Sports fans looking to follow their favorite teams or big games and want to make sure they can watch key moments as they happen will have a new mobile option to utilize if away from a TV.
Buzzer is a new mobile platform that will allow fans to essentially aggregate their streaming sports services and call up close games as they occur. It sounds like a personalized NFL RedZone-like service, but across all sports that interests a particular fan.
According to Axios Sports’ Kendall Baker, Buzzer sends personalized notifications to viewers, informing them of something they might want to watch. Users can then call up the services they’ve subscribed to and catch that key play or last-minute action.
And if someone doesn’t subscribe to, say, NBA League Pass or MLB.TV, Buzzer will allow viewers to make a micropayment (starting at 99 cents) to buy the portion of the game they want to watch. It’s what the company sees as a “short-form live” space between cable or streaming subscriptions and highlights found on social media.
“We all have those moments of panic where we hear about a close game, and consequently scramble to find the nearest TV,” said Buzzer founder and CEO Bo Han. “This is what Buzzer is aiming to solve: simplifying access to ephemeral live moments in sports.”
That concept was enough to attract the interest of venture capitalists. Buzzer raised $4 million in seed funding, led by investors Lerer Hippeau and Sapphire Sport.
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Prior to launching Buzzer, Han oversaw acquisitions of live sports rights and media licensing at Twitter. In that role, he worked with leagues, networks, sports teams, and athletes on partnerships. Establishing those rights agreements gave him the idea to create Buzzer.
“Twitter is the ultimate sports bar. What I noticed, however, is that it’s often like being inside of that sports bar, but not having control of the remote,” Han explained. “Our mission is to provide all sports fans unmatched access to live action anytime, anywhere — and bring people together in the process.”
Viewers interested in participating in Buzzer’s beta program can sign up at the platform’s website.
[Axios]
About Ian Casselberry
Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.