A moveable feast of sport

By Katie Buchanan

Wimbledon might be over for another year, but this year welcomed a few differences. Not only was there a new men’s champion for the first time in five years, there was also a massive improvement in coverage for the working population.

For the first time, tennis fans were able to visit the BBC website and watch free live match streaming of play on a court of their choice from their own desks. The ability to launch a compact pop-out window perfectly catered for the needs of a desk-bound audience needing to work (or at least pretend to work) on other documents whilst keeping an eye on the game. This ability coupled with the option to watch match highlights and previous matches on BBC iPlayer, offered convenience like never before.

The good news for all sports fans is that the growing accessibility of live coverage online is set to continue. Developments in mobile technology and infrastructure will enable more and more users to watch live sport on the move via their mobile phones. Perhaps next Wimbledon, you could watch a nail-biting five-set semi-final between Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal from start to finish without changing your daily habits or missing a single point. You could stream it to your desk at work on the BBC website, and then switch to your mobile on your commute home, before catching the climax on TV. Indeed, with the greatest show on earth, the Beijing Olympics, due to start this month, fans will be eager to be in continual touch with developments as early as possible.

The potential is clear to see. For media organisations, getting content to people wherever they are, regardless of platform, is an attractive proposition. Of course with any new technology it is vital that it is delivered in a way that truly addresses peoples’ needs. In order to drive usage it is necessary to have comprehensive knowledge about the who, what, why, when, where and how of human behaviour:

• Who – refers to the people demanding these applications and those that could be triggered to use them
• What – pertains to particular features or functionality they want
• Why – determines the drivers of use
• When – suggests the most appropriate time for use
• Where – questions the context of use with regard to both physical and social environment
• How – examines the behaviour actually exhibited in using these new offerings.

At Foviance we are proud to be currently working with a number of brands and are employing innovative research methods to help them truly understand how their consumers respond to these new concepts. This is aiding them in their development efforts while providing greater clarity for future strategy.