When Microsoft first signed a deal with Major League Soccer and then a mega-deal with the NFL last spring, it raised lots of eyebrows as to what was coming. Windows 8 and the mobile world haven’t exactly been kind to MS, so was this a large scale advertising campaign or a multi-faceted program designed to go beyond just selling product and building affinity for an upgraded operating system.
For MLS, the partnership has been full of on-site tablet demonstrations, grassroots technology programs and of course, signage on national games. It hasn’t yet brought tech to the field with coaches using MS product to design plays or players pulling up highlights in game, but that could be in the offing for now. A fun feature dropped in is in of all places, theaters, where the Microsoft/MLS partnership has provided some amazing features of the off-field work of some of the sports’ more intriguing stars like the Seattle Sounders’ African born, English raised Steve Zakuani and his interest in music (also a nice convergence of the Xbox sponsorship with the Sounders as an added plus). A great way to reach the casual fan in an unconventional way.
While all that is nice, the game changer for MS appears to be with the NFL as the bellwether, and some of that glimpse of the future came as the NFL season kicks off this week. The wide-ranging deal over five years gave Microsoft the rights to create “exclusive interactive experiences” through Xbox One and its Surface tablet line. In addition Xbox One lets users view live games and simultaneously interact with a personalized NFL destination that features player, team, and game information.
Somewhere down the line, coaches will be given Surface tablets to pull plays, video and still photography, but with connectivity in stadia still an issue, that is a ways away. Of course there is also the traditional signage, and the branding on NFL sidelines on the hoods of the official on-field NFL instant replay stations.
So beginning this season through a partnership with Microsoft, the NFL and ESPN, the convergence of live games with scores, stats, and other data on one console can begin. Want to watch the game while tracking your customized fantasy players with highlights, the partnership can do that. Want to play a little halo and be alerted when your players or your team score or there is an amazing play, the Xbox can do that as well. Want to just watch and be prompted with customized news like the average fan; there is a way to do that too, all through the Xbox. How about in the future, playing your own customized NFL video game while the real game is going on, and getting instant updates directly into your game that can enhance your playing ability…like a change due to injury or weather conditions…or even a message from someone on the sidelines customized to you…the XBOX will be able to do that.
Though Microsoft just has the NFL and MLS, it is just the start of the convergence between gaming and the viewing experience. Two years ago the movie “Real Steel” gave a futuristic look of sport…not robots boxing but the use of tablets and gaming consoles by coaches and participants to enhance the live experience. Some day soon those consoles will also include wagering, real or for virtual goods and services, and convergence will continue. Nice that football and football appear to have gotten the first step, with more to come.
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