Ultimate
SPORTS WEBSITES AWARDS
2010
... plus THE 2010 ULTIMATE SPORTS APPS
A DIFFERENT LOOK. BUT THE SAME RESULTS.
PERFORM is delighted to sponsor the 2010 SportBusiness Ultimate Sports Websites Awards and would like to congratulate all the entries and winners for their achievements. The way modern sports fans are consuming content is constantly evolving, meaning an integrated platform strategy is a must for today’s sports rights holder. If you are looking for new and innovative ways to reach and engage sports fans please get in touch. Call: +44 (0) 20 3372 0600 or Email: info@performgroup.com
ABOUT PERFORM PERFORM reach and engage mass audiences through progressive sports media. At the heart of our business lies our industry-leading perspective on how to commercialise sports content across digital platforms.
2 SportBusiness International • No. 159 • 08.10
Our white label, client-branded, and direct-to-consumer channels generate revenue through a dynamic mix of content distribution, subscription and media sales.
THE ULTIMATE SPORTS WEBSITES AWARDS 2010
SPONSOR:
Rachael Church-Sanders, head judge and author of the second edition of the SportBusiness Ultimate Sports Website Awards, explains how the best five websites in sport in 2010 were decided by an expert judging panel. TRADITIONAL RELATIONSHIPS with broadcasters and media companies are being challenged as some sports properties look to communicate with fans via their own platforms rather than through the media channels offered by such companies. And the ability to offer their own programming on the web has given sports properties the chance for the first time to bypass traditional television rights deals and monetise their own intellectual property directly. In particular, the internet has given a platform to smaller or more niche sports properties that have been able to roll-out content across broadband channels more cost effectively than on television. Likewise, the internet can provide airtime for sports events that have too much content for regular programming, such as the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and golf’s US Open, turning unexploited inventory into content for diehard fans. Fans’ expectations rise constantly about the level and speed of information they demand on a sports website as part of the so-called ‘Martini’ culture. They have a “what I want, when I want it, where I want it” attitude and happily jump from site to site to find what they need. Meanwhile, social networking is now an essential part of a sports website’s inventory as site producers look to engage with their fans as closely as possible. Against this backdrop, the elements that make a sports website successful have once again been studied by SportBusiness. This year, we put 100 of the best sports websites (or their future equivalents in the case of major cyclical events) that made the grade in the 2009 Awards back under the spotlight along with 25 new ‘wildcards’. This year, a range of external judges, experts
in the digital sports marketplace, were asked to score websites in five classifications: Events, Teams/Clubs, Federations/Leagues, Athletes and General/Generic. An initial 25 websites were ranked in each of the five groups (125 in total) with five making the cut in each one. The 125 sites were scored in the following categories: Multimedia Content, General Content, General Community, Social Community, Style/Navigation, Monetisation, Partnership Activation, Loading Time and Traffic. Final Judging Each of the final five websites in each group were then ranked again from scratch for each category with five points awarded for the ‘best’, four points for ‘second best’ and so on, down to one point for fifth best. These scores were based on the judges’ individual opinions of the five websites in each group - there was no right or wrong view. Judges compared the sites against the others in each group and across seven categories: Multimedia Content, General Content, General Community, Social Community, Style/ Navigation, Monetisation and Partnership Activation. Awards were made to the winners in each group and the best in each category overall. SportBusiness would like to thank sponsor PERFORM for their support for the 2010 Awards. “PERFORM are very happy to be sponsoring the second SportBusiness Ultimate Sports Websites Awards,” said the Group’s CEO, Oliver Slipper. “It’s fair to say that the way sports fans interact with content is constantly evolving and we are working extremely hard with our partners to ensure they are providing the service that their fans are demanding.”
