14 DAY TRIAL // Like any of the old media avenues, TV networks are still reluctant about the Internet. They may be more open to it than the music not to mention the newspaper industries but they still have a long way to go. But whether they like it or not, progress is inevitable and they'll have to accept it at some point. And, at least in sports, the “future of television” may already be here, with the US Open having a blowout coverage of the matches on its website, with five matches broadcast at once.
The preeminent tennis tournament has a great website set up for fans to keep up with the action but its biggest draw is the live broadcast, with five matches streamed at the same time in the first day of the tournament. And the best part is that the users can switch between them at any point within the player with all matches displayed in thumbnail form in the left upper corner along with the current scores. The experience itself is actually better than on a regular big TV network broadcast featuring professional commentary and, for the most part, little to no ads.
And after the matches are over the site does a great job of providing fans with all the info they need, with video highlights of the day's matches, press conference videos and other coverage. And if that isn't enough there are even some classic matches going as far back as 1971. The site is actually built and hosted by IBM, a longtime partner of the US Open, and has introduced live video this year for the first time. But even without the live broadcast the site managed to attract 9.2 million visitors in 2008.
Besides the obvious advantages of being able to choose the matches that interest you and the uninterrupted experience thanks to the small number of ads, being able to see the broadcast on the site allows countless more viewers to see the live matches that are scheduled, at least for the early stages, in the morning, when most people are at work. The matches continue today in the second day of the tournament starting at 11:00 a.m. EST.