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NBC Launches Two Olympics Mobile Apps

The last two days have been crazy for me as I’ve been dealing with family. Nothing major, but it’s taking up a lot of my time. My apologies for not posting as much as you’ve become accustomed.

Let’s get to this without further delay.

NBC announced this week that it’s released two new Olympic mobile apps, one is a result app and the other is the long-awaited streaming video app that will provide all of the events.

Both apps are available for download on Android and Apple devices. I’ve already put both apps on my iPhone and iPad and they look quite impressive.

Here’s the press release from NBC.

NBC OLYMPICS LAUNCHES TWO APPS FOR LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES

NBC Olympics Live Extra app to Live Stream 3,500+ Hours — Every Sport, Every Competition, Every Medal — to Multi-Channel Video Subscribers
NBC Olympics app to provide short-form highlights, schedules, live results, columns, athlete profiles, and new Primetime Companion feature
Both apps built and powered by Adobe

NEW YORK – July 12, 2012 – NBC Olympics, a division of the NBC Sports Group, has launched two apps, both built by and powered by Adobe, as part of its comprehensive coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games.

NBC Olympics Live Extra, will allow cable, satellite and telco customers to live stream more than 3,500 hours of content, including all 32 sports, every athletic competition and all 302 medal events. The second app, simply titledNBC Olympics, will provide short-form highlights, TV and online schedules, live results, columns and the newPrimetime Companion feature — the ultimate complementary, second-screen experience for NBC’s nightly primetime Olympic broadcasts.

“NBC Olympics Live Extra puts the London Olympic Games into the hands of America’s tablet and smartphone user, enabling us to once again use advances in technology to provide the broadest possible access to the thousands of hours of Olympic competition,” said Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics. “The NBC Olympics app will be the definitive and most up to date source of information from the London Games, and the exclusive mobile source in the U.S. for London Olympic video highlights. It will also feature live results, dynamically served TV and online listings, and – during NBC primetime – a second screen for enhanced viewing and social interaction for when America again gathers each night for 17 nights to share in the incredible stories from London.”

NBC Olympics partnered with Adobe, which built both apps and is powering them through the conclusion of the Games. The NBC Olympics Live Extra and NBC Olympics apps are available on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play, and on the App Store for iPhone, iPadand iPod touch.

“It’s been great working with NBC Olympics to change the way live sporting events are experienced by consumers. NBC is now able to create, deliver, monetize and measure the Olympics across mobile devices – using tools and technologies that make up Adobe’s video solutions,” saidDavid Wadhwani, senior vice president, Digital Media Business at Adobe. “We’re working closely with NBC Olympics and others to ensure viewers have a seamless viewing experience with two easy-to-navigate apps.”

Zenkel added, “NBC Olympics is confident that Adobe, a proven technology leader and longtime partner, will deliver the best mobile event application experiences America has ever seen.”

The entire Olympics mobile and tablet experiences were built by and are powered by technologies that make up Adobe’s Project Primetime, enabling NBC Olympics to create, deliver, verify, monetize and measure the Games across mobile and tablet devices.

To learn more about Adobe technology powering the apps and for a behind-the-scenes video, go tohttp://blogs.adobe.com/digitalmedia.

NBC OLYMPICS LIVE EXTRA

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 all 32 sports, the awarding of all 302 medals and 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.

The vast majority of live stream content on NBC Olympics Live Extra will only be available to verified cable, satellite or telco customers. In order to access the live stream content, existing cable, satellite and telco customers should follow these verification procedures (note: customers must subscribe to a video tier that includes both CNBC and MSNBC):
1. Download the NBC Olympics Live Extra app
2. Open the app
3. Tap the “Touch Here & Get Ready” callout
4. Select your cable, satellite or telco provider
5. Enter the username and password that corresponds with your account
6. You are signed in throughout the Games on that device!

