS said on Monday that they plan to make the 54th Daytona 500 and Speedweeks a memorable event in many ways, starting with the largest and most expansive social media effort in NASCAR to further engage fans at the “World Center of Racing” and at home.

“There’s a reason why Daytona International Speedway boasts the largest social media following of any racetrack in NASCAR,” said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III. “During Speedweeks, we’ll continue our efforts to make it easy and enjoyable for fans to get closer to the sport, while also reaching out to our younger, more technologically savvy race fans.”

Join the conversation with DIS, media, teams and drivers on Twitter with @DISupdates, #DAYTONA500, #BudweiserShootout, #GatoradeDuel, @NextEra_Energy Resources 250, #DRIVE4COPD300, #Speedweeks, and contact @DIS_help and #DIShelp for customer service questions on race days. Don’t forget to also follow @NASCAR, and #NASCAR.

There is a free DIS app for both Android and Apple iOS smartphone users that will enable fans at the race as well as the less fortunate than could not make the journey track a wide range of events including receiving new articles.

For fans at the race the app includes a great deal of basic information of the type that can be invaluable including daily schedules, gate policies, directions, and interactive GPS facility and parking maps with search capabilities. There is even a feature called ‘friend finder’ to help locate friends at the various events. There will be QR codes located prominently all around the track that connect to the DIS app.

In addition there will be special QR that fans can use to enter a sweepstakes with NASCAR.COM to win tickets to the 2013 DAYTONA 500. Texting has not been forgotten as well as fans at the race can text DISINFO to 69050 for updates during events as well as information relating to gate opening times, parking and more. For information on specific questions fans can text DISFAN to 69050 and a live attendant will be on hand to respond.

I really like this proactive outreaching to fans by the DIS. For first time fans at the race the mobile app can be a life saver rather her than walking around lost and constantly asking for help. The range of information and content will likely augment fans enjoyment of the race regardless of if they are in attendance or not. I just hope that the tracks network is up to handling the increased traffic this push is likely to generate. I am sure we will hear the complaints if it does not.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Apps, Daytona 500, Facebook, iPhone, NASCAR, Smartphone, Twitter Tagged With: ,

Bleacher Report and Turner Sports Continue to Expand Sports Apps Space

December 1, 2011 by 3 Comments

Ever wanted to follow a Div III Field Hockey playoff or have streaming news from your favorite pro team? Well there is a couple more apps that will help you do just that as web sites and news organizations continue to expand their presence in the mobile sports space.

First up is Turner Sports which has developed a mobile app called NCAA Sports for the Apple iOS and Android platforms. Designed to cover a wide spectrum of sports that often do not get wide coverage the free app will include live streaming video of over 60 NCAA championship games.

It will provide live streaming video of championships for all NCAA sports including Division II football, Divisions II and III wrestling, Divisions I, II and III field hockey, Divisions II and III men’s and women’s soccer, and Divisions II and III women’s volleyball. The app will also include in-depth regular season coverage of football and basketball.

The program permits users to drop in and out of the live broadcasts and provides the ability to chat with friends using Facebook or to post comments via Twitter.

In addition Turner has added a new mobile website on its hosted NCAA.Com space that is designed for mobile browsers user with touch screen devices such as Tablets and smartphones. The mobile website will allow fans to get live scores, schedules, news, rankings and video recaps that have been tailored for display on the mobile devices.

In a press release Mark Johnson, vice-president of Turner Sports’ NCAA Digital group said about the development that “College sports content is underserved in the mobile space right now and we’re excited to offer fans mobile products that are 100% dedicated to college sports.”

Bleacher Report moves desktop offerings to mobile app

The second app coming down the road is from Bleacher Report called b/r Team Stream App and the free app is now available for both Android and Apple iOS devices. It will cover a number of sports including NFL, College Football, MLB, NBA, NHL Soccer, Tennis and Golf.

The app is in ways a news aggregation program, Bleacher Report searches the web for news on the team you have selected and streams them to your mobile device using the app. However it will also include tweets from athletes and sportswriters.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apps, bleacherreport, Facebook, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, NBA, NCAA Football, NCAA Hoops, NCAA.com, Soccer, Turner Sports, Twitter Tagged With: , ,

FanVision allows Fans to follow NFL Games while in Attendence

November 15, 2011 by 2 Comments


Football fans upset with the limited or poor reception capabilities of their smartphones at football venues might want to take a look at FanVision and its mobile broadcast offerings. While currently only available in a limited number of venues the technology has the potential to save you from the frustration of using your phone as well allow you to see plays that you might have missed.

