BOSTON and NEW YORK—The sports network NESN has announced that it has selected ViewLift provide solutions and technologies to upgrade the viewing and streaming experiences available for NESN 360, the direct-to-consumer streaming home for the Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins and other New England sports programming.

The upgraded DTC and TVE streaming offerings, which will use ViewLift’s “out of the box” features and functionality, are scheduled to relaunch this summer. NESN 360 allows fans to stream all locally-available games live on major devices, including mobile, web and connected TV platforms.

“The fan experience continues to be at the forefront of everything we do. By entering into this partnership, we will continue to focus on delivering dynamic, first in class products for fans of the Red Sox, Bruins and all of our programming,” said NESN president and CEO David Wisnia. “We’re excited about partnering with ViewLift to power feature-rich, reliable streaming for the next iteration of NESN 360.”

In making the announcement, the companies noted that NESN has a long history of tech innovation, which the current agreement continues. NESN was the first to provide fans with High-Definition broadcasts and then the first to offer 4K game broadcasts. In 2022, NESN was the first to launch a direct-to-consumer streaming platform in NESN 360.

“We are particularly proud to work with NESN, a consistent innovator in live sports,” said Rick Allen, CEO of ViewLift. “Our platform now streams 14 US pro teams and five RSNs, more than our competitors combined, and we will bring this experience to bear for the passionate fans of the Red Sox, Bruins, and the other pro and collegiate teams that New Englanders have come to enjoy from NESN.”

With the new deal, ViewLift’s roster of clients now includes streaming platforms for the NHL, and 14 professional teams across that League and the NBA, WNBA and MLB, as well as the Professional Fighters League, LIV Golf, and other sports leagues and teams around the world. The company reported that its robust cloud-based platform ensures seamless, buffer-free streaming and supports flexible monetization models, real-time analytics, fan personalization, and rapid deployment.

BOSTON—In a first for regional sports, the Boston Bruins, NESN, and National Hockey League have announced that they will produce “Best Snow Day Ever,” which feature an animated version of a NHL game between the Bruins and the Panthers. It will air on March 11 at 7 p.m. ET locally on NESN+ and the NESN 360 app, alongside the main broadcast of the Bruins-Panthers game on NESN.

“Best Snow Day Ever” is one of several NHL animated data visualizations that are being produced in association with NHL innovation partner Sony’s Beyond Sports for the 2024-25 season. It marks the first time one of these games has been done regionally.

This program represents a continuation of the NHL’s innovative efforts to further engage young fans and families and to demonstrate applications of NHL technology initiatives like NHL EDGE Positional Data.

In addition to an animated version of the game, “Best Snow Day Ever” will bring kids on an imaginary snow day with no school where they follow Blades, the Bruins’ mascot, on an adventure as he’s transported into a snow globe of an imaginary Boston.

The story incorporates a mix of STEM-focused lessons, using hockey as a vehicle to make math, physics and science concepts come together in a way that is both fun and educational. NESN reporter Adam Pellerin will lead the animated play-by-play, with former Bruin and 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Andrew Ference providing analysis.

“The Boston Bruins are thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to work with the National Hockey League and our regional broadcast partner NESN to bring to life the first regional animated data visualization in our market,” said Andrea Mazzarelli, Bruins vice president of marketing. “‘Best Snow Day Ever’ is more than just bringing hockey into a fantasy environment; our program is designed to educate and engage younger audiences and families with integrated STEM lessons throughout the program, which can live on in classrooms well beyond March 11.”

“We’re constantly searching for innovative ways to bring sports to new audiences. This animated data visualization provides us the opportunity to reach kids in a fun, relevant and educational way – because while fans may not consider it, sports are all grounded in STEM – from the speed of the puck to the angle of the shot,” added Josh Jun, vice president of content for NESN. “Working with the Bruins and NHL to develop this project has been such an incredible experience and we can’t wait for young hockey fans to tune in.”

In addition to the STEM lessons, the animated data visualization will feature appearances from Bruins players during intermissions, where they will participate in interactive segments designed to make learning even more fun. Viewers will also experience a Boston-centric narrative, showcasing local landmarks, history, and culture, all while highlighting STEM lessons that tie back to the on-ice action between the Bruins and Panthers.

