BBC launches live sports video app for Facebook

As a great summer of sport in 2012 continues apace, and in order to reflect new content consumption dynamics, the BBC has debuted a live streamed events service for Facebook. Specifically, BBC Sports will be using the social network to offer audiences live streams of major sports events, including the current Wimbledon tennis championship and up to 24 streams of Olympics coverage. Hoping to give online audiences “communal excitement of big sports moments” the BBC says that the app will allow uses to watch events with friends who are also online and then chat together about the action while comment threads under each stream enable users to gauge reaction from the Facebook community in real time. The in-app Activity Stream updates in real time to show what friends are watching, allowing users to discover events beyond favourites. The initial beta version of the app for Wimbledon, offering BBC’s network TV coverage plus up to six extra match streams from across the courts, as well as comment threads and sharing features. Live chat functionality will be added in time for the Olympics. Commented Phil Fearnley, General Manager BBC News & Knowledge: “It’s a core part of the BBC’s mission to bring our quality content to audiences wherever they are, so I’m very excited to be able to offer sport fans on Facebook a really distinctive live streaming experience. With our Facebook app we aim to bring even greater value to our online audiences, enabling them to watch together and share their excitement. We hope to use it to test the benefits of social viewing, as part of our ambition to deliver more innovative and transformative experiences to sports fans.”