MSN announced a joint venture with L.A.-based LivePlanet to produce “Fan Club:
Reality Baseball,” a free online initiative that gives fans of the independent
Northern League Schaumburg Flyers control of day-to-day operations, including
setting the batting lineup, fielding positions and the pitching roster for the
second half of this season. It will be available at fanclub.msn.com starting July
11 (
MSN). ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell reported LivePlanet will be responsible
for “behind-the-scenes storytelling,” while MSN will “display everything from”
statistics to video highlights. LivePlanet Senior VP/Development & Production
Keith Quinn said that “as things develop, fans will get to vote on more decisions
such as ratifying a trade or filling the roster.” MSN Dir of Business Development
Joe Michaels said, “I almost didn’t believe we could do this with a real baseball
team.” Quinn said that he hopes that the “biggest fans who follow the team online
will not only be invited to games, but some could actually wind up coaching third
base.” Rovell noted MSN “hopes to make money” through advertising (
ESPN.com,
6/15). Quinn said, “We’ll cover the team on and off the field, so fans can
base their decisions on statistics or on what’s going on in the lives of characters
we bring to life” (
DAILY VARIETY, 6/16). LivePlanet and HBO in ’03
planned
to launch a reality series that would allow viewers to track the progress
of a minor league team and control it via the Internet. The company was also involved
in HBO’s “Project Greenlight” and the snowboarding film “First Descent” (
THE
DAILY).
