Cisco Technology Helps Enable First Live Streamed World Series
For the first time in Major League Baseball history, the 2014 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals entire seven games were streamed live across the Internet enabled by Cisco, an Industry first. The historical digital fan experience delivered by MLBAM and Cisco during the 110th Fall Classic to smartphones, tablets and computer laptops over the At Bat app allowed fans a multitude of multi-platform product options with no blackouts. The Sports Techie community blog readers and followers can read more about Cisco’s influence on sports technology here, and MLB’s innovative products here. The Internet of Everything is a good time to be a MLB fan.
MLB Sports Tech Powered By Cisco
By leveraging Cisco’s Open Network architecture and state-of-the-art technologies contained in Cisco’s video portfolio, mobility solutions and Cisco’s Unified Computing Platform, large numbers of baseball fans watched the first live streams of World Series action, representing a milestone in Major League Baseball broadcast delivery. It’s also a leap forward from only having access to games available only through network TV or broadband connected computers. Viewers were required to complete a one-time authentication with a participating TV provider.
This new mobile experiences came as a result of hardware, software and services from innovative sports tech companies such as MLB Advanced Media, a Cisco partner that transform its business and the experiences of its customers creating fully immersive content. MLB has the Internet’s longest-running and No. 1 sports streaming product on the market.
Their top ranked baseball solution features HD quality picture, the always useful live game DVR controls, full-game archives for fans who want more MLB whenever they want it, crisp audio overlay, exciting in-game highlights and big data stats, in addition to clickable linescores.
AT&T Park and Kauffman Stadium never looked to good on a tiny smartphone screen, or the Apple iPad tablet retina display.
10/29/14 MLB.com FastCast: Giants win World Series:
MLB Broadcast History
When professional baseball started, unless you attended games in person or peeked through a broken fence, fans mostly relied on play-by-play through word of mouth, the telegraph and newspapers, ever since the National League was founded in 1876, or later when the American League began play in 1901. Baseball, like war, has defined America spirit and culture.
1921: The New York Giants and Yankees played in the first World Series delivered by the KDNA Pittsburgh radio frequency to families that listened around their fireplace in country homes, soldiers riveted to the action while stationed at forts, and to big city fans.
1947: A few years after World War II ended and the color barrier was broken, the Yankees and Dodgers seven game World Series featured Joe DiMaggio and Jackie Robinson was televised on black & white television sets to 3.9 million New Yorkers that used rabbit ears antennas to capture the unprecedented video stream provided by NBC and proactive sponsors, Ford and Gillette.
1955: The first World Series was televised in “living color,” on NBC, allowing the complete ambiance of the national pastime to been in the comfort of your home or in a sports bar all around the USA.
1971: Night time World Series made its debut after Commissioner Bowie Kuhn had the vision to pitch NBC on the idea in hopes more primetime fans would watch the telecast.
1985: The entire World Series was played at night on ABC for the first time during the Royals defeat of the ST. Louis Cardinals in the legendary I-70 Series.
2002: FOX Sports provided the first high-definition broadcast of the World Series. MLB.TV was also launched this same year and became the first sports league to produce live video streams of games.
2003: MLB was the initial sports league to offer live streams of their entire schedule for out of market subscribers.
2005: All venues were wired for TV-quality streaming, a league first by MLB.
2008: MLB pioneered the league use of adaptive bit rate streaming.
2009: Live 720 HD video format was used by MLB, another league first. Live games were streamed to subscribers via iPhone, and also streamed to connected devices, both a league first.
2010: MLB streamed live video to gaming consoles, another league first. MLBAM (MLB Advanced Media) was launched as a full service solutions provider delivering world-class digital experiences and distributing content through all forms of interactive media focused on designing dynamic functionality for web, mobile applications, and connected devices while integrating live and on-demand multimedia.
2011: MLB was the first league to deliver live games embedded on social media sites, Facebook and Twitter,
2013: Any web site could offer MLB an embedded live video stream over the Internet, setting the league business standard.
2014: The World Series streamed to MLB.TV subscribers via connected mobile devices over the web. FOX’s telecast of this summer’s All-Star Game was also streamed live for the first time featuring player tracking technology and metrics.
WS2014 Gm2: Cain clocks in 20.1 mph on Butler’s hit:
MLB history was made by providing for the first time, thrilling World Series real-time action for fans that had internet access to the live streaming content via the use of any video capable mobile device. This new format, was simply another in the long line of MLB’s delivery of games that is fast approaching 100 years of innovation and success.
MLB is projected to bring in over $9 billion in revenue this season, while the New York Yankees are estimated to be worth $2.5 billion. What is next? No doubt the wearable niche is.
Sports Techie, When I was a kid and teenager, I used to sneak a transistor radio into class and listen to the MLB postseason since many of the playoff game were played during the daytime. Today, kids can bring Wi-Fi enabled iPads to class and adults can listen to their smartphone headphones while at work or with family and friends, and receive a wireless HD video stream of every World Series game. I must admit, listening to the radio back in the day allowed my imagination to run wild when the announcer said someone struck out on a 90 mph fastball by MVP Madison Bumgarner, or an outfield robbed a hitter of extra base hits with a spectacular catch like the Royals Lorenzo Cain did, which was broken down by new FOX Sports analytics and graphics in the following clip.
WS2014 Gm6: FOX uses player tracker on Blanco, Cain:
According to mlb.com,“… Game 1 was the first live stream of a World Series game in the U.S., representing a milestone in Major League Baseball broadcast delivery and allowing fans to watch on the go with an MLB.TV subscription. Each Giants-Royals game televised by FOX in the 110th Fall Classic is also available live online and via mobile…”
Fast forward in Internet speed to this past September, when thousands if not millions of global fans had the opportunity to engage with World Series games in real-time over the web. What an awesome tool for watching your team perform in your Fantasy Baseball playoffs. All you needed was a MLB.TV subscription and the rest was complete video on demand.
Congrats to the 2014 World Champions, the SF Giants and coach Bochy.
It really is a fine time to be a Sports Techie.
See y’all later in Seattle and here in Atlanta.
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