Ooyala Partners with R&A Ahead of The Open

The R&A, buy the organization responsible for hosting The Open Championship has agreed a partnership with Ooyala, sale for the fastest growing online video technology company to deliver a mobile, multi-screen media experience to golf fans around the world.

Together, The R&A and Ooyala will deliver VOD highlights from golf’s oldest Major to multiple connected screens including PCs, iPhones and Android devices. The R&A uses leading-edge digital video technology from Ooyala to power video on The Open Championship website, iPhone and Android devices and through a new iPad application featuring tournament highlights, special video features and an interactive map of the course.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Ooyala to bring interactive, multi-screen streaming video from The Open Championship to a global audience of golf fans. The way people view premium content is changing, and Ooyala keeps us up to par with how people watch sports today”

Additionally, with the Open Championship iPad app, built with Ooyala software development tools, iPad viewers can experience the Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf course with fly-over videos of each hole, and watch video of famous golf shots from past tournaments highlighted on the digital course. The Open runs from July 15th to July 22nd at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club in Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Ooyala to bring interactive, multi-screen streaming video from The Open Championship to a global audience of golf fans. The way people view premium content is changing, and Ooyala keeps us up to par with how people watch sports today,” said Kevin Bain, Digital Media Manager of The R&A.

Neil Berry, vice president of Ooyala EMEA, said, “The R&A have taken a bold approach to bringing both current and historic moments from one of the most exciting golf events of the year to fans around the world. Mobile video is a real driver for increased engagement with sports today, benefitting the content owners, sponsors and fans alike. We’re thrilled to be working with The R&A to deliver innovative new experiences that hit the sweet spot for mobile sports fans.”

Ooyala has the market-leading analytics engine for online video, enabling programmers, service providers and other content owners to better manage, distribute and monetize digital content. With Ooyala, The R&A can access real-time viewer engagement metrics and audience insights to better understand how their content is viewed online and across devices. The R&A is also leveraging Ooyala’s robust media management system to syndicate video content from The Open to YouTube and other global affiliates.

The partnership with The R&A builds on Ooyala’s strong momentum as a leading digital video solutions provider for premium video content, especially in sports media. In recent months, Ooyala’s behavioral analytics and monetization tools has put the company in league with Wimbledon, the Australian Open, ESPN, and the soon-to-be launched Pac-12 Network.