Thursday, April 02, 2009

Sportsnet goes interactive with the Blue Jays in 2009

The successful Game-In-The-Game feature from the NHL broadcasts moves to baseball

TORONTO (April 2, 2009) – Rogers Sportsnet and LiveHive Systems are pleased to announce the introduction of an interactive entertainment platform during Sportsnet’s Blue Jay broadcasts.

Sportsnet’s NanoGaming-powered offering, named Game in the Game will debut during the Jays’ home opener on Monday, April 6 at 7 p.m. (ET)/4 pm (PT). It will be available during 100 of the Blue Jay games offered on Rogers Sportsnet during the 2009 season.

Sportsnet is the main destination for Toronto Blue Jays baseball with 124 regular season games, all in High Definition. Viewers have an opportunity to play while watching the game live on Rogers Sportsnet, and logging on to www.sportsnet.ca/baseballgame.

Game in the Game brings interactivity to selected televised Toronto Blue Jay games. Fans are able to make such predictions as “Who will score first?” or “Will the runner try to steal second base on this pitch?” In addition, fans are able to chat with other Blue Jay fans, and create groups with their friends in order to establish mini-competitions amongst themselves.

Participants compete against each other for points, prizes, and a position on the leaderboard, and are eligible for prizes, including HDTV’s and prize packs.

About LiveHive Systems Inc.
LiveHive Systems is the developer of NanoGaming, the number one choice in Interactive Entertainment Solutions for television broadcasters seeking to bring interactivity to their broadcasts. NanoGaming enhances the breadth and value of their advertising portfolio to sponsors. Only LiveHive provides a completely outsourced, turnkey solution that includes enterprise-class software, integration, game development, joint marketing campaigns, and event management. Over the past 12 months, hundreds of thousands of television viewers have played at least one of the many NanoGaming-powered games being deployed by such networks as Turner, ESPN, NBC and Global Television. With NanoGaming, viewers have interacted with reality TV, football, baseball, hockey, basketball, NASCAR, amateur sports, and more.

About Rogers Sportsnet
Rogers Sportsnet provides HD live-event coverage of the Toronto Blue Jays, Major League Baseball’s 2009 World Series and playoffs, the 80th Annual MLB All-Star Game, 2009 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby, Seattle Mariners and ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.

Sportsnet features eight channels – Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Ontario HD, Sportsnet East (Atlantic Provinces and Quebec), Sportsnet East HD, Sportsnet West (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Northwest Territories and the Nunavut), Sportsnet West HD, Sportsnet Pacific (British Columbia and the Yukon Territories) and Sportsnet Pacific HD.

Founded in 1998, Rogers Sportsnet has been owned by Rogers Media since 2001. Sportsnet.ca was launched in 2000.

linkback: http://www.livehivesystems.com/2009/05/sportsnet-goes-interactive-bluejay/