Customers with multiple devices should repeat the procedure on each device. Access to this content is free for customers as part of their video subscription — there is no additional charge. For customers who do not have a username and password, they should contact their cable, satellite or telco provider to create one. More information about the process, including contact information for cable, satellite and telco providers, can be found at:www.nbcolympics.com/liveextra/help.

NBC Olympics Live Extra is available for free from the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or atwww.itunes.com/appstore. It is also available for free from Google Play on select Android devices or atwww.play.google.com.

NBC OLYMPICS

While NBC Olympics Live Extra will be the mobile and tablet home for live stream content, the NBC Olympics app will be the home for everything else Olympics, including short-form highlights, event schedules, TV and online listings, results, athlete profiles, columns and the new Primetime Companion feature.

The Primetime Companion is the ultimate complementary, second-screen experience for NBC’s nightly primetime Olympic broadcast. Users can go deeper into the broadcast with trivia, polls, slideshows, videos and athlete bios all synced with what is being presented on NBC. The companion will also allow users to share the primetime experience with friends and family through a series of social tools connected through Facebook and Twitter. Synched to each device’s clock, the Primetime Companion will automatically appear when a user opens the app during NBC’s primetime broadcast.

NBC Olympics is available for free from the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or atwww.itunes.com/appstore. It is also available for free from Google Play on select Android devices or atwww.play.google.com.

That’s all.

BTN2Go Now Available For Android Devices

The Big Ten Network, known as BTN for short, has announced that its popular BTN2Go app for iOS platforms is now available for download on Android devices.

BTN2Go allows cable subscribers who authenticate through an easy process to watch linear BTN programming live on their mobiles and tablets. I have BTN2Go on my iPad and it’s quite the joy to watch. In addition to watching the same BTN that’s available on TV, there are hundreds of other Big Ten Conference events that aren’t available on TV and can only be seen online.

According to Big Ten Network, the BTN2Go app is available for download at the Android Marketplace. Here’s the Big Ten Network press release.

BTN2Go NOW AVAILABLE FOR ANDROID

Live BTN Games Headline an Extensive Slate of Programming Offered to Authenticated Subscribers

CHICAGO – BTN2Go, a 24/7 mobile extension of BTN delivering live and on-demand programming to existing BTN subscribers of participating providers via the web, smartphones and tablets, is now available for Android users.

BTN2Go is a live feed of all BTN television programming, including more than 40 football games, over 100 men’s basketball games and hundreds of other live events, as well as Extra Football Game Channels, on-demand programming and archived content. BTN2Go is one of only two nationally distributed TV Everywhere sports services, and has been available on the internet, iPad and iPhone platforms since last fall and is now available to Android users on both mobile devices and tablets.

“BTN2Go has been widely praised by our viewers who are, more than ever, demanding access to our content when and where they want it,” said Michael Calderon, BTN vice president, digital and interactive media.  “Adding Android’s mobile market share allows us to significantly increase access to Big Ten sports and an expanding portfolio of live and on-demand programming.”

There are more than 300 million activated Android devices, and every day more than 900,000 new devices are activated in more than 169 countries around the world.
BTN2Go is offered exclusively through BTN’s participating cable, satellite and telco distribution partners as an authenticated digital service to subscribers who already receive BTN as part of their video subscription. Current distribution partners are Bright House, Cablevision, Charter, Cox, DIRECTV, DISH, Time Warner Cable, Wide Open West, and Verizon FiOS.

Fans whose television providers already offer BTN2Go and wish to download it on their Android devices can go to Google Play.  More information about BTN2Go is available at BTN2Go.com

That’s all.

Turner Launches New NCAA Sports Mobile App

Just announced by Turner Sports, a new NCAA Sports mobile app that will be made available for the iPhone and Android platforms. This will give mobile phone users the opportunity to see over 60 NCAA Championships.

The live game streaming will begin with finals coverage of Divisions I-III field hockey and Division II and III soccer.

Turner has also optimized the NCAA.com site for mobile users. Here’s the press release from Turner Sports on the new NCAA Sports app.

