The Chicago Tribune is experimenting with a “second screen” for Bears games.
The term, “second screen,” is thrown around quite a bit these days. It refers to the idea that while viewers watch a game on television, their first screen, they also are surfing the net on their computers–hence, the second screen.
Usually, the concept focuses on the networks that are airing the games. But anything goes in the brave new media world, and that has the Tribune going the video route during Bears games.
For Sunday’s Bears-Green Bay match-up, the Tribune will feature live video analysis from experts on its site just prior to kickoff, at halftime, and immediately after the game when they will take questions from fans.
“A lot of people are watching games while also checking out Twitter, Facebook, looking at their fantasy stats,” said Mike Kellams, the Tribune’s associate managing editor for sports. “They’ve got the game on TV and something else. We want to be that something else.”
This will be the third Bears game for the Tribune’s second screen. In the previous two games, Kellams’ crew came on during commercials with analysis. The Tribune is going with a different format this week “to see what works best,” Kellams said.
“We’re still experimenting,” Kellams said.
The entire experiment is yet another example of sports sections trying to reinvent themselves on their web sites. Kellams wasn’t aware of any other newspaper doing the same thing.
“We wanted to think out of the box and see what happens,” Kellams said.
