SNY Revamps Web Site with Blogs and Exclusive Shows

SportsNet New York is overhauling its SNY.tv Web site with a slate of independent blogs and exclusive broadband shows.The new site, which also will feature a redesign, plans to relaunch March 31, in time for Opening Day. “New York has a go-to place for sports radio and a go-to place for sports TV,” said SNY President Steve Raab. “Why not have a go-to place for online sports, too?”RSNs typically have lagged behind other sports networks in terms of rolling out broadband services for their Web sites. This year, though, each of the four New York area RSNs will have extensive broadband components to their sites. “RSN sites are primarily promotional tools for the networks,” Raab said. “This is a paradigm shift for us.” SNY.tv’s relaunch will incorporate more than just broadband video. SNY started its strategy last year by acquiring and partnering with four blogs, which has helped SNY.tv log a 300 percent increase in unique users since December. It bought metsblog.com and waswatching.com (a Yankees blog) and partnered with jetsblog.com. The site launched its own Giants blog, giantsfootballblog.com, after it could not find a Giants blog to partner with. Thanks in large part to traffic increases from those blogs, SNY is on pace to deliver four times its digital revenue this year through higher ad rates and new advertising partners. “We know it’s working,” Raab said. SNY.tv also is planning to roll out up to four broadband programs specific to the site. It is planning a midday news-and-entertainment show and a daily show centered on its Mets and Yankees blogs. It also plans stand-alone Mets postgame shows. The site does not plan to repurpose content from the TV channel, though it will feature video highlights from Mets games. It has hired six employees for its digital operations, including a producer and a video editor. “I expect the site to produce original content that will be better in some cases than what you see on TV,” Raab said. The site plans to feature more interactive elements around its live Mets games, including polling and text messaging services. It is also about to sign a deal with Stats Inc. for access to up-to-the-minute scores and stats.
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