Available in only 12 NFL stadiums, as well as for Formula 1 racing and the University of Michigan football games it offers fans a number of viewing options and additional features. FanVision Entertainment, which started life as Kangaroo TV in 2003 the company claims that it has so far attended 170 live events in 20 nations including PGA and NASCAR events.

Designed for use in the stadium where the attendee is watching the game FanVision provides a handheld device that features a 4.3-inch display and it claims that it has a six hour battery life. It provides live coverage of the game with multiple camera angles, and has instant replay from multiple angles. There are also custom highlight reels as well as player and team stats and bios .It provides live audio from the local announcing team and in select out of market games it also provides the national radio feed.

There are a total of ten channels and among the other content is the NFL Red Zone, a cheerleader cam, the network telecast of the local game and live fantasy football updates. The NFL teams covered are Arizona, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Minnesota, Miami, New York Jets, Philadelphia, Seattle, St. Louis and Washington D.C.

FanVision has developed a system that avoids the reception issue by putting the broadcast gear in the stadium with equipment at both ends of the stadium and elsewhere and claims that it can reach everywhere in the entire facility. As many fans know, despite having five bars or a strong signal does not ensure that you will be able to make a connection to a network with your phone for uploading, downloading text, email, and video or for any possible purpose.

Since it is offered at a limited number of NFL stadiums currently, and not any that I have attended in the last few year, I have not seen it in action but the premise looks solid and it gets generally positive to very positive reviews. It is not a perfect system according to the reviews but the flaws seem minor compared to the advantages that it brings and I could see buying one if I had a still had season tickets at a stadium it is offered in or rent one if available at a game I am going to attend, now I will not miss the action while in the beer line!

Rental of the devices is $19.99 per game while purchasing the device costs $199 for the remainder of the current season. The full-season price is $249.

Filed Under: Denver Broncos, FanVision, Live sports via mobile, NASCAR, NCAA Football, NFL Tagged With: , , ,

Friday Grab Bag — Jocks Twittering Guide Issue

November 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment

No M&M’s in NASCAR
Kyle Busch will be forced to race in the last two Sprint Cup races without his primary sponsor as M&M’s pulls out. This is more of the aftermath of his cheap shot of intentionally wrecking Ron Hornaday Jr. in the Truck Series two weeks ago. Busch was suspended from racing in the Sprint Cup last week and fined $50,000 by NASCAR. I had always thought that NASCAR encouraged this type of driving, who knew?


Twitter offers advice to Athletes on how to use Twitter
Twitter, which clearly understands how interesting athletes can be on Twitter, has issued an advisory for them on its developer site. The social media company tells them to talk about what they are passionate about, use hash tags, reply back to followers and mention your team mates among other tidbits of sage advice. Also it tells them that if something controversial happens on the field Twitter can help clear the air- no mention that it can also shorten a career, or is that just my take?

Apple releases iOS 5.01 battery fix
Apple has responded to complaints that the latest release of its iOS operating system, iOS 5.0, unnaturally drains batteries of iPhones. The company has released iOS 5.0.1 that has been designed to fix that issue as well as including several other bug fixes for both the phone and the iPad including document syncing via iCloud and improved voice recognition for Australian users.

Will ESPN’s Longhorn Network force a College Playoff?
An Interesting piece from Businessweek discusses how the $300 million, 20 year deal between the University of Texas and the Walt Disney Co. (parent to ESPN for those that are still unaware) was a major tipping point in collegiate athletics. The move led to the huge rash of conference realignments and movements as everybody tries to position themselves to get as much of the money that is on the table for themselves and tradition be damned. I think this line from the article says it all- “It’s greed,” said William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the University of Maryland system and co-chairman of the nonprofit Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. “There is so much money on the table that everyone is in a state of panic.”


This week in Lawsuit News
The patent wars continue unabated, which always makes for interesting watching as long as you are not personally at risk. First up is Microsoft which apparently has another target in its royalties pursuit, this time it has its eye on Huawei for Android patent license. Then there is the report that Google will be offering support to Android firms involved in lawsuits. Last but not least is the news that Apple continues Steve Jobs legal pursuit of Android developers for what it perceives as patent violations of its technology. Is this a great time to be a patent lawyer or what?