NCAA Digital Launches NCAA® Sports, a Year-round College Sports iPhone App to Feature Exclusive Live Video Streaming of More Than 60 NCAA Championship Events

NCAA.com also launches new mobile website for touchscreen mobile devices

Turner Sports and the NCAA announced today the launch of NCAA Sports, a new iPhone app that provides in-depth regular season coverage of college football and basketball, as well as NCAA championship coverage of all NCAA sports.  In addition, NCAA Sports offers fans exclusive live video streaming of more than 60 NCAA championship events 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. Turner-hosted NCAA.com is also unveiling a new mobile website for touchscreen phones (iPhone, Android, etc.), accessible via your mobile browser. The new mobile website will allow fans to get live scores, schedules, news, rankings and video recaps suitable for the mobile screen.

For fans on the go, NCAA Sports provides college sports news and scores throughout the year, with live and on-demand video coverage of NCAA championships. Users also will be able to virtually check into games and chat with friends via Facebook and Twitter. NCAA Sports is available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod Touch.

Click to here to access NCAA Sports

“With the launch of the NCAA Sports iPhone app and the new NCAA.com mobile website, we’re giving  college sports fans greater access to NCAA championship and regular season content than ever before,” said Mark Johnson, vice-president of Turner Sports’ NCAA Digital group. “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.”

“NCAA Sports is the next step in providing fans with more convenient digital access to many NCAA championships. We’ve seen the success with March Madness on Demand and other NCAA.com initiatives over the years and are excited to launch these new features for fans of our other NCAA championships,” said Greg Shaheen, NCAA interim executive vice president for championships and alliances.

“The NCAA Sports mobile app will provide live game streaming, interactive opportunities and access to more championship information,” Shaheen added. “This new mobile capability also will broaden the NCAA audience and overall reach with messaging whether fans are at the championship or viewing from another location.”

To kick-off the live game streaming, NCAA Sports will feature live finals coverage of: Divisions I, II and III women’s field hockey, Divisions II and III men’s and women’s soccer, National Collegiate men’s water polo and Divisions II and III women’s volleyball. The live video streaming coverage also will include Division II football quarterfinal games on December 3.

Additionally, the NCAA.com mobile website is now available for touchscreen devices by typing ncaa.com in your address bar. Fans have the opportunity to follow their favorite NCAA sports and receive live scores, schedules, video recaps and interviews with the same feel as the home site – NCAA.com.

That’s it.

It’s Been Way Too Long Without Linkage

I appreciate you still visiting Fang’s Bites as I’ve been trying to keep the site updated for you. Linkage has been scarce since Sunday. Been busy helping my sister with her son and then I was out for most of the morning.

Time to provide you with some linkage.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today says Fox Sports will be using infra-red technology during the World Series.

The Nielsen Wire blog notes the MLB teams that topped their local markets in the TV ratings.

Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk looks at Bryant Gumbel’s controversial commentary about NBA Commissioner David Stern.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing says while Gumbel’s “plantation overseer” comment is what’s driving controversy, it’s Stern himself who’s stirring the pot.

Robert Littal at Black Sports Online is uncomfortable with Gumbel’s commentary.

Lauren Schutte of the Hollywood Reporter has a look at Stephen Colbert’s mock ad on the NBA lockout.

George Winslow from Broadcasting & Cable says the Big 12 Conference has chosen a company to help develop mobile apps for the iPhone and Android platforms.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News writes that ESPN scored a key demographic win for Monday Night Football.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek says low ratings for the MLB League Championship Series isn’t providing much hope for the World Series.

Anthony also looks at the breakdown of talks between the NFL and Time Warner Cable for the NFL Network.

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid says while people are talking about Bryant Gumbel’s comments about NBA Commissioner David Stern, there’s another unflattering analogy about him floating around the internet today.

Joe Gisondi of the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center has some suggestions on how to write a proper lead and how to avoid writing clichés.