2010 ULTIMATE WEBSITES AWARDS 3
SPORTS WEBSITES
PANEL DISCUSSION: DIGITAL SPORT This year’s panel of expert judges met at a secret location for an intense morning of discussions about all things digital. SportBusiness Group Editorial Director Kevin Roberts asked the questions and here’s what they had to say. “NEXT YEAR I SUSPECT we won’t be talking about websites,” Andrew Croker, Executive Chairman of PERFORM said to kick off the debate. “If you look at a lot of individual star’s websites, a lot of them are really poor, but the fact is they’ve got great Facebook content and fantastic Twitter propositions. “Others are making great apps while their website is really poor and static. So the wider point to all these arguments about which website is best should actually be an argument about how rights holders connect digitally with their audience - which is also increasingly on mobile rather than computers. ‘Website’ is only one piece of the picture going forward.” The English Premier League is a “classic example” of developments in the media space, Croker added to extend his argument: “In previous international rights cycles everything was cut-up in individual markets - TV rights were sold to one buyer, mobile rights to another - but nearly everyone now is going platform-neutral as everything is deliverable across every device. “The original holy grail was how to get television on a computer and we’re way past that now. The next holy grail was television on your handheld device, and thanks primarily to the iPhone, we are way past that now too. The last one is how to get computer on your television, and we’re effectively there, so the concept of different platforms is becoming completely meaningless.” Andrew Eborn, President and CEO at Octopus TV, agreed with Croker but raised the point that the need to exploit content across a converged digital space has not yet been fully realised by many sports rights holders. “Whatever the device or platform people are using, as a rights holder you want to ensure they are getting the best possible experience,” he said. “A lot of websites are not taking full advantage of the platforms that are available. For some there is no experience at all because they don’t work on the latest platforms, such as the iPad.” The Ultimate Sports Websites were judged this year, as was the case in 2009, in terms of the platform’s ability to monetise through advertising, sponsorship, ticketing, shops, betting, premium content and content
4 2010 ULTIMATE WEBSITES AWARDS
syndication. Early on in the debate Kevin Roberts asked the panel: how far away are we from the situation of having effective systems in place so that we can finally end the criticism levelled at rights holders that they don’t know enough about their audience to be able to fully exploit it commercially? “It’s interesting to see how some of the sports rights holders are trying to monetise their online content,” said Croker, who raised the point that rights holders need to concentrate on their partners just as much as their audience to maximise revenues through their digital offerings. “FIFA for example is very good at giving sections of FIFA.com to its sponsors but at the moment it tends to be a little bit of an add-on. In the future I can see this becoming more central as sponsors become more demanding, asking rights holders what they are going to give in return?” “I would have thought at some point Facebook will open up an ad-serving network beyond its own platform that will allow Facebook clients/advertisers to serve contextually-based adverts,” added Lyndon Morant, Director of Invention Worldwide at Mindshare. “The key is a little blue button called the Facebook ‘like’. In a couple of years time 80 or 90 per cent of websites you regularly visit you will ‘like’ an article and once this has been clicked, it could be automatically connected to Facebook, which knows all the personal details and preferences you tell it.” Morant also raised the issue of how people pay for online content and how that dictates how much they pay: “There are micropayment systems, for example paying per news article, and there are premium payments where users pay a pound and expect an experience from that. There is something really missing and that’s a universal payment plan where you click once and you pay: the iTunes model. “I think very soon, if not within the next five years, Apple will become so powerful that its OS (operating system) software will enable you to consume any content you want at a click of a button rather than enter bank details.”
SPORTS WEBSITES
Judging Panel Andrew Croker Executive Chairman, PERFORM Mark Hargreaves Chief Operating Officer, Knowledge MGI Toby Crisp Senior Analyst of Marketing Solutions, comScore Andrew Eborn President and CEO, Octopus TV Karl Hudson Creative Director, The Forest Lyndon Morant Director of Invention Worldwide, Mindshare
2010 ULTIMATE WEBSITES AWARDS 5
SPORTS WEBSITES
Digital Convergence Is the age of digital convergence now a reality? Does the advent of internet-enabled televisions and the increasing power of mobile internet mean we should no longer see “web” as a separate channel? “It’s obvious that from a technology point of view convergence is available, but we’re a long way from seeing a successful monetisation of it from a content and rights ownership point of view,” said Mark Hargreaves, Chief Operating Officer at Knowledge MGI. Toby Crisp, Senior Analyst of Marketing Solutions at comScore, agreed: “Convergence is wonderful as an idea in that people want to consume live content wherever they are with whatever device they have - but I think we are still a very long way from people being able to do that. “I appreciate that iPads and iPhones and 4G connections now mean that some people can watch things on the go - I just don’t think smartphone penetration is enough to get the message out there as people would like to in the true sense of convergence.” “We should embrace the opportunities each
6 2010 ULTIMATE WEBSITES AWARDS 6 2010 ULTIMATE WEBSITES AWARDS
of the platforms presents,” added Andrew Eborn. “Technology enables us to engage with audiences in more exciting, interactive and personalised ways. People can now consume content in several different ways and through several different devices. The key is to ensure that content is compelling, easily accessible and tailored according to ever changing consumer demands and the devices available.” Karl Hudson, Creative Director at The Forest, agreed: “We can sit and talk about devices like iPhones and iPads but in the next 10 weeks who knows what is going to be out on the market. “Content is available to some and not others - so it’s all well and good looking into the future -
SPORTS WEBSITES
but I think we need to look at the lowest common denominator. There’s no point in having all-singing-and-dancing content if only a small proportion of the population can access it. There needs to be a balance for the non-iPhone clan.” Lyndon Morant said rights owners need to invest more in understanding the platforms than technologies: “The places where people will increasingly go to consume content will be Facebook, Twitter or the latest operating system software such as the Mac OS4 - I’d invest
more in understanding that than producing 3D content. You can’t produce content for content’s sake - it has to be driven by consumer patterns and we should be looking at where consumers go rather than try to make them go somewhere.” Croker concluded: “While everyone talks about convergence, the fact remains that premium content remains with the rights holders and it’s the rights holders that will drive everything that is happening with websites and all forms of digital media, including social networking.”
