Clippers: Steve Ballmer speaks about plans for team’s OTT app

Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer revealed some possible details behind the team’s plan for a digital streaming experience to assist TV broadcasts of games.

Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer said the team plans to keep the digital rights to games via the Seattle Times, but he did not go into the team’s plan for local TV broadcasts.

Usually, the digital rights are packaged with the regional sports network. However, Ballmer vows that the Clippers will create an “over the top” streaming network to complement the TV game broadcast, according to the Seattle Times.

Content on the second screen experience could include player specific cameras, in-game highlights, and real-time statistics. Users could choose replays from a highlight package, or specific camera angles to view the game.

The added screen could also provide percentage probabilities for a players’ decision.

"“The real opportunity, if you will, is to augment reality as people are watching the game,’’ Ballmer said via the GeekWire Sports Tech Summit at Safeco Field in Seattle. “Can you put yourself in the position of (Clippers power forward) Blake Griffin? What does it look like? What does the game in question look like in real time from his perspective?’’"

Ballmer said the ground-breaking app could bring content control back to the team as more people cut their cable subscriptions.

The Clippers’ local television deal with Fox Sports Prime Ticket expired June 30, after the Clippers turned down a $60 million extension last year

Currently, the Clippers owner says that teams do no work on their TV deals and neither do the broadcasters. Both sides have no incentive for working on the capitalism in sports, Ballmer said.

Nonetheless, the OTT app is only expected to complement the TV experience. Ballmer had been rumored to ditch the local TV model before. However, it may cost too much money to cut out local TV completely.

Thus, the Clippers are expected to renew their deal with Fox Sports at some time soon. As constructed, the Clippers’ OTT app would need cable authentication for users to sign in and view content.

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In the end, it is great that Ballmer will not ditch the local television model completely. Los Angeles natives do not need to miss any more of their local games like they have in the past with the Dodgers and Lakers.

Added, the OTT app seems like a trailblazing idea that could change how viewers watch games. It seems like a great idea to watch unique angles of games. It would be even better to see it from the players’ perspective. Fantasy players might also like the added real-time stats and probabilities.

However, the OTT app could also just become another app eating up hard drive space and bandwidth on our connected TVs and phones.

Personally, I am glad Ballmer is taking baby steps towards internet streaming. Clippers fans may not be ready to ditch our cable subscriptions for laggy streams right away. We may not be ready to pay for an exclusive digital streaming app. This second screen experience seems like the perfect test to gauge interest into OTT opportunities for sports teams.

Next: Clippers next move needs to be signing a wing

Ultimately, the Clippers still don’t have a TV deal. Clippers fans will have to wait to see what happens with that, as well as our new OTT app.