The launch of the RBS 6 Nations tournament took place in London yesterday giving an opportunity for players and coaches to be interviewed in the promotion of the tournament.
There is much to be gained for a sponsor in hosting such a big set piece event as the content it delivers will be used extensively across the media landscape in the coming days and weeks and was created in a controlled environment.
That is critical in a world where different partnerships have different demands on the players that people want to hear from. The images that will adorn the newspapers, as well as the backdrops to interviews that go out on TV and online are branded with the mark of the main sponsor and the association is forged anew at the start of a fresh season.
The official website has undergone a major overhaul, improving the services it provides and adding numerous functions ahead of the 2014 Championship which gets underway for Ireland on Sunday February 2nd against Scotland at the Aviva Stadium.
The key enhancements to the website include new and improved statistics sections for all six of the nations, providing a wealth of information in the build-up to and during the tournament.
The content is delivered using dynamic data feeds allowing the information contained to automatically update after every game making it an invaluable tool for the duration of the RBS 6 Nations championship.
The same information will be available through the official RBS 6 Nations App for smartphones and tablets that has been developed by Accenture.
The importance of statistics and data for teams and fans was a major thread at the Business of Sports Science conference we held at the RDS earlier in January and next week in our Technology Tuesday feature we will look back on how the wealth of information that is illuminating the Australian Open tennis has been pulled together in Melbourne.
The site will be integrated with the official YouTube channel for the Championship and will have highlights of matches available to view as fans arrive home from attending a match across a host of devices.
There are extensive sections devoted to both the Women’s and Under-20s Six Nations competitions that run concurrently to the RBS 6 Nations.
It was notable the parity of esteem and opportunity afforded to the Women’s captains at yesterday’s launch and coverage of interviews with Fiona Coghlan, captain of the Grand Slam Irish team were given a strong airing last night and this morning on Game On, which came live from London, and other programmes last night and this morning.
There will be a strong social media presence throughout the tournament and access as well to the official tournament shop where branded merchandise can help to extend the value of RBS’ sponsorship as well as drive revenue for the tournament.
