Home theater computers and media centers are beginning to scrape the surface of their potential, beyond just storing digital media. HTPCs have the ability to merge sports statistics and live TV, a simple yet revolutionary idea. Fantasy football could be a driving force in the adoption of media centers and home theater computers (HTPCs). Most fantasy football sites offer real time updates of football statistics. To leverage these updates with live TV using an HTPC seems like a simple concept, but no one has stepped up to the plate. Until now.
Windows Media Center SportsLounge, a partnership with FOXSports.com, is the first major attempt at leveraging sports information available real time on the internet with a live broadcast of a sporting event. According to Microsoft’s SportsLounge site:
If you want to quickly see what’s happening with a different game on another available channel, just select the game from the Live Scoreboard, and Windows Media Center will instantly tune to that channel with instant access—no need to navigate the program guide.
You won’t miss the action from games that aren’t televised in your area either. FOXSports.com also provides sporting news updates along the bottom of the screen. If you see a story that you like, select it and you are connected to FOXSports.com’s new online sports portal experience.Fox’s
Sportslounge is a good first step in integrating the internet and live television. Fantasy sports should be better integrated and hopefully this will happen with time. Over 15 million Americans play fantasy sports annually. Fox could carve out a substantial portion of that market by tailoring SportsLounge to fantasy sports.
January 22nd, 2007 at 5:13 pm
I do not watch sports. I do not listen to sports. I do not follow sports. I do not want this on Media Center main menu. I want to remove it and replace it with something that interests me.
Microsoft appears to be focused on stuff for boys by boys and ignoring the girls, women, and men who have other interest.
This is an interesting marketing strategy. Not necessarily a good one.
January 23rd, 2007 at 4:07 am
Richard,
The beauty about media centers is that you can configure them to what you want. I personally think that the SportsLounge is a great idea if propoerly implemented. Sports sell HDTVs. Vista brings HD programming to media centers. Bringing sports to media centers is not a bad idea.