2010 ULTIMATE WEBSITES AWARDS 7
SPORTS WEBSITES
GENERIC AWARD:
CRICINFO
THE WORLD’S LEADING cricket website Cricinfo.com, one of the most-visited of all internet sports destinations, claimed victory in the Generic category. Launched in 1993 and now a whollyowned subsidiary of ESPN, Cricinfo is available to cricket fans through online media and on a host of mobile platforms. It has operations in all major cricket markets globally. Cricinfo was an outright winner in four of the seven categories - General Community, Social Community, Style/ Navigation and Partnership Activation - and a joint-winner with second-placed Sky Sports for General Content. At the time of writing, Cricinfo was ranked 238 in the world according to Alexa, and nine in Sri Lanka, 15 in Pakistan and 25 in Nepal. Unsurprisingly, the site received most traffic from the cricket-loving nations of India (comprising 54.6 per cent of visitors) and
Rank
Pakistan (14.2 per cent) with the US making up the top three, perhaps reflecting its high expatriate demographic from the Indian subcontinent (5.6 per cent). Cricinfo’s content includes news, live ball-byball coverage of all Test and one-day international matches and features written by some of the world’s best cricketers and cricket writers. The site also features in-depth statistics on every international scorecard since Test cricket began in 1876 and offers users extensive audio, video, widgets and mobile products, as well as games (such as its virtual simulation game Slogout) and other interactive cricket services. Significantly, Cricinfo became the world’s first dedicated cricket website to enter the free-to-access mobile content sector with the launch of Cricinfo MobiCast in November 2007. It is a live ball-by-ball update and score card application delivered in partnership with Plusmo, a mobile widgets provider.
Generic Site
URL
=2
CBS Sports
http://www.cbssports.com/
1
Cricinfo
Category Winners Multimedia Content
CBS/Sky Sports
General Content
Cricinfo/Sky Sports
http://www.cricinfo.com/
General Community
CBS/Cricinfo
Social Community
Cricinfo
Style/Navigation
Cricinfo
Monetisation
Sky Sports
Partnership Activation
Cricinfo
5
Footymad
http://www.footymad.net/
=2
Sky Sports
http://www.skysports.com/
4
Sport1.de
http://www.sport1.de/
8 2010 ULTIMATE WEBSITES AWARDS
CBSSports.com - joint category winners in Multimedia Content and General Community - finished in a dead-heat second place with SkySports.com, the website for the sportsoriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland’s pay-TV company BSkyB. SkySports.com was a joint winner in the Multimedia Content and General Content categories and an outright winner in Monetisation. David Cameron, head of networked media at SkySports.com said there had been a number of improvements on the site since last year: “There’s a lot more live blogging and coverage areas on our site and improved integration of our video content across the site. “We’ve also improved our betting-related content with our partner betting site SkyBet. We have created related content areas and topic pages to create a greater depth of content and introduced improved advertising and sponsor opportunities across the site.”
SPORTS WEBSITES
FEDERATIONS AND LEAGUES AWARD:
PGA TOUR
THE WEBSITE OF THE US PGA TOUR pipped the official website of Formula One to become the 2010 Federations and Leagues winner, with victories in five of the seven categories (Multimedia Content, General Community, Social Community, Style/Navigation and Partnership Activation). Church-Sanders described the site as “bursting with interesting and innovative content, which comes as no surprise from an organisation that has put digital media at the heart of its communications strategy from the very beginning.” The main menu on the site offers visitors and fans access to leaderboards, tournament news, players, videos, news, statistics, fantasy games and the Shot Tracker application. A smaller, easily-visible menu links to a FanZone, mobile services and a merchandising section. Shot Tracker is a free animated application allowing fans to follow their favourite players’
Rank
Federation/League
every shot. It is fully customisable, so the fan is in control of which players, groups and holes they want to watch - all in real time. Lee Bushkell, VP and general manager, PGATour.com, described the changes the site has undergone since last year’s SportBusiness Ultimate Sports Websites Awards: “We redesigned the entire site, making it easier for fans to access content in one place. Very little is the same as a year ago. The homepage hosts our integrated video, all editorial stories crosspromote related video content, and our writers now both blog and produce longer features. We redesigned our live video player to integrate social media and fans can interact from Facebook and Twitter while watching the video.” The second-placed Formula One site won the category of best Multimedia Content for a Federation or League website. This is a significant development as the website was initially very much a brochure site without
URL
much content, a situation that has certainly changed over recent years with the site making the most of the content at its disposal, according to Church-Sanders. European football governing body UEFA’s website ranked third with the website of the Australian Football League - which won the best Monetisation category - placed fourth. For the first time in 2010, overseas AFL fans were given the opportunity to watch live AFL streamed games on their PCs at a cost of $5.99 per match via Omnisport.TV. The FIA’s World Rally Championship website, winner of the Federation and League award in 2009, finished fifth. Simon Long, CEO of WRC’s promoter North One Sport, said: “WRC.com remains in a state of constant beta. We always strive to stay ahead of new developments in the digital space and will continue to expand and develop WRC’s online presence.”
