The first digital games

While South-east Asia has produced a sprinkling of Olympic and world champions, the region continues to battle to become a major player on the international sports scene.

Over the last decade or so, the top nations have used the South-east Asia (SEA) Games as a stepping stone for their athletes en route to bigger conquests down the road, hopefully.

Next month's SEA Games in Singapore will be no different. It is set to play an even bigger role for multi-sport events of the future, with the digital experience it is promising fans next month.

A huge swathe of the approximately 600 million people in the region are recognised as sports nuts, and they will be able to root for their athletes through the extensive digital platform for the Games set up by Singapore's Southeast Asia Games Organising Committee (Singsoc).

"Digital is a very important and critical part of the SEA Games experience. We believe that this legacy will continue, in terms of the types of digital experience that we have now put forward," said Thomas Lim, Singsoc's head of information operations, yesterday.

On Monday, the 28th SEA Games TV mobile application will be launched for any smart mobile device or tablet for iOS and Android.

MULTIPLE ANGLES

For the first time at any multi-sport competition, an interactive multi-camera feature will be available on the app. It will enable fans to watch eight sports and the opening and closing ceremonies from multiple angles, utilising up to 16 cameras.

Said Lim: "As fans get more demanding in terms of digital experience, this multi-cam feature will allow them to navigate where they like and consume the content as they like it.

"It's trail-blazing but it's also important that we keep up with the expectations that the digital consumers have."

The app will also stream over 600 hours of competition, including 17 sports, "live".

It will also have video-on-demand of various sport clips, the medal tally and latest updates on medallists.

Another app for SEA Games Results will provide fans with schedules, results, medal tallies and more.

Aside from the apps, a YouTube channel has also been set up to provide international live-streaming content for 16 sports and the opening and closing ceremonies, highlights of the Games and daily golden moments.

Said Harbans J Singh, second-in-charge of digital at Singsoc: "From conceptualising to where we have arrived today, the journey has been an extraordinary one in making this Games the most digitally innovative in SEA Games history.

"Now, it is for people in Singapore and South-east Asia to experience and 'Celebrate the Extraordinary' with us through these easily available 28th SEA Games digital assets."

28TH SEA GAMES: A DIGITAL EXPERIENCE l TV mobile application l YouTube channel: youtube.com/SingaporeSports l Results mobile app, website version also available at results.seagames2015.com. l Official website seagames2015.com is mobile friendly and will provide daily result updates, game schedules and latest notifications. l A Social Wall has also been set up on the website to feature content from both users and Singsoc. l An online game called Nila's Quest, where prizes such as Samsung tablets, smartphones, smart watches and cameras can be won weekly, has also been launched. SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS l Facebook: facebook.com/SEAGAMES2015 l Twitter: twitter.com/seagames2015 l Instagram: instagram.com/seagames2015/

This article was first published on May 19, 2015.
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