The animated program builds upon the Bruins’ and NESN’s ongoing commitment to engage with and educate kids through sports. Through the Bruins Academy, the Bruins offer youth hockey programs and free curriculum materials that integrate the sport of hockey with STEM-focused lesson plans, while NESN’s weekly show, NESN Clubhouse, gives kids a backstage look at the skills, technology and fitness necessary to be a professional athlete.

Boston Bruins corporate partners TD Bank, Rapid7 and JetBlue are supporting the initiative with integrations throughout the animated broadcast.

VANCOUVER, B.C.—Sparx Technology has announced that the New England Sports Network (NESN) will continue to have unlimited use of Sparx’s real-time engagement platform for NESN’s broadcasts of live Boston Bruins games during the 2022-23 Boston Bruins season. 

The Sparx real-time platform is a flexible, multi-faceted platform that is used to engage audiences with voting/polling, predictive questions and trivia.

The platform enables broadcasters, streamers, and video producers to engage viewers for longer, generate new revenue opportunities, and create lean-forward experiences for audiences eager to join the action, the company said. 

Millions of users can connect to the Sparx platform and interact simultaneously on their mobile phone, tablet, or computer anywhere in the world, in real time.

BOSTON—The New England Sports Network (NESN) has become the first regional sports network (RSN) to offer a direct to consumer service (DTC) with the launch of NESN 360, a digital subscription service that will allow fans to purchase a direct subscription to NESN’s live programming and video-on-demand content. 

The NESN 360 SVOD regional sports service allows Red Sox and Bruins fans to stream 220+ live games through a direct subscription or a participating TV provider account.

The service was launched in partnership with the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Bruins and Major League Baseball (MLB). 

The launch comes at a time when Sinclair's Bally Sports and others are planning to launch similar DTC services this year.  

NESN has also announced that it will introduce new features and functionality in the upcoming months, including 4K HDR, cloud DVR, and will expand its reach with FIRETV and Google TV apps. NESN is also exploring an exclusive live home batting practice feed in partnership with the Red Sox.

“NESN 360 is the latest iteration in NESN’s long history of innovation and providing fans with the best sports viewing experience,” said Sean McGrail, NESN’s president and CEO. “We believe the direct subscription option will build on NESN’s reach in the region, and will be an excellent complement to the existing, valuable partnerships we have with TV providers to bring NESN to all homes in New England.”

Fans who choose to subscribe directly have an annual and a monthly subscription option, each with its own limited time promotion for the launch of the new product. The monthly plan will bill $1 for the first month, followed by $29.99 once per month. Annual subscribers will be billed $329.99 once per year, which reflects the first month as just $1, and will receive eight tickets to a 2022 Red Sox game of their choosing, while supplies last. 

Subscribers can stream NESN’s live feeds and video on demand (VOD) library directly to their computer, iOS, Android, Apple TV or Roku device. Fans who already have NESN through a participating TV provider will be able to authenticate into the NESN 360 app to access the same experience, including streaming live Red Sox and Bruins games and VOD content.

In addition to the live TV programming, NESN 360 will include expanded access to Red Sox content, including highlights and select on-demand historical Red Sox games, as well as Bruins games, Bruins highlights, exclusive new content and a library of hundreds of video-on-demand titles, including NESN original shows. Additionally, NESN 360’s video-on-demand library will feature full games of notable 2022 Red Sox season matchups, including nationally broadcast games after they’ve aired.

NESN has also invested in original content featuring notable personalities, including baseball content creators Jared Carrabis and Pitching Ninja. There are also collaborations in progress with other content partners such as The Boston Globe.

WATERTOWN, MASS.—NESN is dropping the puck for in-market live streaming of Boston Bruins games for the current NHL season. NESN reached a licensing agreement with the NHL to stream NESN-televised Bruins games in the network’s home territory through NESNgo.com and its NESNgo app for mobile phones and tablets.

NESNgo is available to “authenticated subscribers” at no additional cost, with fans just needing to sign in using their existing TV provider username and password.

TV service providers that have currently activated authentication for NESN live streaming include Atlantic Broadband, BELD, Xfinity (Comcast), Cox Communications, DirecTV, Full Channel, MetroCast, PlayStation Vue, RCN, SELCO and Waitfield Club. NESN reports that other distributors have plans to authenticate in the future.