ScreenReach's first mobile-to-screen test with Newcastle Utd gets near 10% take-up

March 6, 2011 by Dave Haynes

The UK mobile/digital screen start-up ScreenReach had its first industrial-strength test Saturday at a Newcastle United football (soccer) match at the home grounds.

Fans were sked to use their smartphones to select the Man Of The Match. This was the first stab at getting the crowd to get involved, and ScreenReach was hoping for an opt-in of about 5% of the crowd, or 2,500 fans. By the end of game it looked like they got double that, despite problems on the grounds with 3G capacity.

I really like this idea for a couple of reasons. It drives engagement and gets people directly involved in more than just a novelty or trivia experience. People will actually argue vigorously after the game about who deserved Man of the  Match.

More to the point, there is a direct business model, with opt-in users getting a discount at the club’s on-site store (meaning increased foot traffic) and sponsoring the Man of the Match is interesting again to brands, and the pay model is based on usage, not a blanket fee.