Category Winners Multimedia Content
Formula One
4
AFL
http://www.afl.com.au/
General Content
PGA TOUR
2
Formula One
http://www.formula1.com/
General Community
PGA TOUR
1
PGA TOUR
http://www.pgatour.com/
Social Community
PGA TOUR
Style/Navigation
PGA TOUR
Monetisation
AFL
Partnership Activation
PGA TOUR
3
UEFA
http://www.uefa.com/
5
WRC
http://www.wrc.com/
2010 ULTIMATE WEBSITES AWARDS 9
SPORTS WEBSITES
CLUBS/TEAM AWARD:
CHELSEA FC
OVERALL WINNER of the Ultimate Sports Website Award in 2009, the official website of English Premier League football club Chelsea beat stiff competition from rival Liverpool and Red Bull Racing to win the Club/Teams group for 2010. The Premier League has a stronghold across Africa and ChelseaFC.com’s breakdown of its rank territory-by-territory has a strong African influence - assisted by the number of African stars among the club’s playing squad. As well as being ranked at 19 in Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, at the time of judging it was ranked 157 in Uganda and 340 in Tanzania, according to Alexa. The site received most traffic from the UK (22 per cent of visitors), followed by India (15.4 per cent) and the US (8.4 per cent). The website is ranked at 653 in Ghana home of player Michael Essien - while it is the 684th most popular in Nigeria, where Essien’s
Rank
midfield comrade John Mikel Obi hails from. “Winning the award is fantastic,” said Cas Knight, managing director of Chelsea Digital Media. “What is not to like about back-to-back titles? So many people at the Club contribute to the web offering, so it’s a real team win. And given the focus on our fans in, and their contribution to, The Shed section and elsewhere on the site, that team includes them.” The Chelsea FC website was relaunched in July 2008 following input from fans. It was moved to an HTML format with flash elements on a platform that was more flexible than previously. The site has three main areas - the main site, The Shed (a user-generated area moderated by Chelsea FC) and Bridge Kids (which aims to present Chelsea FC through the eyes of a child). The site’s landing page offered websites in four languages at the time of writing. Red Bull Racing - one of two Formula One teams owned by Austrian beverage
Club/Team
URL
5
AC Milan
http://www.acmilan.com/
1
Chelsea FC
Category Winners Multimedia Content
Chelsea
General Content
Chelsea
http://www.chelseafc.com/
General Community
Liverpool
Social Community
Red Bull
Style/Navigation
Red Bull
Monetisation
Liverpool
Partnership Activation
Red Bull
3
Liverpool FC
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/
4
Phoenix Suns
http://www.nba.com/suns/
2
Red Bull F1
http://www.redbullracing.com/
10 2010 ULTIMATE WEBSITES AWARDS
company Red Bull - won the Style/Navigation, Social Community and Partnership Activation categories, finishing just ahead of Liverpool in third. Chelsea won the Multimedia and General Content categories, with Liverpool succeeding in General Community and Monetisation. “The Red Bull Racing site is focused on two key components that drive its ultimate success: content and community,” said Chris Johnson, Founder and CEO of site designer Terralever. “The team does an exceptional job of developing world class content and the site’s job is to best highlight that content and provide the best user experience possible for engaging the content. Alongside amazing content is the highly active Red Bull Racing community. “The team does a great job of moderating and contributing to a great community of team fans, giving fans unique opportunities to engage and rewarding active fans of Red Bull Racing.”
