Dear Faithful Readers,

It is crucial for teams to monitor the rapidly changing environment and identify trends that will effect how they operate. Those who cease to look ahead will fail to keep up and as society shifts away from television and newspapers in favor of laptops, tablets and smart phones... teams must make a calculated effort to not only embrace, but utilize new technologies. Fans now expect to be able to access updates and information on their smart phones, watch the game on the go, and be engaged in-stadium. Therefore, it is the team's responsibility to stay ahead of new media technologies or risk losing fans that are reluctant to change their information seeking habits. Read on to see how the Mississippi State Bulldogs took a forward thinking approach to new media and found new ways to keep their fans involved!

Enjoy the Feature,

Chantelle Neep
[email protected]

P.S. We would love to hear your feedback! If you have a great idea/program your organization has recently done out in the industry, Email Me and i'll feature it in an upcoming issue!

PROGRAM TITLE Mississippi State Adapts to Changing Times

OBJECTIVES

Today's society is time poor and plagued by fast-paced lifestyles. Between juggling busy schedules at work, family life and extracurricular activities there is not always time to go to the stadium and watch your favorite team in action. In conjunction with this, fans now look to their wireless devices to get information and stay current. And with so much going on it has become extremely difficult for sports teams to break through the clutter of everyday life and capture and maintain fan's attention. John Cade, Assistant Athletic Director of Media and Public Relations for the Mississippi State Bulldogs said they were looking to "continue expanding and adapting to the world around us, by capturing the latest technologies and utilizing them," in order to better meet fan needs.

Aware that their fans can be engrossed in a million different things at once, the Bulldogs aimed to create an easily accessible channel that would enable fans to watch anytime, anywhere.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

 
The Bulldogs have allowed fans to subscribe to this content with a number of different packages; audio-only live streaming is $29.95/yr and audio/video is $99.95/yr. Within the website was an embedded tool that allowed NeuLion to capture the demographic information from those who subscribed. This allowed the Bulldogs to see that some fans subscribed just for a particular sport, so they began offering a 4 month package for $39.95. Another target market they were able to capture were families of rival schools who could not make it out to the games, but still wanted to watch their kids play, thus the Bulldogs offer a 1 month package for $12.95 as well.

The Bulldogs didn’t stop there. As part of the subscription to HailStateTV, fans were able to have all of their content streamed to multiple platforms through their three mobile and tablet applications, and with the growing popularity of smart phones this proved to be crucial. Fans who downloaded the $3.99-$4.99 mobile apps through iPhone or Android’s had access to live audio, rosters, schedules and news updates. For $6.99, the iPad app also gave the premium subscribers direct access to the live HD video streaming. These new capabilities allowed fans to feel closer to the team and apart of the games from wherever they were.

The mobile options for staying up to date on the latest and greatest Bulldogs news!

MEDIA

  The Bulldogs utilized a variety of media channels to promote their new offerings. They advertised on their Twitter, Facebook and old website, sent press releases to the media and made several announcements at their games and via the school’s radio broadcasting channel.

In preparation for the launch of their new website, HailState.com, the Bulldogs implemented a rather unique media tool as well. In November 2011, during their game against their rival, University of Mississippi, the Bulldogs painted #HAILSTATE on their end zone which sparked plenty of media attention.

PARTNER

In order to achieve their objectives of increased fan engagement, the Mississippi State Bulldogs partnered with NeuLion, an innovator in delivering Interactive TV. “Mississippi State Athletics & Bulldog Sports Properties are both forward thinking in their approach to technology,” said Katie Weinberg, Account Director at NeuLion.  “Their collective mindset blends seamlessly with NeuLion’s digital vision for the collegiate athletic marketplace to bring fans content anywhere, anytime.  Our goal is to enable our partners to drive high fan engagement, on multiple platforms, in an innovative and efficient manner.”

RESULTS

From the launch of their new website and all of its new technology the Bulldogs have seen amazing results. Mobile and tablet app downloads to date are over 30,000. Subscription revenue has seen substantial growth since the launch of the live HD streaming in February, increasing nearly 34% and page views for the new website are up 84% and 40% for unique visitors. It is evident that the new on-the-go technology has excited fans and allowed them to stay up to date with Bulldog athletics.

LOOKING AHEAD

Since partnering with NeuLion, the Bulldogs have experienced significant growth in subscription revenue and traffic to their website and look to continue their success. In the future, they anticipate upgrading their infrastructure making live HD streaming available for all Bulldog sports. They have recently signed a multi-year partnership extension with NeuLion and are looking forward to staying ahead of new media technologies and developing new ways to stay involved with their fans and keep them engaged in Mississippi State Athletics. Whether you’re an alumni living in a different state, a current student who couldn’t make the game, or a die-hard fan who wanted to re-live the game highlights, the Bulldogs' goal is to make sure you have access to see it all!

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