UFC Teams with NeuLion on Online Interactive TV Experience for Pay-Per-View Events

Mixed martial arts fight promoter, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), has teamed with broadband TV specialist, NeuLion, to create an online interactive TV service featuring UFC pay-per-view events. Dubbed UFC.tv and priced at $44.95 per event (i.e. $10 less than UFC PPV events on multichannel pay-TV services), the service launched Saturday in association with UFC's "Silva vs. Belfort" PPV event.

Among other things, the new service--a demo video of which is embedded above and an interactive demo of which can be accessed here--allows users to:

• Switch between Spanish- and English-language commentary, and access audio feeds from each fighter's corner.
• Switch between multiple camera angles: the default angle of the main broadcast feed, "Red Corner," "Blue Corner," "Camera 3" and "Overhead."
• View two camera angles in picture-in-picture (i.e. small window within large window) mode.
• View four camera angles in "quad view" mode.
• Use DVR-type controls.
• Interact with other fans while viewing a live fight, via an "Enhanced View" option that allows viewers to try their hand at scoring a fight live; to engage in live chat with other viewers; and to follow tweets about the fight they are watching.

According to UFC's press materials, UFC.tv is part of a strategy that will see it significantly enhancing its streaming offerings: "The new UFC premium streaming video experience will provide a diverse range of content available for Web browsers, mobile devices and Internet-connected device applications among others," the materials promise. "Additionally, a customized line-up of fan tools and widgets will be integrated into these services. This will give fans a world-class streaming video experience at UFC.tv focusing on recent, in-progress and upcoming events, as well as access to UFC Fight Library archives of previous events and related content...In addition to launching on PC and IP-connected devices, mobile services will also focus on providing a high-quality video and live event streaming experience for fans on-the-go."