“It’s also testament to the hard work and innovation put in by the Red Bull team in Austria, Terralever in
SPORTS WEBSITES
Federation/League
URL
1
FIFA World Cup 2010
http://www.fifa.com/index.html
5
London 2012
2 3 4
C
Category Winners
Rank
Multimedia Content
FIFA World Cup 2010
M
General Content
FIFA World Cup 2010
Y
http://www.london2012.com/
General Community
FIFA World Cup 2010
CM
Six Nations
http://www.rbs6nations.com/
Social Community
Six Nations
MY
Wimbledon
http://www.wimbledon.org/
Style/Navigation
FIFA World Cup 2010
CY
Monetisation
FIFA World Cup 2010
CMY
Partnership Activation
FIFA World Cup 2010
K
Youth Olympic Games
http://www.singapore2010.sg/
EVENTS AWARD:
FIFA WORLD CUP 2010 THE OFFICIAL FIFA World Cup website for South Africa 2010 was a comfortable winner of the best Events website for 2010, claiming overall victories in six of the seven voting categories and totalling the biggest points score across the whole 2010 judging. “It is always very gratifying to receive an award in recognition of our work, but to be named SportBusiness Ultimate Sports Website 2010 is a special honour, SportBusiness - as the world’s leading supplier of information, media and B2B marketing services to the sports industry - is highly respected in the international community of sports professionals,” said FIFA President Sepp Blatter. “We hope to build on this success in the future and connect on a deep level with an even greater number of fans in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.” “The success Fifa.com had this summer with the public and winning this award is due to a combination of the FIFA World Cup
12 2010 ULTIMATE WEBSITES AWARDS
having become the most media sport event ever as well as depth of coverage and content authority,” said Carlo De Marchis, responsible for Strategy and Solutions at IT and media services provider deltatre. Hosted on the main FIFA.com website, the World Cup site ranked at 124 in the world prior to the event’s semi-final games, according to Alexa, and 38th in the UK, 73rd in the US and 11th in South Africa itself. “The top bar was a generic menu for the rest of the FIFA.com site and the lower one provided links to specific World Cup related content,” notes Church-Sanders. “Graphics and data were used to inform fans of schedules, results and team locations. Video content on the site was plentiful and included highlights, video magazines, reports, best moves, features, goals and interviews with celebrity fans.” With regards to general community on the site, one of its six category victories, fans
comments were posted on several pages and games such as Castrol’s World Cup Predictor Challenge were available. Castrol - a 2010 and 2014 tournament sponsor - aimed to enhance fans’ online experience through its Castrol Index, evaluating players by tracking their movements during a game. Castrol sponsored the ‘Statistics’ section on the site and other sections were sponsored by tournament sponsors such as the ‘Teams’ and ‘Groups’ sections by Kia Motors and ‘Matches’ and ‘Destinations’ by Emirates. The second-placed RBS Six Nations Rugby website pipped the FIFA World Cup site in the category of Social Community. The site’s homepage offered prominent social networking links, access to an iPhone application, the tournament’s official online store, video content and RBS RugbyForce - described as “an exciting club initiative designed to unite rugby club members and volunteers across the country”.
SPORTS WEBSITES
Rank
Category Winners
Athlete/Sportsperson
URL
2
Andy Murray
http://www.andymurray.com/
3
Lance Armstrong
Multimedia Content
Tiger Woods
General Content
Tiger Woods
http://www.lancearmstrong.com/
General Community
Andy Murray
Social Community
Andy Murray
Style/Navigation
Andy Murray
Monetisation
Tiger Woods
Partnership Activation
Tiger Woods
4
Phil 'The Power' Taylor
http://www.philthepower.com/
5
Roger Federer
http://www.rogerfederer.com/
1
Tiger Woods
http://web.tigerwoods.com/index
ATHLETES AWARD:
TIGER WOODS THE CLOSEST OF THE FIVE AWARDS, golfer Tiger Woods’ website narrowly edged out British tennis player Andy Murray’s official site with victory in the Athletes category at the 2010 Awards. Relaunched in June 2009, the site is a goldmine of information for Woods fans, says Church-Sanders. Its general and multimedia content topped the group and it also delivered for sponsors. Traffic in terms of page views on the site in the past year peaked around the time that Woods delivered a televised speech on 19 February 2010 from the PGA Tour headquarters in Florida, in which he admitted that he had been unfaithful to his wife. Church-Sanders notes the attractive and clean layout of the website, making use of a menu bar at the top of the page and the ability for fans to register, log-in and search the site.
14 2010 ULTIMATE WEBSITES AWARDS
Registration on the site entitles users to join Club Tiger and receive the TigerWoods.com Newsletter and other newsletters and promotions from TigerWoods. com and its partners. Members of the website can participate in Tiger Woods fantasy games and fan contests as well as post messages on the Tiger Woods message board. With discussions including divorce updates and ‘Tiger Woods haters’, the message board certainly lacks any heavy-handed policing by Woods’ personnel, although any negative postings tend to be shot down in flames by the Tiger Woods faithful, perhaps demonstrating that message boards create their own natural order. TigerWoods.com won the Multimedia Content, General Content, Monetisation and Partnership Activation categories, with the other remaining three - General Community,
Social Community, Style/Navigation - won by AndyMurray.com. The website of the British number one tennis player has social media and fan engagement “at the heart” says ChurchSanders. It featured almost daily blogs during the Wimbledon tennis championship (including behind-the-scenes photos as well as text) and links to Murray’s Twitter feed, presented in attractively designed boxes set against a backdrop of the Wimbledon tennis complex. Murray’s Twitter and Facebook pages had 180,201 and 199,460 followers respectively at the time of writing. The website of Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor widely recognised as darts’ greatest ever player - was placed third, with the official websites of seven-time consecutive winner of the Tour de France Lance Armstrong and tennis player Roger Federer placed fourth and fifth respectively.