Major League Baseball to be Lockout Free?
The site MLBtraderumors.com covers a range of reports that indicate that MLB and the Players Union may be well on the road to reaching a new accord without the need for canceling the World Series or some other slap in the fans face. While the NBA is in lockout mode and the NFL just recovering from its labor war it is great news that at least one major league can work like adults well in advance of the expiration of the existing deal to forge a new one. I hope this does work out well.

Adobe throws in the towel on Mobile Flash
Adobe is facing the music and has announced that it will stop developing a version of its Flash technology for mobile devices. The technology has come under fire as Apple had banned its use in its iOS due to what it claimed was it did not meet the needs of a that space, a move that was later followed by Microsoft. At first Adobe fought back but now the company said it will turn its attention to HTML5 and will work with all of the major developers, Apple included, in that space.

From the “Just because it amuses me” Category
Nothing to do with sports, social media or technology but- Did you catch the photo in The Consumerist of a pig-shaped pork roast offered at Costco? Looks like it is ground and then molded pork scraps that are shaped like a baby piglet-somehow I am sure this will not make my dinner table anytime soon but who knows, it could make for a very interesting holiday gift!

Filed Under: Android, Apps, Athlete to Follow, Baseball, ESPN, iPhone, NASCAR, NCAA Football, NFL, Twitter Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Verizon Adds Cellular Tower Power at Michigan Speedway

June 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Portable cellular tower on light truck -- aka a "COLT." Credit: Verizon Wireless



As more and more fans bring their new high-powered cell phones to sporting events, wireless operators are being forced to scramble to support the new demand for bandwidth by adding portable cell towers or Wi-Fi infrastructure.

Making lemonade from the sour problem today was Verizon Wireless, which issued a press release trumpeting its attempts to provide more cellular bandwidth to the thousands of NASCAR fans who will visit Michigan International Speedway this summer, especially the big crowds expected at Sunday’s NASCAR race.

Verizon’s quick fix to handle the crowd (the speedway has 106,000 reserved grandstand seats) is something called a COLT, or Cell on Light Truck, a mobile cell antenna unit that Verizon says “will boost voice capacity by 200 percent and data capacity by 1,000 percent” in the greater speedway vicinity. Here’s the money quote from the press release:

“Ensuring our customers can count on their wireless devices for communication, news and more at major sporting events, like the races held at MIS is part of our ongoing commitment to network reliability,” said John Granby, president–Michigan/Indiana/Kentucky Region, Verizon Wireless. “We look at how our customers’ usage patterns are changing at events like these and we use this information to make sure we stay well ahead of their demand.”

What Verizon left unsaid was why it had to scramble to add portable cellular power in the first place — namely it’s the crush of new bandwidth demand precipitated by people bringing their iPhones and other superphones that Verizon and its competitors have been busy selling selling selling to large-gathering public venues like stadiums and malls. Like Verizon, expect all the other major carriers to follow suit the rest of the year by telling you how great it is that they are adding additional capacity to handle the crunch caused by selling all those phones that are overpowering their old networks.

Filed Under: iPhone, NASCAR, Verizon Wireless Tagged With: , ,

Review: Speed Channel’s Mobile Site a Winner

April 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

(By Speed Racer, MSR Motor Sports Correspondent)

More good news for the mobile racing fan! Speed Channel recently reworked not only their website but also added a mobile site to their quiver. Featuring news and videos covering all motor sports, as well as their auto culture programming, they cover the world of racing from green to checkered flag.

I have been checking out their offerings on a Samsung Galaxy Tab (a loaner from the fine folks at Sprint) using Sprint 3G services. All Speed Channel content is available but the video loading is slow and sketchy on the cellular connection. Like all mobile devices, a Wi-Fi Internet connection provides the highest functionality. Wireless possesses the required bandwidth to make HD video seamless, while 3G is a few car lengths behind.

The Speed Channel site is filled with great content. While I was on the site they were streaming F1 practice, videos of the Barrett-Jackson auction, as well as their regular programming. Video interviews and stories are available on many series and automotive culture. There are large collections of photos and access to podcasts through iTunes. News is broken down by each series and is nicely organized. There is a banner streaming across the bottom of the site giving breaking news in real time.

This is all good news for the mobile sports fan. If you need to stay up to date you can. The day is not too far off that bandwith will catch up to these devices and we can watch live racing anywhere we have phone service or the Internet. Exciting changes continue to come and that means we will see more exciting racing regardless of where we are!

Filed Under: NASCAR, Sprint, Tablets Tagged With: , ,
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