NASCAR is the first partner for a new Facebook app called "Venue." Created by Facebook's New Product Experimentation team, the app aims to offer fans an improved second-screen experience while watching their favorite sporting events. The augmented experience was available for the first time yesterday. Social media personality nascarcasm served as the expert commentator for yesterday's Supermarket Heroes 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, with NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Landon Cassill and Fox Sports NASCAR reporter Alan Cavanna slated to appear on the app in future weeks (Adam Stern, THE DAILY).
RIVALING TWITTER: TECH CRUNCH's Sarah Perez noted the app "appears to be a challenge to Twitter, which today serves as the de facto 'second screen' for commenting on live events and engaging with fellow fans." While there are "some similarities with Twitter, Facebook’s Venue takes a different approach." Instead of having everyone viewing the event "constantly chiming in with their own thoughts and reactions, the commentators for a given event hosted in Venue will only include well-known personalities -- like journalists, current or former athletes or aspiring 'fan-analysts.'" In addition, fans "don’t stay glued to their phone during the entire event when using Venue." Instead, the app "sends out a notification to users when there’s a new 'moment' available in the app." These "'moments' aren’t like Twitter’s summaries." Instead, they are one of the "short, digital opportunities where fans can participate" (TECHCRUNCH.com, 5/29).