Brandon Costa from Sports Video Group says Fox Sports Midwest is trying to set itself apart among the outlets covering this year’s World Series.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell looks at the two Lone Star State businessmen behind the Texas Rangers.

To Pro Hockey Talk and Mike Halford who says the Winnipeg Jets are blown away by the local media coverage particularly today in Toronto as compared to when they were the Atlanta Thrashers.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says the byes in NFL Week 7 are leaving Fox with scraps.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call writes that Fox’s Joe Buck doesn’t care if you think he’s biased for one team or another.

From the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg notes that former DC NFL Team quarterback Joe Theismann isn’t in favor of John Beck starting this week over train wreck Rex Grossman. This is why Joe was such a bad analyst.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says ESPN on ABC correctly covered Dan Wheldon’s death and subsequent tribute on Sunday.

To the Houston Chronicle where Anna-Megan Raley shows us how Texans tight end Joel Dreessen took down an NFL Network analyst.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman says the Fox Sports crew is looking forward to airing its 14th World Series.

Mel notes that college football topped the local ratings.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer says the local CBS affiliate won’t carry Carson Palmer’s Oakland Raiders debut on Sunday.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business has some sports TV notes including the World Series ratings expectations.

Ed also compares the fates and fortunes of the Cubs and Cardinals as the World Series begins tonight.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that both Joe Buck and Tim McCarver are almost back at full strength after separate physical ailments.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News writes that Fox won’t be displaying a live strike zone graphic as TBS did during its MLB Postseason coverage.

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail says like it or not, Don Cherry’s influence on Canadian hockey cannot be measured.

Sports Media Watch notes that CBS finally broke out of its NFL ratings losing streak in Week 5.

SMW says in NFL Week 5, Fox saw a ratings downtick.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media notes that Versus/NBC Sports Network will begin airing Notre Dame hockey games this season.

And that will do it for links today.

Going For The Tuesday Links

Let’s do some linkage on this Tuesday. News broke last evening about Gus Johnson leaving CBS and possibly going to Fox. We’ll be following this story today and anything else that breaks.

Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk examines the move by CBS to allow Gus to walk away.

Mike McCarthy of USA Today bids adieu to Gus.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today takes a look at the ratings from the weekend including those of the Kentucky Derby.

Bruce Horovitz of USA Today notes that energy drink Red Bull is expanding into the lifestyle magazine market.

Wayne Friedman of MediaPost examines the extensive rebranding of Comcast’s sports networks under the guidance of NBC Sports.

Also at MediaPost, Gavin O’Malley has a story on ESPN consolidating its print and digital media operations.

Jason Fry at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center tells aspiring journalists not to heed Rick Reilly’s advice and not be afraid to write for free.

Daniel Libit of the Columbia Journalism Review looks at the unique blogging arrangement between former Chicago Tribune NBA beat writer Sam Smith and the Chicago Bulls.

Todd Spangler from Broadcasting & Cable writes that ESPN has launched its Watch ESPN app for Android phones and tablets.

Anthony Crupi at AdWeek wonders if the Los Angeles Lakers’ exit from the NBA Playoffs will mean lower ratings for ESPN/ABC and TNT.

To Yahoo’s Puck Daddy and Greg Wyshynski who writes about a controversy brewing after an NHL player agent anti-gay marriage tweets on his business account following Sean Avery’s vocal support of the issue.

Marcus Vanderberg of SportsNewser notes that the Kentucky Derby’s overnight ratings were down slightly from last year.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell has an extensive look at the horse that sired Derby winner Animal Kingdom.

Jason Dachman from Sports Video Group writes about the new man who will head Turner Sports’ digital golf group.

To TV NewsCheck to look at a new urban TV network that hopes to serve the African American community with news, sports and other programming.

Richard Sandomir at the New York Times reveals that the late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was an FBI informant on more than one occasion.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has your first look at the NBA Western Conference Finals schedule.

