Sony Ericsson Brings Tennis Results to Cell Phones
Wed Jul 27, 2005 6:53 am
Sony Ericsson today announced a new information service enabling sports fans to get closer to the excitement of women's tennis via their mobile phone. For the first time ever, Sony Ericsson WTA Tour related content including the latest scores, player profiles, match data and daily schedules of play from tournaments will be accessible from anywhere, at any time through mobile phones.
The new technology and content represents the latest activation by Sony Ericsson of its sponsorship of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, designed to increase fan interactivity and bring together sport, technology, design, fashion and music. The new content follows Sony Ericsson's launch of its 'Girls on Tour' Web site in May, which brought tennis fans closer to the stars of the women's game through original content such as player diaries and free downloadable ringtones that feature player messages.
The new services which are made possible because of Sony Ericsson's title sponsorship of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour include:
Latest Scores - Get the latest score from the matches that interest you most and follow your favourite player wherever you are. Find out what's happening on another court if you're actually at the tournament, or keep up to date about what's happening on court from wherever you are in the world.
Head to Head - Comprehensive data on the top Sony Ericsson WTA Tour players is accessible over your mobile phone, so while watching a game, it's possible to check player profiles plus access information about who won previous encounters to add to the excitement and trill of the on court action.
Schedule of the Day - The full schedule for the day's play at the tournament is available via your phone as soon as it's announced, know instantly of any updates or alterations, and always know where and when players are playing.
'Girls on Tour' Web site - The Sony Ericsson 'Girls on Tour' web site, which offers unique content such as player diaries, tournament photographs taken by Getty photographers and the players themselves, and original downloadable ringtones, is now fully accessible through mobile phones.
"When we announced our sponsorship of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in January, our aim was to roll out a range of applications and content that would bring tennis fans closer to the action and glamour of the women's game while showcasing the cutting edge technology behind Sony Ericsson mobile phones," says Dee Dutta, head of marketing for Sony Ericsson. "The new mobile content services announced today build on our earlier launch of the 'Girls on Tour' Web site and enhance the tennis experience by bringing the excitement of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour to the world of mobile phones. The anywhere, anytime benefits of mobile phone technology are ideally suited to bringing sports fans closer to the premier sport for women in the world."
"The new technology and mobile content that Sony Ericsson is introducing today will bring the world's leading global sport for women and our globally-recognized players even closer to fans," Sony Ericsson WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott said. "One of the most exciting aspects of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour partnership is the ability of Sony Ericsson to bring its technology to bear to make the game more exciting and accessible to fans."
The new mobile phone services are optimized for Sony Ericsson phones, but available on other models including monotone screened phones. They are delivered over the WAP platform and users must subscribe to the service using either their mobile phone or PC. The services are free of charge but operator network charges apply for data transmission.
Available from today, in English, Spanish and French with more languages to follow shortly, the new WAP enabled services will be piloted at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, CA., and continued throughout the remainder of the year at the Acura Classic in suburban San Diego, the Rogers Cup presented by American Express in Toronto, the China Open in Beijing, the Ladies Kremlin Cup in Moscow, the Swisscom Challenge in Zurich and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships in Los Angeles, before being expanded for the 2006 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour season.
