Live From the US Open: Digital Products Get Refresh as Experience at Home and in Stands Improves USTA website and apps are rebuilt from scratch, offer detailed match-centric content By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Monday, September 10, 2018 - 4:21 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
At the US Open tennis championships, which ended this past weekend, the grounds weren't the only thing that had been overhauled: digital properties related to the event also had been rebuilt from the ground up.
We rebuilt all of the digital properties from scratch: the website and the apps, says Kirsten Corio, managing director, ticketing and digital strategies, USTA. This was also the first time that we built the Android app from scratch in conjunction with our friends from Google. They helped us with best practices around Android development, so it's really designed for Android vs. an IOS app fitting into Android.
For the first time ever, the US Open app for Android was built from the ground up.
The digital strategies continue to serve two masters. The goal is to create offerings that are attractive both to fans at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (NTC) and to any other tennis fan around the globe. The sweet spot is match-centric content like video, stats, photos, and stories that can keep fans anywhere up-to-date on the action. Things like a pervasive scoreboard across both the app and the website made it easy for fans to find out what was going on.
And when you drilled down on the website, Corio says, on the right-hand side, you would see all of the detailed stats. IBM SlamTracker even added a momentum score, which keeps track of who is winning points and how that is shifting the momentum. Lines are drawn out from a midline towards the name of a player on either side of the line, and the more consecutive points and games a player wins, the more momentum shifts in their favor. At a glance, a fan can get a sense of how momentum shifted during a match, something that a simple match score of, say, five games to four can't show.
The new digital efforts are all part of the USTA's goal to make the US Open the innovative slam, where technology and tennis come together for fans and players alike.
We have to be constantly iterating and innovating to defend that position, notes Corio. Nowhere is that more obvious than in our digital properties.
Part of those efforts are a rebuild of everything every two years to ensure that the products evolve as the consumer technologies evolve. With this being the Open's 50th anniversary, those efforts began in March with a light version that embraced the tournament's new logo.
The full experience puts scoring front and center and also eliminates dead ends. Users are dropped into the next story as they get to the end of one, Corio explains, adding, There is autoplay of video for the next set of highlights. It's more of an experience, and users can get lost in it and spend more time than they intended to.
The app, meanwhile, continued to evolve to meet the needs of fans at the NTC. The grounds map offers a 3D rendering of the grounds, and the use of IBM Watson AI means that fans can ask the Virtual Concierge thousands of questions and get answers. New this year was its availability via Facebook Messenger.
Momentum is a new way to visualize the ebbs and flow of a tennis match.
Overlays on the courts also are helpful for fans onsite. They can tap on a court and see the score pop up instantly. Simply put, the days of craning one's neck to watch a scoreboard (or sit where one is visible) are over.
FanCam was in the app for the first time this year, says Corio. If you are sitting in Arthur Ashe Stadium, you put in your section and seat location and take control of one of the eight cameras in the catwalk. It maps to your location, and you can pinch and zoom your location and take a picture.
The Fan Access Pass is also integrated into the app, providing unified registration so that, as fans engage with various experiences, a quick scan of a QR code gets them free gifts and provides valuable data to USTA marketing partners without the fans's having to re-enter information over and over.
There is also gamification with a grand prize of tickets to the final, says Corio, noting, Last year, 400 people collected every badge. The gamification can also be done by fans at home.
For those who have an Apple iPhone or iPad, the US Open Matchcast brought AR and live scoring together. Built into the primary app, it delivers a 3D rendering of each of the three primary stadiums and then layers in player avatars and live scoring. A fan could fire up the feature, point their phone at a flat surface like a table, and, looking through the phone, see the 3D rendering on the table. Moving the phone around allows it to be used as a window into an AR environment that allows the points to be viewed from the vantage of the two avatars or anywhere else.
It's a bit of a test with IBM to see if we could do it in a lightweight way. We wanted to pull up the live experience in a way that hasn't been done before, says Corio. You can watch a whole match that way, and, although it looks like pong, it's a cool activation and proof of concept.
Of all the changes, probably the biggest is that the digital team, which works in the Indoor Tennis Center, is now tied in via fiber to the broadcast-production team, which is located in the broadcast compound behind Arthur Ashe Stadium. That means the team can more easily access and publish content, because an EVS IPDirector can dive into the content storage and access the desired content.
Utopia would be for all of us to get in the same place so that we can physically be in the same place, says Corio.
Next year will see continued improvement to the digital
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
Live From the US Open: Digital Products Get Refresh as Experience at Home and in Stands Improves USTA website and apps are rebuilt from scratch, offer detailed match-centric content By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