Ultimate SportS WebSiteS 2010/11 New models, New reveNues, New commuNities Rachael Church-Sanders Updating this bestselling report, we have studied 100 of the best sports websites (or future equivalents where major events have since taken place) that made the grade in the 2009 Awards and put them back under the spotlight along with 25 new ‘wildcards’. Ultimate Sports Websites 2010/11 helps you to stay ahead in this fast-moving medium and includes: • Content Strategies for website operators models, types and payment solutions • Building an online community • Rights models for major markets new media rights, protecting digital assets
• Monetising digital sports content & revenue streams • Case studies from website producers • Digital sports industry forecast With our reliance on the web as a means of communication ever increasing, businesses across the board need to keep up with the latest changes in this area. This updated report is absolutely essential for anyone working in the sports industry. For further details and a synopsis, call the SportBusiness team on +44 207 954 3514 or email infoteam@sportbusiness.com
Ultimate Mobile Apps for Sport 2010 Exploiting New Mobile Media Opportunities Philip Savage
This fast moving media opportunity offers huge potential to connect with new audiences for sport. The Ultimate Mobile Apps for Sport review and report is the latest technology resource from SportBusiness: l Exploit new commercial models for paid-for and sponsored mobile content l Learn from the best with our ranking of top sports apps for events, teams, federations and portals l Understand how new generations are connecting and communicating via mobile technology l Explore opportunities for mobile video on iPhone and iPad l Discover how your sport can use this new medium to best advantage Unless you put your sport literally into the hands of users you risk being overtaken by those that do. Use this valuable resource to avoid being left behind.
For further details and an executive summary call the SportBusiness team on +44 207 954 3514 or email infoteam@sportbusiness.com 16 SportBusiness International • No. 159 • 08.09
SPORTS APPS
THE ULTIMATE SPORTS APPS AWARDS 2010 The explosion of apps - small pieces of software optimised for mobile devices - has continued across all content types in 2010. Downloads reached the three billion mark at the turn of the year while the launch of the iPad tablet computer instantly set pulses racing. Phil Savage, author of the SportBusiness 2009 Mobile Apps for Sport report, analyses 2010’s best sports apps and delivers his final verdict with the first edition of the SportBusiness Ultimate Sports Apps Awards. WHEN COMMENTING on such a fast-moving area as mobile technology, stopping to draw a line in the sand can be a hazardous business. When the 2009 Mobile Apps for Sport report went to press in September last year, consumer electronics manufacturer Apple was on track to hit one billion downloads, tennis was leading the field in event applications and Arsenal had just released the first Premier League club app. Barely nine months later and the landscape, although not unrecognisable, is quite markedly different. In many cases the first movers of 2009 are still leading the pack but what has kept them ahead is continued innovation. A great deal more events and sports properties have managed to clamber aboard this speeding wagon, but in too many cases they have simply presented something reminiscent of those trailblazers. They have often been saved, however, by being able to provide genuinely new and compelling content and today no self-respecting event is complete without an app. As predicted in last year’s report, audiences in both the stadium or on the move now have a rich menu of ways to interact via this mobile technology. Our 2009 review highlighted business models from other sectors which have yet to be explored in sport, suggesting there are commercial possibilities still to be exploited even for the most advanced of sports apps. Final Judging In determining the SportBusiness Ultimate Sports Apps Awards 2010 many hundreds of downloads were reviewed in four major categories: sport/league/tour; event; club/team/ athlete; and multi-sports portal. The categories were chosen to cover the different types of application whilst allowing for sensible comparison between them. Points were awarded up to a maximum of five according to the following eight criteria: (1) Content: SportBusiness’ ranking of the quality and comprehensive nature of the
editorial, photo, data and other content. (2) Video: Points awarded for value, immediacy and uniqueness as well as simply providing video. (3) Design: A recognition of attractive, clear and functional design as well as innovative navigation or layout of features. (4) Audio: Many apps have recognised the weaknesses of video at the present stage of technological and infrastructure development. Radio or other audio can be a useful and attractive add-on feature. (5) Extras: Many apps demonstrate remarkable creativity and provide unique value-added services which are recognised separately from other features. (6) Download: Corresponding to the actual cost users pay to download the app which is typically up to £5 or equivalent in local currency. The one exception to this is in the sport/league/tour category where some products command a premium price of up to £20. Here points have been awarded on a scale where £20 would score a maximum 5 and a £9 app would score 2.25. (7) Sponsors: Business models often involve exposure for sponsors who may be the technical or financial supporters of the product. (8) Monetisation: Where a product is not supported by a sponsor or provided for a download fee, there should be some other commercial rationale underpinning the provision of information. For some apps this is a subscription model, some accept advertising and others cross promote other products.
