MULTICHANNEL NEWS' R. Thomas Umstead noted DirecTV this past Saturday began partnering with NBC to offer "subscribers six live Notre Dame college football games in 4K." The deal marks the "first live 4K broadcasts of college football games for the satellite service" (MULTICHANNEL.com, 9/8). Meanwhile, VARIETY's Janko Roettgers noted Fox Sports will broadcast Saturday night's Ohio State-Oklahoma matchup live "via its new virtual reality app, which will be available for iOS, Android, Gear VR and Oculus Rift." The app will "offer viewers the ability to either watch the action from a 'virtual suite' in the stadium, or switch between multiple on-field perspectives." The stream will only be "accessible to viewers that can authenticate as pay TV subscribers" (VARIETY.com, 9/13).
LOCAL CELEBS: In Salt Lake City, Scott Pierce notes local ratings for Saturday's Utah-BYU game were "predictably huge" in the market, but "nothing to get excited about nationally." In the Salt Lake City market, Utah's 20-19 win averaged a 28.0 rating. The rating "rose steadily throughout the game," from a 20.0 at kickoff to a "whopping" 34.9 at the peak (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 9/14).
SEMINOLE MOMENT: In Orlando, Safid Deen notes the second episode of Showtime's "A Season With Florida State Football" focused more on "developing storylines for the players and coaches on the team." Deen: "The most heartwarming relationship featured was between star sophomore safety Derwin James and defensive coordinator Charles Kelly." James' injury suffered against Charleston Southern was also a "major part of the episode" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 9/14).
POD-CASTING LINE: Learfield and DGital Media are forming an exclusive podcast partnership that will cover college athletics. The twice weekly podcasts will initially feature football, men's basketball and Olympic sports for Alabama, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. The podcasts will be introduced every Tuesday and Friday (Learfield).
