PRESS Center

Raycom Sports to combine with Jacked Inc. to produce simultaneous Web pages tied to telecasts.

THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS | John Solomon | June 24, 2008

The TV sports syndication company will combine with Jacked Inc. to produce simultaneous Web pages tied to Raycom's SEC and ACC football and basketball telecasts, including the conference basketball tournaments.

The free pages will allow fans to see updated statistics, view highlights from past games, click on links to related print and broadcast coverage, and chat live with other fans. Viewers can customize the pages for components they like and ignore others.

"There's only a finite amount of time you can have the announcers talk about things on the telecast," said Frank Kay, a spokesman for Raycom Sports. "Here's a way to go to one place during the game to give fans the full picture about what they're watching."

For now, the new service will be found for SEC games at RaycomSports.com and ACC games at TheACC.com. Kay said there are ongoing discussions about using the SEC Web site as another access point.

The service, dubbed the Jacked SportsTop, will work only for SEC and ACC games televised by Raycom. Raycom signed a three-year agreement with Jacked Inc., and has three years remaining on its TV deal with the ACC and one year left with the SEC.

Kay said the Jacked SportsTop differs from the GameTracker used by some Web sites because the new device focuses on context rather than play-by-play updates.

"When a receiver has a 100-yard game, you'll be told on your computer he now has five 100-yard games and here are some stories about him to read," Kay said.

Raycom hopes advertisers like the concept because they can target the passionate fans they try to reach. Ads can be tied to events during the game and synchronized with broadcast commercials.

One or two major sponsors will be featured on the Web site and Raycom broadcasts, generating an additional $100,000 to $250,000 per sponsor annually, the Charlotte Business Journal reported.

Jacked Inc. says more sports fans now embrace watching games on TV and the Internet, and claims 39.5 percent of adults and 35 percent of college students regularly watch TV while online. The company already uses the Jacked SportsTop for all Major League Baseball, NBA and NHL games.

E-mail: jsolomon@bhamnews.com

Home About Jacked Take a Tour Feedback FAQ's/Help Jobs Press Center Newsletter Advertising Partner With Us Terms of Services Privacy Policy

Jacked, Inc. is NOT associated with or authorized by any of the television broadcast companies, networks, or cable companies or the amateur, collegiate, or professional sports teams, athletes, or leagues. Jacked, Inc. is a completely independent news and information service provided to individuals like YOU who seek greater connection and interaction. Jacked uses team and league names and logos solely to identify them and to provide information, and those names and logos do not indicate any sponsorship or licensing connection or any other connection between Jacked and those teams or leagues. Jacked, Inc. is the first provider of a state-of-the-art system to make it possible to receive the information you need while you are watching other media. The Jacked TVTop™, the Jacked SportsTop™, and Jacked are registered trademarks of Jacked, Inc.