As the uptake of Xfinity's X1 service continues to increase -- one-third of 22 million Comcast households are now using the platform -- the X1 Sports app continues to deliver improved features. For the NCAA Tournament, the app debuted its first flow-based “on-screen companion experience” providing essential game data and some extras. Developed by Comcast and data visualization developer OneTwoSee -- which was purchased by Comcast earlier this month -- the X1 Sports App is accessible via TVs served by the X1 platform.
HIGHLIGHT REEL: Pressing the letter "c" on the X1 remote splits the viewing screen opening the app and its offerings. Arguably the most valuable aspect of this split-screen experience is the central listing of games that includes live scores, team logos and tip off time/time remaining. Tournament viewers can scroll through all of the matchups -- past, present and future -- to catch up on or view the action. This is a true shift from the old hunt-and-peck method of finding games through the linear channel guide. Within each matchup, viewers can watch a game broadcast with one click. Live games offer extras in the form of visual stats like total shooting percentage, players in foul trouble, team stats and win probability charts. The info is presented in an automated rotation using team colors to illustrate comparative data. So essentially, instead of waiting for the live commentator to talk about players in foul trouble, the app brings that information to the viewer instantly. Viewers also can see the current tourney bracket within each matchup. Other notable features are the "favorite" and "record" functions. Viewers can add teams to their favorites for quick access to the game listings of those teams, and they can record future games from the central listing scroll.
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Some of X1 Sports' features, such as the split-screen and live score feed, leave room for improvement
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THROWING UP A BRICK: The split-screen experience works well as a quick way to find games to watch, but the decreased viewing screen size is less than ideal. Rather than making the viewing screen smaller to fit the app's info, why not make the experience an overlay on the full-screen view? Another feature needing attention is the live score feed, which is out of sync. At times, it updates more quickly than the broadcast, and at other times, there is a delay of up to 30 seconds. In early rounds, viewers could not see more than a single quadrant of the bracket at one time. The live stats rotation might better serve viewers as a manual rotation with the automated change happening a bit too quickly to digest the data. During some tourney games like Iowa State and Arkansas-Little Rock, the live data for teams with similar colors is hard to differentiate. Separate color schemes for home and away teams are recommended.
FINAL SCORE: The X1 Sports App has successfully eased the pain of searching for games by channel. The listing of games by sport -- in this case NCAA Basketball -- is an experience that will permanently alter viewer habits. The statistical bells and whistles add some flare, but are not as compelling as the basic convenience of finding all sports broadcasts in one simple-to-navigate location. The biggest asks for future updates? Integrate the X1 Sports App experience into the full-screen view, correct the timing of the scoring data and offer more manual control over the live statistical offering.
Amie Sheridan (amie.sheridan31@gmail.com) is a sports technology writer and professor of sports & entertainment marketing at St. Joseph’s Univ. in Philadelphia.
