Pulse Jam

NBA.com sets web record

Although we focus more on technology, thought this little bit of info regarding increased activity in online properties, especially in pro sports was interesting.  NBA.com, the website of the National Basketball Association (NBA), has recorded the largest ever-number of hits for a sports website.

More than 5.6 million hits were reported on June 5 during Game 1 of the NBA Finals – a 65 per cent increase on the previous record of 3.4 million set on June 7 a year earlier. Including the playoffs, NBA.com has surpassed 1 billion visits in a full season for the first time, with 1.2 billion visits to date. Overall visits have up by 60 per cent this season compared to a year ago.

NBA.com estimates that around 55 million fans will visit its site during the seven-game championship. In addition, the NBA expects more than 500,000 hours of video are expected to be viewed by fans through NBA TV online offerings.

10 million hits for Euro2008.com

The Euro 2008 championship website, euro2008.com, has recorded more than ten million hits since the start of June – a 500 per cent increase on the number of visitors euro2004.com received four years ago.

According to David Farrelly, Head of Web and Content for UEFA Media Technologies (UMET), there are more visitors from the United Kingdom than any other single country. He also said there were a considerable number of site users from the United States and Germany.

The website, which is available in seven European languages and three Asian languages, was launched 100 days before the start of the competition and features live video streaming of the 16 competing teams as well as 130 prior matches in the history of the tournament.

Wimbledon goes live via Web today

Today the All England Club in London will begin to sift through tennis champions and their challengers, and while coverage of matches outside the racquet-packed complex on traditional television won’t be totally comprehensive for many viewers, those with browsers and solid broadband connections will be privileged to watch any and all they choose - for the sum of $24.99, that is.

This isn’t the first time Wimbledon has streamed its annual proceedings from grass turf to Web. According to MediaZone, the mechanism by which online coverage has been made possible, the option to view “Centre Court” and all its surroundings via IP has been available for two years prior. Still, for tennis fans who feel themselves wanting to watch any of this year’s 300 matches, spread across eight courts, will be able to do so precisely as they occur.

As a fan of the tennis circuit, I may have to go ahead and take the AEC and MediaZone up on their offer this year, paying the fee for an “All-Access Pass” of my own.  If for no other reason than the basic over-the-air coverage of the tournament is "challenging" for Wimbledon’s American audience.  It's important to note:  Only Windows XP, Vista, Internet Explorer 6.0+ and Windows Media Player 10 or 11 is supported.