The "merging of TV and the Web" is the "overriding
theme for sports sites next year," according to David Sweet
of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Sweet surveyed top sports site
Web execs and industry analysts to "opine what sports sites
need to improve on most and to predict the shape of sports
on the Internet five years from now." CNN/SI Managing
Editor Steve Robinson says that CNNSI.com "is part of a
powerful triangle" of SI, CNN/SI and CNNSI.com and he would
like to see the site "build a closer relationship among all
three." Robinson, on CNNSI.com: "I can't say we're going to
go under a major redesign, but we may tweak it." SportsLine
USA VP/Programming Ross Levinsohn says CBS Sportsline will
be "looking heavily to the future of TV/Web integration" and
undergo some "broadband development" next year. Total
Sports President & COO George Schlukbier, which provides
sports content for the Wall Street Journal Interactive, said
they are expecting to "unveil a new hub site in the first
quarter of the year." The new site's two goals will be
"better" integration of their multiple sites and speed,
"both in loadtimes for the users and the speed of news/stats
and scores updates." ESPN Internet Ventures Senior VP/
Programming & Production Geoff Reiss believes ESPN.com has
"nailed the information and community aspects of a sports
Web site." Reiss: "I think our biggest shortcoming is still
that relatively static HTML pages just don't go far enough
in capturing the thrill and motion of sports." Times Mirror
Interzine President Mike Dubester would like to see The
Sporting News Online "use the archives ... to make stories
far more interesting" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/15).
