Dallas Mavericks To Take Interactive Shot
Teams Up With BIAP to Produce EBIF-Based Application
Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 5/11/2009 3:29:32 PM
Interactive TV is getting a little maverick-y.
Mark Cuban's Dallas Mavericks pro basketball team announced a deal Monday with interactive-TV developer BIAP to create an on-screen "widget" that will provide scores, breaking news and other content to viewers.
The Mavericks team widget is expected to be available for deployment before the start of the 2009-10 NBA season this fall.
The app, which will be written to CableLabs' Enhanced Binary Interchange Format (EBIF), is planned to include real-time statistics and scores, breaking team news, video highlights, interviews and in-game play-by-play info.
"We believe in the future of the EBIF platform and in interactive television," Cuban said in a statement. "It is a natural extension to give Mavs fans and HDNet viewers the best experience we can if they're not in a seat at the game."
Cuban, in addition to owning the Mavericks, is co-founder and chairman of high-definition network HDNet.
Mavericks spokesman Ken Bonzon said the application will be an unbound application - meaning it is not tied to a specific programming stream - and will not be limited to HDNet.
CableLabs' EBIF specification is designed to run on virtually any digital set-top box currently in use. The Dallas Mavericks, together with BIAP, plan to negotiate with cable operators to offer the EBIF app to their subscribers.
Plano, Texas-based BIAP and the Mavericks also plans to make the "team widget" template available to other professional sports franchises, as well as NCAA sports teams.
Cuban Buys Charter on the Cheap
10/28/2002Zodiac's Tru2way To Ride On ADB Set-Tops
03/23/2009Cuban: No Future in Broadband Video
07/12/2006
