View from the Editor - Is convergence an outmoded concept?  

Convergence of technology is a concept that has been banded around for many years with content providers being promised a perfect piece of kit - probably a television set, or even better, a refrigerator with a television screen on its door - which incorporates all the best elements of wireless phones, internet connections, console technology and is probably also able to make a fine cup of coffee and slice of toast. Consumers, we were told, would no longer buy separate computers, PDAs and television sets, but would be merrily entertained by accessing one big box.
One area where convergence is starting to deliver on its promise is computer gaming following Sony's announcement that it is to produce a gadget that combines games with television capabilities. Named the PSX after Sony's PlayStation line of game machines, the kit will come with a television tuner, hard drive and digital videodisc recorder -- all powered by the fast chip at the core of the PlayStation 2. The PSX is scheduled to go on sale in Japan by year end, and in the US and Europe early next year. Sony has also announced that it is developing a new portable game machine that will also play movies.
The World Rally Championship PlayStation games will eventually have elements that connect them to an online version of the game and will one day allow users to compete in real time with the actual teams. As reported in the news section of Sport and Technology (see Consoles versus online gaming research - June 2003), according to US research, roughly the same numbers of gamers play on their computers (74%) as on their PlayStation (77%) so the cross-fertilisation of games across platforms and the convergence of devices makes sense.
But can these elements be applied to watching sport? Evidence from both the UK and US suggests that people often go online via their computers while watching television at the same time. So in this instance it is simultaneous consumption leading the way rather than convergence.
Next time you are at a live sports event, look around you and notice the abundance of mobile phones and radios that come out during the course of the match while fans check up on other scores and often other sports. There is always going to be a market for separate platforms and therefore sports properties need to keep planning to get their content on the widest range of devices possible, rather than holding out for the convergent killer application that might never emerge.
Three years ago a leading sports executive said to me: "Your Saturday WAP user may also be your ADSL office user who goes home in the evenings and watches sport on his digital television with his PC alongside it, watching data about the same game. The winners will be the companies that provide complementary services across all platforms." Swap WAP with 3G and perhaps ADSL with broadband cable, throw in the odd DVD, PDA and PlayStation 2 and we are still faced with technology-hungry sports fans who will consume data about their sport or team through whichever device is convenient for their location.
Simultaneous consumption of content through a variety of devices therefore rather than convergence means sports properties need to reconsider their platform strategy or face being left behind. And that strategy needs to be multiplatform.

Rachael Church - Editor

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