2010 ULTIMATE WEBSITES AWARDS 17
SPORTS APPS
SPORT/LEAGUE/TOUR AWARD:
F1 TIMING
IT WAS A PHOTO FINISH for the top two places for this category although more data on downloads could have indicated a clear winner. However, leaving aside which app has made most money, both the top-ranked apps - the F1 Timing and Major League Baseball’s At Bat offer innovations of a different kind, making each worthy of a winning score. Ultimately the exceptionally high value of the Soft Pauer-developed F1 Timing App (£19.99), combined with its technical excellence, make it both the winner of this category and, on a the basis of total points scored, overall winner in the 2010 apps ranking. For the Formula One aficionado this download offers the ultimate value-added experience to both practice and race days. On television or at the racetrack in particular there can be frustratingly little information as to timings and standings. The F1 Timing app offers the chance to follow the cars around the twists and turns of the track in real time. There is wealth of background data, statistics and facts, archive video and an audio commentary option. Design is clear and functional giving users the chance to select and follow their favourite team. New for the 2010 version is a unique
18 2010 ULTIMATE WEBSITES AWARDS
1. F1 Timing 2. MLB At Bat 3. Euroleague Basketball 3. Aussie Rules football 5. UEFA
6. NBA Game Time 7. FEI 8. F1 app 9. World Rally Championship 10. NHL playback feature where the action can be delayed and replayed. “The app is paramount to our brand and brand building as Soft Pauer only has two products and they are both real time data transmission applications of racing events,” said Otmar Szafnauer, CEO of Soft Pauer. “We are extremely pleased to have won the title of
a SportBusiness Ultimate Sports App 2010 especially having beaten the likes of MLB and World Rally. We are hopeful this award will help raise awareness of the F1 Timing App and its unique features in order to enhance the fans enjoyment of Formula One racing.” A close second place in the category went to MLB’s At Bat app (MLB Advanced Media, £8.99) which has also received a makeover for 2010. When it launched last year, MLBAM set a new standard in mobile service by offering video to subscribers for the first time. Not content to stand still in this fast moving field - and perhaps reflecting the limitations of mobile video that remain - the 2010 version sports a radio option which survives the vagaries of cellular networks that are creaking with demands for data. Also new for this year is a considerably lower price point although users are asked to pay a premium for the iPad version. What does remain in 2010 however is MLB’s blacking out of coverage in the city of teams playing home fixtures, despite there being little evidence of cannibalisation. There is no football in the top three although UEFA does make an appearance at number five overall.
SPORTS APPS
EVENTS AWARD:
WIMBLEDON 2010 ALTHOUGH WIMBLEDON 2010 is the winner of this year’s top event app award, just ahead of Australia Open Tennis 2010, the real winner across this category is IBM, which produced both tennis apps as well as the golf apps in third and fourth spots. Whilst not the most technically innovative this year, these products offer a great service for the fan in the stands and in the office. When they first appeared in 2009, the navigation was ground-breaking and sponsors IBM set a standard that has been followed by many other apps in the sports space. In 2010 the design still looks fresh, particularly the Australian Open Tennis interface, but the Wimbledon app pipped the others by offering a slightly better range of services including ticketing and debenture information and travel updates. The app, which was free to Apple iPhone users and those tennis fans with phones running Google’s Android operating system, combined live video streams from showcourt matches, ‘Murray Mount’ (a spectator site on the Wimbledon grounds also known as ‘Henman Hill’) and even taxi queues. The software was also able to determine
1. Wimbledon 2010 2. Australia Open Tennis 2010 3. US Masters Golf 4. US Open Golf 5. Giro d'Italia 2010
6. Vancouver 2010 7. NBC Olympics 8. Volvo Ocean Race 9. Commonwealth Games 2010 10. Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games a user’s location and supply geo-specific information on everything from the length of queues for strawberries and cream, to the location of the nearest cash machine. This year is an ideal time to be reviewing apps in the event space as it includes some of the giants of major sports events, namely the Winter Olympic Games and the FIFA
World Cup - and it is important to explain why neither the Vancouver nor South Africa event hit the top spots. The FIFA event is easiest to explain: there was no official app other than an Electronic Arts World Cup game, leaving the market wide open for literally dozens of products. Perhaps the most downloaded was ESPN’s Soccernet 2010 (ESPN, free) but this reflects the unique size of the US market and the company’s reach elsewhere. In the UK, the Telegraph World Cup app was popular and the England App provided some unique behind the scenes video from FA TV, but both were created with the domestic market in mind. In contrast, Vancouver 2010 dominated the app downloads for the event but made it to just sixth position in the rankings. It had a bright intuitive design and, as we might expect, offered good exposure for its sponsors, but on the downside the content was surprisingly limited despite the event comprising dozens of individual championships and thousands of competitors. Other apps have showed what the media can do in providing the chance to drill down to a very granular level and this one, whilst of a high quality, simply did not.
