Sports Illustrated taps Gotuit for NBA draft coverage

Gotuit says Time Inc.’s Sports Illustrated has expanded its relationship with Gotuit to power their broadband video experience for the NBA Draft 2007. The latest in a series of SI.com FILMROOMs, the 2007 NBA Draft website will provide viewers with a searchable database of video highlights from the top draft prospects organized by player, position and prospective NBA team.

“Sports fans come to SI.com for unmatched coverage of their favorite sports. Our NBA Draft 2007 site gives basketball fans the deepest possible insight into the top prospects from this year’s draft. Gotuit’s powerful video technology lets fans find and share the exact highlights they want,” said Stacey Vollman, VP/General Manager, SI.com. “The positive response to the 2007 NFL Draft video site powered by Gotuit was fantastic and we have no doubt the 2007 NBA Draft video site will bring enjoyment to NBA fans everywhere.”

Earlier this year, Sports Illustrated selected Gotuit to power the first FILMROOM product which featured searchable video highlights for the top football prospects in the 2007 NFL Draft. The NBA Draft 2007 video site is the first of several new video products powered by the Gotuit PowerVideo Suite™ that will be announced throughout the year.

Key features of 2007 NBA Draft on SI.com, powered by Gotuit, include:

Video highlights accessible by player, by school, by position, by mock draft order, and by actual draft order or by NBA team
Instant access to favorite draft prospects; jump inside a video directly to a player’s offensive and defensive highlights and their key stats
Deep search and navigation capabilities across the entire video library; ability to conduct searches while the existing video plays on, allowing viewers to queue up the next video and jump into any player video they want at anytime, without delay
“Top brands like Sports Illustrated are realizing the power of Gotuit’s patented metadata technology and selecting the Gotuit PowerVideo Suite to unleash the true potential of their online video experience,” notes Patrick Donovan, Vice President of Product Management for Gotuit. “The mix of superior video with advanced search and navigation features makes Gotuit-powered video more compelling for viewers while also providing publishers with enhanced viewer engagement and monetization opportunities. It’s this combination that made our first product with SI so successful and we’re eager to continue the tradition with more engaging video products.”

Available through SI.com and SIKIDS.com, the FILMROOM will be free to all visitors and is supported by targeted video advertising. By utilizing Gotuit, and its proprietary video search and navigation technology, SI will deliver a superior video experience with highly-targeted video interstitial advertisements.