Dan Gross at the Philadelphia Daily News notes that the Comcast SportsNet regional networks will be rebranded under NBC Sports soon.

The Charlotte Observer says ESPN’s E:60 will profile a family who recently moved to the area to be closer to a minor league hockey team and better medical care.

Garry Smits with the Florida Times-Union recaps last night’s World Golf Hall of Fame ceremonies which posthumously inducted the late CBS producer Frank Chirkinian.

Tom Jones from the St. Petersburg Times notes that a popular local sports radio host could be leaving the #1 station in the market.

W. Scott Bailey of the San Antonio Business Times writes about a new reality show on Fox Sports Southwest that will focus on Texas-San Antonio’s effort to launch a new college football program.

Rob Hernandez of the Capital (WI) Times talks with a former local sports anchor will appear on Oprah to show off a huge transformation.

Chris Vetter of the Eau Claire (WI) Leader-Telegram wonders why there’s hardly any interest in the NBA in the local area.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business says there should be no doubt about the legacy of Lakers coach Phil Jackson.

In the Daily Dunklin (MO) Democrat, ESPN video editor Dustin Sullivan gives some greetings to his hometown.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News gives TNT’s Charles Barkley the final say on the Lakers’ ignominious exit from the NBA Playoffs.

James Day in the Salem (OR) Statesman-Journal says Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott followed through on his promise to get a lucrative TV deal for the league.

At Awful Announcing, Ben Koo suggests that Gus Johnson may have had to make the move away from CBS now out of necessity.

Matt Sarzyniak of Matt’s College Sports and Matt’s College Sports Media Blog looks one more time at the Pac-12 media deals and a look ahead to this season.

Kat Hasenauer of SportsGirlKat says hockey agent firm Uptown Sports taking an anti-gay marriage stance is bad for business.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog reviews the UEFA Champions League coverage in Canada.

Sports Media Watch says TNT saw good numbers for Monday night’s NBA Playoff doubleheader.

SMW notes ESPN/ABC scored well for the weekend NBA games.

And my good Twitter friend, Stephanie Gordon at Not Your Typical Girl says sports organizations forget that women are sports fans too.

We will end it there.

“Watch ESPN” App Now Available For Android Platforms

The Watch ESPN app which allows subscribers of Time Warner Cable/Bright House and Verizon FiOS systems to see the linear ESPN on smartphones and tablets. This announcement made in the last hour by ESPN. The app had been previously released for Apple platforms last month. Now, those with an Android device can watch the ESPN networks, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Buzzer Beater as well as ESPN3.com. As someone who’s sampled the Watch ESPN app on a trial basis, it’s really good and provides a quality picture. Those who get Time Warner/Bright House and Verizon FiOS will love the ability to take ESPN everywhere you go.

Here’s the announcement.

‘WatchESPN’ App Now Available on Android Devices

App Gives Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Verizon FiOS TV Subscribers Live Access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com Content on Android Phone and Tablet Devices

NEW YORK, N.Y. – ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com are now available on Android phone and tablet devices to Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Verizon FiOS TV subscribers who receive ESPN’s linear networks as part of their video subscription. The WatchESPN App, can be downloaded via the Android Market beginning today. ESPN Goal Line and ESPN Buzzer Beater will also be available when those networks are in season.

The free App – first launched to iPad, iPhone and iPod touch in April, 2011 – features a simple user interface that takes the live viewing experience to the high-resolution, Multi-Touch displays of Android devices. Once a user downloads WatchESPN from the Android Market, he will receive instructions to enter the appropriate cable subscriber credentials to begin accessing ESPN content from the device.

The WatchESPN App is available free for Android devices from the Android Market and for Apple devices from the App Store.

ESPN first launched an online-accessible authenticated version of ESPN in October, 2010. Authenticated versions of ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Buzzer Beater/Goal Line launched in January, 2011. Consumers can access the channels through a centralized website, ESPNnetworks.com.

There you have it.