Participant Observations 23/2/17 - Preliminary Observations During Research

Here is an early preliminary list of Participant Observations during the early stages of the research:

• Getting AFL via the AFL Global app, which effectively allowed me to bypass the subscription model of getting games (See earlier blog posts)
• I want to see if I can get the VPN to access the SlingTV app, which I could then cast directly to the television. This might be another alternative to the subscription model. What interests me is that this technology is not available in Australia, and that is almost certainly a result of the TV Now case a few years ago.
• I want to see if the quality of the picture of say NFL is different via the Watch ESPN app vs the Foxtel GO app vs the Twitter stream of Thursday night games. If Foxtel are streaming games at less than HD quality, they are obviously still trying to force people onto their primary subscription platform to maximise their current business model and content rights. But people can authenticate the Watch ESPN app using their Foxtel login, so are Foxtel relying on people not knowing about the Watch ESPN app? Otherwise, why would you watch the game in lower quality when the option is there to watch it in HD?
• Are rights divided along quality lines? I.e., HD vs SD? Foxtel cannot otherwise own the EXCLUSIVE rights to stream NFL in Australia on mobile platforms if Twitter and ESPN are also able to stream the games at the same time in as-good if not better quality
• Purchasing a Smart TV opens up an understanding of IPTV, how easy it is to stream, how international in flavour it is, and the quality of the picture.
• How often I consume sport as a 2-screen experience, especially given the number of replays in the broadcast that allow you to keep track of play, while browsing social media and fantasy sports on the second screen
• How I have produced live streaming for sports production: SEABL TV and Bar TV Sports. This gives an understanding of the nature of streaming production, the ease and affordability of it, but the low numbers of consumption as well.
• How I have watched illegal streaming sites in the past, such as the superbowl in 2012 when San Francisco were playing against Baltimore. 
• Is Watch ESPN on delay/near live deliberately, due to Foxtel holding the exclusive rights to content on that platform in Australia, or is that just a technical consideration?
• Hutchins and Rowe refer to their dealings with organisations at grassroots level that exploit the Democratic and participatory nature of new ICT's - my own experiences with Sporting Pulse reflects a first-hand experience of this observation.
• I was able to watch games of NFL simultaneously on Foxtel, Foxtel GO, Watch ESPN, and Twitter. There main difference was not so much the quality of the vision, although this did vary a bit across the platforms, but it was the amount of delay across the platforms. I think the order of 'liveness' was Foxtel, Foxtel Go, Watch ESPN app, and then Twitter. Is this delay in coverage a deliberate strategy? I.e., are games sold on their liveness across the platforms, with the 'livest' being the most premium rights? Or is it just a condition of the technology? I.e., the streaming apps just can't relay the signal as quickly as the cable/satellite signal? Overall, the delay in some instances was substantial - I think the twitter delivery was about 90-120 seconds behind the Foxtel delivery.
• The NBA tries to facilitate people watching the game on mobile devices through NBA League Pass by including a "Mobile Cam" option, where a camrea follows the ball in a mid shot (instead of a longer shot) so that the viewing expereince is better on mobile devices, as the play is 'closer' to the action.
• Cricket coverage, especially in India for example, have ackoledged and anticipated the global nature of their audiences, by incorpoarting features into the broadcast to acommodate this, such as 'Local Time' displays on scoreboards:

• Produser content is being incorporated into mainstream television broadcasts, and being commercialised, such as the promotion of the "Backyard cricket heroes" in the Big Bash coverage over the summer, that is sponsored by KFC.
• Audience interaction is facilitated via live synced fantasy sports apps, such as the NBA InPlay app, that syncs up a mobile device to a broadcast game, so that fantasy games can be played in real time in sync with the broadcast.
• NBN News has aligned its website reporting with Neilsen. This allows the website traffic to be counted towards the Nine Digital Operation. The NBN News website performance will be reported by Neilsen on a daily basis, this helps to "gain valuable understanding on what really works for us across content, publishing and platforms day by day. Our 2017 goal is to continue to create great content, but deliver it in ways that really drives traffic." (Laurence Schuberth, NBN Digital Manager). Social media isn't included in this figure however. 
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