Like playing in the highlights
Like playing in the highlights
Watching sport online in 2018 is a bit of a minefield - sure there's BeIN for football fans, or League Pass for the NBA and SKYGO, run by the national set-top box business. But nirvana, or being able to see that amazing shot / try / catch / tackle / goal on your Twitter / Instagram / Facebook as it happens is still a little way off for most sports.
Sure, you can usually track down someone who's pointed their phone at their TV and hit record, but shouldn't we be able to get a quality, not to mention legal, product these days?
Most sports would see this as cutting their own lunch, or be handcuffed by their broadcasting agreements that pay the bills - but not the NBA. In this fascinating interview with Commissioner Adam Silver, he outlines how fans using NBA clips to create their own content isn't just allowed but encouraged:
We promote the posting of our highlights. The highlights are identified through YouTube’s software, and when ads are sold against them, we share in the revenue. We analogize our strategy to snacks versus meals. If we provide those snacks to our fans on a free basis, they’re still going to want to eat meals — which are our games. There is no substitute for the live game experience. We believe that greater fan engagement through social media helps drive television ratings.
In other words, if you create a YouTube clip of your favourite player picking their nose, you're more likely to get a viral hit than a legal letter, because it all drives fans back towards live games on their TV's.
That means accounts like House of Highlights or content like the Ringer's NBA desktop not only exist with the league's blessing but get huge engagement numbers. It's mature and refreshing, and really, really successful for one of the most popular sports in the world.
Here's a subjective selection of how other sports stack up:
I've watched more Indian Premier League on my computer and phone than the TV this year, thanks to the exhausting amount of video, from the seven minute match highlights reels to the stunning catches and sixes to the individual player highlights. The ICC does this really well at tournament time also
New Zealand Cricket send you highlights of the day's play to your phone an hour or so after close of play, if you're happy to give them your email address - it's a simple concept but bloody handy if you're at the beach or work. They also get highlight clips of the amazing moments on social media swiftly
The Premier League has some average video 'content' on their site, and some retro stuff - wouldn't it be amazing if they made more of the clips from its history? The teams themselves have some limited highlights and content they've created themselves on their own sites
Rugby isn't really in the game, as Elliott Smith pointed out in the Herald this week - and the NRL are leaving them in the dust. And Super Rugby really needs to fix their website for mobile, it's a shocker
Other US sports like Baseball and the NFL have loads of high quality content available, fast
It's not easy putting a model like the NBA's in place, which requires not just the vision to accept fans taking control of your product, but either a great relationship with your broadcaster or complete control of your rights.
While most NZ sports well recognise the importance and value of video to create and reward fans, it'll be interesting to see who'll be the first to take it to the next, mature level.
Thanks for reading - Richard
The week's best NZ sport writing
Enzo Giordani on NZ Football's big gender pay parity announcement - I'm so pleased they threw equal travel arrangements in, that's really walking the talk [In The Back Of The Net]
Dylan Cleaver on SANZAR's malaise - when you're number two, like the NRL, you try harder, although they may not have that tag for long [NZ Herald]
Netball's ANZ Premiership preview - after the Comm Games carry on this competition needs to be entertaining and engaging, not to mention turn out Silver Ferns [Stuff]
Tim Murphy on rumoured NZME / Stuff sport department mash up - as anywhere, competitiveness drives quality in the press box, despite the collegiality among its inhabitants. Would be a shame for readers if this goes through [Newsroom]
Video nasty
'Never celebrate too soon' minor classic.
Long read
The Mobster Who Bought His Son a Hockey Team - because of course [The Atlantic]
Selected weekend fixtures
NBA playoffs rumble on, with the Raptors, 76ers, Jazz and Pelicans looking forward to Mad Monday, while the Celtics will play the Cavaliers, and Warriors are playing the Rockets - all on SKY and NBA League Pass
In the IPL, Super Kane's Sunrisers Hyderabad play the second placed Chennai Super Kings at 10.30pm Sunday night on SKY
Rugby - Blues v Hurricanes at 7.35pm tonight, while the Chiefs are on the road at the Stormers at 1.05am Sunday morning, all on SKY
It's Golf's Players Championship at Sawgrass this weekend - that's the 'fifth major' and the one with the cool island green, it's on SKY in the mornings through 'til Monday
Bring back the gif
When you've got a killer snappy comeback but it doesn't come out quite right.
