THE MMQB's Peter King conducts a Q&A with Patriots President Jonathan Kraft, who also serves as NFL Digital Media Committee co-Chair. Kraft, on the advantages of the new NFL Now over-the-top service, said, "People are going to want to consume the content they want. They want to consume when they want it, how they want to consume it, and then what specifically they want. And then they want to discover things that they will like without having to search for it. And so NFL Now is the foundation and the beginning of creating that so five years, 10 years from now there will be a generation of NFL fans that grows up consuming NFL content this way." Kraft also said of targeted advertising on NFL Now, "When you look at the age of a person, the zip code and what types of interests they have, we’ll be able to determine through algorithms, as we see the types of things they like to consume, you can actually get to grow some pretty clear conclusions about the person at the other end, without even having to ask them personal information. So it will allow us to really better serve our fan base, with the content they want, how they want to get it and when they want to get it. It will allow us to better serve our advertisers, too" (MMQB.SI.com, 9/8).
AN APP FOR THAT: In Miami, Adam Beasley wrote the Dolphins' new mobile app debuted over the weekend, and while it is "not yet a finished project, version 1.0 has some impressive features." The app was built by San Diego-based developer eMbience and is "free of charge" on both Android and iOS. The app shows fans their seat number and "an interactive map of the stadium to get you there." Features also include "real-time game stats" and a "list of exclusive events for season-ticket holders" (MIAMI HERALD, 9/7). Meanwhile, in Dallas, Jeff Mosier noted the Cowboys yesterday opened their "sixth season in Arlington ... with additional video screens," but the "wow factor is likely to come from the ability of the team’s new app to make fans’ smartphone camera flashes strobe in unison to a stadium light and sound show." The team created the AT&T Stadium app "with crowd participation in mind." The software allows fans to "post stadium shots on the rotating LED louvers that make up the 130-foot AT&T Fan Experience Board in the east end zone deck." The facility "has 1,500 Wi-Fi access points and the equivalent of 17 cell sites" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 9/7).
FIRE DEPARTMENT: In N.Y., John Aidan Byrne noted former Yahoo software engineer Nik Bonaddio has "launched a new app for his numberFire company and announced a strategic partnership with ESPN." NumberFire is a predictive sports analytics company "funded with Bonaddio’s winnings from 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'" in '09 (N.Y. POST, 9/7).
