Mobile app personalizes user experience and brings live streaming to millions of Dutch football fans
Published June 18, 2014
Besides the Olympics, the World Cup attracts one of the largest audiences around the world. According to FIFA, 3.2 billion people were reached in 214 different territories during the 2010 World Cup, and this year, with the use of more mobile solutions, over 46 percent of the world’s population is expected to tune in throughout the summer tournament.
In Amsterdam, European football ranks high among Dutch fans year round. It’s also the home of the football club Ajax, one of the most successful teams in the world, according to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).
In order to deliver a more engaged experience to the two million yearly fans who visit the Amsterdam Arena, Dutch telecommunications provider KPN recently partnered with IBM to develop a mobile application for live streaming and on-demand services. The Amsterdam Area App was built by experts in IBM Interactive Experience practices and gives fans the ability to watch live football games from multiple vantage points, vote for the ‘Man of the Match,’ monitor scores of simultaneous matches, and order arena food and beverages—all in real time from their mobile devices.
“Mobile and second-screen technology can radically improve user experiences,” says Peter Kouwen, Communications Sector Leader, IBM Netherlands, in a press release. “Working with KPN and Amsterdam Arena was an opportunity to push mobile innovation and demonstrate how to truly evolve the fan experience at live events by creating multiple touchpoints to engage and deliver interactive services.”
The Amsterdam Arena is the largest in the Netherlands with a capacity of 53,052 seats during football matches. This mobile application capitalizes on customer experience innovation through the use of IBM MobileFirst technology, and has LTE broadcast technology that enables content to be pushed to each user via 4G network, which makes it possible to send multiple video streams simultaneously to the Arena visitors. The application also has split screen and swipe technology to provide users with instant access to several concurrent high-definition video streams and offers fans multiple angle shots.
Mobile and second-screen technology can radically improve user experiences. Working with KPN and Amsterdam Arena was an opportunity to push mobile innovation and demonstrate how to truly evolve the fan experience at live events by creating multiple touchpoints to engage and deliver interactive services.
Peter Kouwen, Communications Sector Leader, IBM Netherlands
“Taking advantage of the possibilities of LTE broadcast technology allows us to use live video to communicate with Amsterdam Arena visitors in multiple ways,” says Joost Steltenpool, Director Access, KPN. “Whether a user is watching a live concert or event, or examining different views from a smartphone or tablet, the experience will be like none other.”
According to a study by IBM's Institute for Business Value, 81 percent of mobile leaders say that mobile has fundamentally changed their business. Organizations are now using digital elements with physical elements to redesign business models and engage customers by leveraging mobile insights. A 2014 survey by YuMe found that 46 percent of fans agree that watching on multiple devices is important to them, and 59 percent say it allows them to watch more matches. The use of multiple devices and platforms also allows for a greater audience to be reached worldwide.
The Amsterdam Area App was implemented to enrich customers’ in-stadium experiences and allows for this joint individualized and collaborative customer experience that connects the fans and the club together—and puts the power of the experience in the hands of the consumer.
Outside of the Netherlands, during this year’s 2014 World Cup hosted by Brazil, drones and robots are being used during the football matches as well as goal-line technology for the first time in World Cup history.