The California Golden Bears beat Washington State 21-3 this past Saturday, breaking a winless streak at Memorial Stadium that had been in place since 1979. Cal fans still got to watch the game despite the game not being covered on television anywhere near Berkeley thanks to a Slingbox.
“As an alumnus of California and a huge Bears football fan, I am thrilled to see the Slingbox technology deliver this weekend’s games to the hometown fans,” said Jason Krikorian, co-founder of Sling Media, Inc. “We created the Slingbox in part to bring fans closer to their favorite sports teams and this is a great example of that.”
The Slingbox was used to broadcast the local television feed back to California, where it was displayed in the stadium for local fans. Admission was free, with Subway there to make their buck selling food and beverages. The radio was also broadcast in the stadium to provide a local perspective on the play by play.
I think that this is a neat concept, and I wonder if more universities will follow suit now that it has been done once. I am sure that this initial test run was made a little easier by the guy that owns Sling Media being an alumnus, but Slingboxes are relatively inexpensive for what they provide. Having never used one or even considered getting one, I do not know what kind of quality the broadcasts from one are, but I have heard good things.
(Sources: Press Release – Sports Biz)
Jim Rome gives them away as promotional items…
I have never used one before, but they sure look interesting. (Potentially) No more blackout dates…
Of course, the University of Tennessee is never blackedout unless it’s pay per view… which broadcasting that might be illegal.
Yeah, I hear Rome giving them away fairly often as well. I figure that I do not need one since I only have television during football season, and if I am not home then I am probably at a bar watching the game anyway.