The NFL and its partners yesterday "used CenturyLink Field to host a mini showcase of tech gear and apps for fans, teams and others in the business of pro football," according to Brier Dudley of the SEATTLE TIMES. Bose used the event to "unveil new headphones that use the same noise-canceling technology it developed for NFL teams to use on the sidelines starting this season." The brand also "lined up some NFL players," including Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, to "pitch the $299 Quiet Comfort 25 headphones." It "will begin selling a $399 version in November." Whether the NFL cachet "will help Bose raise its profile and fend off Apple," which recently acquired Beats for $3B, "remains to be seen." Bose VP/Noise Reduction Technology Group Sean Garrett said, "Our technology and performance is how we compete in the marketplace." NFL execs also used the event to tout the NFL Now online video service, but NBC Sports showed off "the most impressive technology of all." The net displayed its "all new, cutting-edge broadcasting rigs that are making their debut" tonight during Packers-Seahawks. The fleet of four trucks has "enough broadcasting equipment to put a local TV station to shame." The setup is 20% larger than before and "accommodates a crew of 75, up from 65 who staffed the previous setup." NBC Sports Senior VP/Remote Operation & Production Planning Kenneth Goss said, "We built this for the next three Super Bowls." He added that he expects the rigs "to last eight years" (SEATTLETIMES.com, 9/3).
TWEET SHOW: In Seattle, Rachel Lerman wrote Twitter CEO Dick Costolo and "his geeky sports excitement somehow managed to steal the show." Costolo, who sat on a panel with Microsoft Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer for Xbox Yusuf Mehdi, hopes that the '14 NFL season "will set another record for his fast-growing company." Lerman wrote Twitter "is clearly hoping it can use the NFL to increase its user base." Costolo "played up the importance of Twitter’s partnership with the NFL." He "emphasized the league’s understanding of Twitter and said the NFL is at the forefront of sports engagement with the platform" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 9/3).
THE FUTURE IS NOW: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at yesterday's event said that NFL Now "will be the next big breakthrough in sports media." He said, "I believe it is going to be the next generation of innovations in sports and frankly in NFL history" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 9/3). But in Vancouver, Ed Willes writes nothing, "it seems, sticks to the NFL these days except money, incomprehensible amounts of money," and the "machine doesn’t show any signs of slowing down." Yesterday's tech showcase was "a controlled environment and everyone was staying on message." The NFL is "taking a bold new stop into the world of new media" with NFL Now by "delivering their product to their fans." Willes: "Sure, they control what’s produced and delivered, but America, it seems, has never been too concerned about looking behind the curtain. The NFL is their crack and the league will give them everything they want" (Vancouver PROVINCE, 9/4).
