The NBA OPENs up

Tagged as: O.P.E.N.
Posted by: Mila Goodman 

 

In the midst of the Presidential election, there is another type of voting taking place, albeit with a radically different degree of impact.   Since it will be a while before we know if it's Obama or McCain, I felt compelled to vote for something where I could see immediate results.

The NBA season has officially started, some marquis players have already traded jerseys and basketball fans are getting excited as the prestige of USA basketball has been restored with the Redeem Team's return from Beijing with gold.   Delivering more value to their fans, the NBA has announced Fan Night.  Every Tuesday on NBA TV is Fan Night - which means that the NBA televises the game that has the most fan votes.  This is a first for the NBA and perhaps for any professional sport - allowing their fans control which game is televised.

The voting is easy - they list all the games that are being played the following Tuesday. Simply choose the game you want to see (I selected ATL vs. CHI) and submit your vote.  Instantly, you can see how each game is ranking - a great way to encourage fans to vote again but perhaps spread the word to their fellow fans to get the voting up for their desired game.

This new feature is On Demand - allowing customers to vote on the spot and see the results instantly.  The degree of Personalization is awesome - what could be a better way to tell the NBA your favorite team or at least which is your favorite to watch on NBA TV?  It is also Engaging as fans will be sure to come back each week to vote given the simplicity of the interaction.  There was one experience element that I thought was missing that makes this a completely OPEN feature - Networked. If the NBA made this a widget that a fan could insert into their social network pages, they would help spread the word about this new feature, increasing the total # of votes and create buzz amongst NBA fans.  I would have downloaded this to my facebook page to (1) connect with my fellow NBA fans and lobby for votes on a weekly basis and (2) remind me to vote on a continual basis.

Could ESPN or TNT take a page from the NBA and bring this fan demand to their networks?  Fast forwarding to the next Olympics, could one of the big four networks benefit from the NBA's leadership and allow viewers to vote when events are televised?  For me, the Olympics are an exception to my DVR rules because the spoilers run rampid if you don't watch it live.

Thanks to the NBA and their committment to their fans!

Tagged as: O.P.E.N.

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