AT&T U-Verse Rolls Out IPTV App for Cubs Fans

Chicago Cubs fans may not always enjoy the best product on the field, but, when it comes to broadcast, they are privy to a championship offering. Thanks to a new partnership between WGN and AT&T U-verse TV, Cubs fans nationwide can now practice their directing skills from the comfort of their couches. During home games at Wrigley Field, AT&T U-verse TV’s Chicago Cubs Multiview IPTV app allows viewers to choose from seven camera angles to create their own broadcast experience.

The interactive Chicago Cubs Multiview app builds on AT&T’s My Multiview app, launched last June, which uses IP technology to allow viewers to watch up to four channels at once on their TV screen. The Cubs version of the app allows fans to choose from the main WGN game broadcast and six other camera angles to build their own four-camera-angle show. Viewers can record any of the Cubs channels from within the app, and audio from the main game broadcast is played with each video feed.

“WGN-TV Chicago and WGN America deliver the main broadcast and six alternate camera angles [to AT&T U-verse TV],” explains AT&T spokesperson Mari Melguizo. “We have an agreement with them for the content and work directly with them. They manage the content production and the cameras at Wrigley Field.”

AT&T has a fiber line that brings the content from Wrigley to its U-verse Super Hub Office, where the company also acquires the WGN America satellite feed.

“Through our U-verse IPTV software, the WGN main broadcast and the alternate camera feeds are put into our Multiview app and delivered to customers,” Melguizo says. “We provided a Chicago Cubs Multiview to Chicago U-verse customers last year, and this year, we were able to deliver it to our U-verse customers nationwide. We conduct thorough testing to ensure the quality and customer experience before we launch any app.”

AT&T has offered several Multiview apps for other sports events, including the Masters and the Olympics. The Masters Multiview allowed customers to watch up to four holes at once, and the Olympic Multiview featured all of the NBC Universal channels showing Olympic events.

“AT&T U-verse really has infinite possibilities,” Melguizo opines. “We can build a Multiview app for virtually any content or special event. All we need is the programming and content rights. We’re ready to work with more content providers and sports teams to make additional apps like this available to U-verse customers. The future of apps and the potential to deliver even more for sports fans is just beginning.”

The Chicago Cubs Multiview app is the latest in a trend of television applications that give fans more access to their sports teams and more control over how they consume sports content. Other sports apps available through AT&T U-verse TV include Sports Multiview, which allows fans to choose from all of their sports channels to watch up to four at once; Fantasy Football, which allows fans to track the progress of their Yahoo! Sports fantasy football team on their TV screens; and College Basketball, which allowed fans to view brackets, their personalized bracket, and game summaries on their TV screens during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

 

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