Big Ten Network (BTN) provides coverage of sports competitions sanctioned by the prestigious Big Ten Conference (B1G) – the oldest Division 1 collegiate athletic conference in the United States.
BTN, which is 51% owned by Fox Sports Media Group and 49% owned by the Big Ten Conference, operates across multiple media channels, including an over-the-top (OTT) platform.
Despite having been refreshed at times over the years, BTN’s long-established OTT platform required a significant rebuild, with the support of Sportradar, to satisfy the ever-increasing demands of fans.
The goal was to launch a new B1G+ direct-to-consumer subscription service that would offer an enhanced user experience across multiple devices in serving up non-televised events powered by the BTN.
There were several priorities, including improving payment functionalities and introducing a more efficient and manageable content administration system in the back end, while enabling greater personalisation and a smoother user experience.
For a historic conference, with a track record of producing major league stars across a range of sports, improving accessibility to an extensive archive was essential, whilst ensuring the reliability and integrity of the platform.
Sportradar offered full-service support by introducing data-driven functionalities in the back end and front end, driving transformational changes in the OTT platform’s capabilities across web, mobile and connected TV, while integrating market-leading vendors for subscription management.
Sportradar’s flexibility enabled efficient content migration, including the in-depth archive of historic action, as well as seamless integration with B1G partners like artificial intelligence provider WSC Sports.
The rebuild set a new benchmark in terms of the user experience and interface, ensuring a clean and modern look throughout the user journey, while the offering was tailored so that each school would have their own branded pages and payment model.
“Thanks to Sportradar’s platform, technology and solution-oriented mindset, we believe the refreshed B1G+ will serve as a destination for college sports fans across the country as they follow one of the nation’s premier collegiate conferences.”
B1G+ relaunched in September after a five-month project – and user feedback has been excellent so far. Operationally, the platform is also easier to use and more efficient for the BTN and on-the-ground production teams that help to deliver BTN coverage.
Sportradar is also working on further features and continuous improvements to the OTT experience for B1G fans. There are now custom payment options, as well as searchable content per sport and per school, enabling a highly personalised experience that is tailored to the unique interests of each user.
The high-quality OTT platform has been built on the foundations of Sportradar’s technological expertise to enable a better experience across all devices, including mobiles and connected TVs, from the sign-up process to navigating the user interface.
The platform now offers easily accessible coverage of about 1,500 live streams per year in Olympic sports, as well as video-on-demand options for basketball and American football games that were previously shown on linear channels. Additional content available through subscriptions includes exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, game highlights, original programming and press conferences from 28 men’s and women’s sports.
B1G+ (https://www.bigtenplus.com) can only be accessed from IP addresses in the United States. In case you cannot access it from your current location, take a look at the screenshots below the contact form to get an impression of the user interface.
