360 Degrees of NASCAR

Online video coverage of peripheral activities surrounding large sporting events seems to be catching on. While streaming video is yet unable to compete with the kind of experience broadcast television can provide, it can provide fans with access to events which would normally not make it past the cutting room floor — while providing the sporting event and technologies with extra branding and marketing opportunities.

The most recent example is a relationship with Be Here Corporation ( www.behere.com), a provider of 360-degree live streaming video technology and Turner Sports Interactive, parent company of NASCAR.com. Be Here's iVideo system will bring 360-degree video of the pits and garages at the NASCAR Daytona 500 exclusively to NASCAR.com, beginning on Friday, February 16.

"Our relationship with Turner Sports Interactive illustrates the demand by top sports companies to employ this type of alternative media solution in order to extend a whole new experience to their online fan base for popular sporting events," said Andew Thau, CEO of Be Here Corporation.

In early February, Be Here produced 360-degree video of events surrounding the NHL All-Star weekend, including the Conoco/NHL All-Star Open Practice and a virtual guided tour of NHL All-Star Fantasy, the league's interactive fan festival.