2010 ULTIMATE WEBSITES AWARDS 19
SPORTS APPS
CLUB/TEAM/ATHLETE AWARD:
MERCEDES MCLAREN F1 TOP OF THE LEAGUE TABLE in this category is the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team app. It packs a huge amount into a tiny space and for a free app offers great value for iPhone users and the team sponsors alike. Navigation is clear and the information comprehensive with some beautifully produced video interviews with drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. There is some useful background on tracks and standings and the obligatory news feed, but the app really comes alive on race days when users benefit from a unique real-time feed of the in-car telemetry. Nothing like this has so far appeared elsewhere and the feature is a significant enhancement for racing aficionados who can see RPM, gear selection, speed and breaking force. A couple of tiny niggles: accessing video takes the user out of the app and multi-tasking on the iPhone can be irritating. Finally, fans could have been given more information about the car. It should be noted that the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team also launched a bespoke app for individuals using hospitality facilities at this year’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone. On arrival at the racetrack, those
20 2010 ULTIMATE WEBSITES AWARDS
1. Vodafone Mercedes McLaren F1 2. Chelsea FC 3. Istanbul 05: LFC Glory 4. Real Madrid 5. England
6. FC Barcelona 7. AC Milan 8. Tottenham Hotspur 9. Arsenal FC 10. Liverpool FC guests with the app, designed for the Android platform, were able to download exclusive team content and access a guide featuring a number of bars and on-site attractions. “Utilising the existing platform of our Vodafone McLaren Mercedes sponsorship, with our app we are reinforcing our brand promise of ‘power to you’, enabling people to get closer
to their passions by delivering added value to the customer through a simple, accessible and involving app experience,” says Daragh Persse, Vodafone Global Head of Sponsorship and Cause Marketing. “It is an empowering platform that allows us to continue to build ongoing relationships with customers globally. “To be singled out from other clubs and teams from within the highly-competitive, fastmoving and growing platform of mobile apps is fantastic, and is credit to our relationship with McLaren and our partner agencies.” Despite a plethora of club and team apps there are precious few that stand out from the crowd. By no means do the majority of clubs or teams have an official presence in the App Store and the ones that do bear a striking similarity to each other. The winners, however, are worthy of the prize, each displaying an originality and flair that lives up to the reputation of the teams they represent. This category’s second placed app is Chelsea FC’s download (CFC, £1.79), which stands head and shoulders above the rest in the genre. Its landscape orientation and glossy design are immediately striking and much more reminiscent of its Flash-rich website.
SPORTS APPS
PORTAL/MULTI-SPORT AWARD:
ESPN SCORECENTER MULTI-SPORT PRODUCTS tend, unsurprisingly, to focus on the markets for which the parent company’s media provides content. This can make them hard to compare: one market’s perfect news source is another’s tedious irrelevance. However, our scoring system allows us to award a ranking. Top in this category is an app which is a long way from providing the best service or experience but does give us the chance to acknowledge the absolute best in the exploitation of mobile sports content. ESPN launched its ScoreCenter app in June 2009 and proceeded to attract over five million downloads in the following months pushing it comfortably ahead of nearest rival, Sportacular. Users can personalise the product with their teams and get push notifications, results and data from a wide range of sports. What sets ESPN apart is the follow-up approach they employed to turn this enormous subscriber base into a powerful revenue stream for the company, one which has contributed to a 78 per cent growth across the channel. Not content with one successful app, ESPN followed up with several premium products (ESPN Radio is particularly noteworthy) which
1. ESPN Scorecenter 2. Sky Mobile TV Sport and News 3. ESPN Radio 4. NBC Sports Mobile 4. Eurosport TV
6. ITV 7. Gazetto dello Sport 8. Racing Post 9. Le Monde 10. BBC Sport effectively monetised this lucrative database. According to Nielsen Mobile, ESPN’s mobile web traffic now averages 8.93 million unique visitors a month, up 35 per cent yearon-year. Visits to ESPNSoccernet Mobile grew 379 per cent over 2008, and visits to ESPNCricinfo Mobile increased 113 per cent. ESPN Mobile TV delivered almost 850 live
events in 2009, and total viewership minutes increased 186 per cent over 2008 totals. Not all ESPN’s apps are centred around sport but each is focused on a key demographic represented among its ScoreCenter downloaders. There are a number of fantasy games based on football and basketball complete with draft versions, but there is also a money competition, Streak for The Cash, and a Spelling Bee app. Each uses powerful, cross-selling links to migrate users from one app to another and the collection of personal information along the way enables the company to target users cleverly. In an environment where there is a morass of free content and many question the value, ESPN ScoreCenter has shown how the provision of sports content can drive its brand, enhance knowledge of its customers and generate real and sizeable profits. In second place is Sky’s popular Mobile TV Sport and News product (Sky, £6 per month/ £35 per month on the iPad). With clear sound and video, subscribers get unlimited access to four Sky Sports channels plus Sky Sports News and Sky News making it tremendous value given Sky’s extensive rights portfolio.
2010 ULTIMATE WEBSITES AWARDS 21