Virtual Gameday, presented by NBC Sports Washington, brings the arena atmosphere home to fans with dynamic content and exciting engagement opportunities
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), the ownership group for the Washington Wizards, and Kiswe, the global technology powering the new digital fan experience, today announced the launch of “Virtual Gameday, presented by NBC Sports Washington,” a second screen option for an enhanced viewing experience on fans’ mobile and other electronic devices.
Screenshots of the Virtual Gameday experience: click here
Wizards fans in D.C. and all over the globe will be able to access this platform at sports.kiswe.com/wizards
“As the Washington Wizards usher in the start of a non-traditional 2020-21 season without fans in the arena, we wanted to replicate some of the excitement and content we would normally deliver at Capital One Arena,” said Hunter Lochmann, Chief Marketing Officer, Monumental Sports & Entertainment. “We found a great partner in Kiswe to create this Virtual Gameday – a first-of-its-kind second screen experience for fans that delivers great content on a fun and interactive platform. At the same time, it also allows our loyal corporate partners to bring their in-game promotions to life during this non-traditional season. We think this will be a great viewing companion with the broadcast of our games on NBC Sports Washington.”
Virtual Gameday allows the Washington Wizards to bring the in-venue experience to fans within their own homes for all home games. Along with access to the traditional in-game elements which fans have a deep association with and affinity for – dancers, DJs, in-arena hosts, rally cries, national anthem performances, traditions, entertainment performances and more – Virtual Gameday provides a powerful platform to bring sponsor activations and in-game features to life as part of the re-imagined game day experience. Highlights of the show for home games include but are not limited to:
- Player warm-ups
- Pregame player warm-ups
- National Anthem
- Player introduction video and starting lineups
- Timeout and Quarter-break activations and entertainment performances
- Halftime performances and sponsorship activations
“The Washington Wizards are known for making their fans the priority and seeking innovative ways to differentiate and enhance their experience,” said Kiswe CEO Mike Schabel. “Virtual Gameday pushes the Kiswe platform to new limits and promises to deliver a second screen experience that extends the Capital One Arena to the fans at home and sets the bar high for what the digital fan sports experience should be.”
Virtual Gameday will redefine the second screen through an integrated, next-generation video experience that allows the entire audience to contribute to Wizards home games from the comfort of their own homes. This platform at the start will include:
- A user-authenticated destination to watch the Wizards video content that will be a companion to each home game
- Prominent tune-in messaging driving fans to NBC Sports Washington, the broadcast partner of the Washington Wizards
- Integration of live game stats
- Audience chat functionality
- A new interactive audience cheering feature with live visualization
More fun and interactive elements will be added throughout the course of the season.
Monumental Sports & Entertainment is committed to bringing best in class experiences to fans and is consistently innovating towards fresh and unique ways for audiences to engage with the sports they love. In launching a second screen experience, this offering is the latest among a number of initiatives which MSE has created to not only bring die-hard fans a unique perspective, but to build new fans across its multiple sports and entertainment ventures.
In 2016, MSE launched Monumental Sports Network, a direct-to-consumer, over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform which broadcasts select real-time games and hosts a catalog of thousands of hours of behind-the-scenes videos, documentaries, and exclusive team content. MSE has also partnered with William Hill to open the first ever sports book located on a U.S. sports complex, which opened in a temporary space within the box office lobby at Capital One Arena in July 2020. In early 2021, the sportsbook will move to its permanent 30,000 square foot location within the arena, boasting extraordinary culinary experiences, comfortable lounges, and ubiquitous screens for real-time sports viewing from across the globe. And MSE was a first mover in esports investing, beginning with in 2016 with aXiomatic, owner of the global esports leader Team Liquid, and continuing through its leadership in the NBA’s decision to launch an esport vertical, the NBA2K League. MSE’s Wizards District Gaming team, which competes within the NBA2K League, won the championship in August 2020. MSE is similarly cultivating great interest in the NHL beginning its own esports vertical and launched Caps Gaming in 2019 to foster that effort.
About Monumental Sports & Entertainment:
Monumental Sports & Entertainment is America’s leading sports and entertainment family. Our people, players, teams, and events bring excitement and joy to millions. We invest and innovate to consistently raise the game so we can deliver extraordinary experiences that will inspire and unite our community, our fans, and our people. To learn more, please visit www.monumentalsports.com.
About Kiswe:
Kiswe is a cloud-based video company that creates real-time live streams to engage digital audiences and unique communities around the world. By partnering with sports rights holders, Kiswe transforms live games into multiple viewing experiences via personalized content and local languages. Kiswe’s award winning technology also unlocks ways for people to stay connected over live events through a content creation and mobile platform that bridges media companies with consumers. Kiswe is headquartered in New Jersey, USA and has offices in New York, Seoul, London, Hasselt and Singapore. Learn more at www.kiswe.com.
