With the Australian Open kicking off in Melbourne as we speak I thought it would be great to see what the first major sporting event of the year has in store for us from a social media perspective.

Well, they haven’t disappointed with a great iPad app being made available for sale ahead of the tennis.  Unveiled on 7^th January, it has already become the 3^rd most popular iPad app in the sports section with no paid for promotion.

What is so special about this particular app and why is it newsworthy in any way?  Well it takes the concept of having a online programme, mixes it with live updates of matches and then adds a twist that makes it really relevant to those at the event.

This novel piece that sets it apart is the exciting digital autograph collecting feature.  This ensures that it is moves from just being a programme that is nice for those really into their tennis and takes it into the real fans hands as a way of getting those treasured autographs, saving them on your iPad (then laptop, iPhone, etc) and sharing them with your friends.

Not quite as valuable as having the ball or t-shirt signed, framed and in pride of place in your home but it is a really nice, creative feature that gets into the mindset of the fans who are attending the event and the fans who cannot make it.

“We’re very excited to be launching this new app for iPads,” said Tennis Australia chief executive Steve Wood.

“It contains a lot of top class editorial content alongside the latest digital stream of live data from the tournament.”

“Tennis Australia and IBM built a solution that combined the power of social media with the wealth of content produced throughout the tournament to provide a richer, multi-layered tournament experience to tennis fans around the world.”

Is this the future of how sports events can make the most of the iPad?  And at $4.99 per download there is certainly an income generating element there that cannot be ignored.  Be interesting to see what the feedback will be like and how many downloads it generates.

This weekend I went a bit tech crazy (for me anyway!) and invested in the ‘must have’ apple product of the moment.  The iPad.

The platform has so much potential within sport as people take advantage of the apps used on iPhones on an easier to read, bigger tablet format.

The most obvious for me is one that has proved a headache for so many years within sport.  How to make match day information available to those who come to the game in a format they like without incurring huge costs.

We all love the match day programme and it has been around for many decades.  But it has become less relevant in times where we are used to getting what we want at the touch of a button.

Clubs/event organisers have to deal with print deadlines and costs, not to mention the wastage at the end of the game.  You cannot use them again and become basically worthless within a couple of hours.  Not a great business model.

Now we are seeing clubs take advantage of the new tablets coming out, primarily the iPad.  Having flicked through the apps available in the sports sector it is encouraging to see English teams testing the water.

They include football teams Birmingham City, Reading FC and West Brom plus number of Rugby teams have also become involved with notables being Harlequins (RU and RL), Saracens and Wasps.

I can see why clubs from the two biggest sports in the country are trialling the system though potentially the demographic will be better suited to the Rugby Union goer. 

It is an exciting time with so many possibilities.  Many will be waiting to hear how the pioneers are doing and how much money they are making (or not) before dipping their toes in.

What cannot be denied is that this is something that is going to happen more and more.  With the Samsung Galaxy tablet and RIM launching their own competitor to the iPad they will become common place in the not too distant future.

The match day programme in my mind is perfect for this platform.  It reduces printing costs and times for the clubs and allows them to be so much more up-to-date.  Fans get them on demand so they can be reading them on the train to the game as well as just when in the stadium.

Hospitality could take advantage and have iPad points within the rooms where people can have a read of the programme.  For an initial investment they can help make the experience that little bit better for everyone.

Will it be profitable?  Will it cut time/costs?  What do you think?