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Digital agency the OTHER media this week celebrated more than a million downloads of its sports apps for smartphones. The milestone proves that Brits still love their sport with a passion.
The agency developed apps for three of the country’s biggest sporting establishments – the England and Wales Cricket Board, the Football League and the Rugby Football Union. To mark the occasion the OTHER media celebrated at an event staged at London’s prestigious Club at the Ivy last night (Thursday September 8).
George Crabb, MD of the OTHER media, said today: “To reach a million downloads of our apps is clearly a major achievement for any developer. Our first app for the iPhone was ECB Cricket and we later developed versions for other handsets. Apps followed for the Football League and the Rugby Football Union and these have also proved a hit with their fans - the Football League app even topped Apple’s download chart on release.
“Our apps allow the country’s cricket, football and rugby fans to follow the fortunes of their favourite teams with news and score updates as they happen. We think their success shows that sport is as popular as ever in Britain in the digital age.”
Julian Goode, Head of New Media at the ECB, said: “We think the OTHER media set a benchmark with our original ECB Cricket iPhone app, and the number of downloads and the user feedback we have received over the past two years of refinement and development have underlined just how successful it has been.
“We’ve extended the ECB Cricket app into Android and BlackBerry versions as we continue to exploit the opportunity that mobile apps offer us to enlarge our fan base – the OTHER media team has expertly guided us along the way to help keep us ahead of the game.”
Benjamin Watt, Head of Digital at the Football League, added: “The Football League app has been a great success – and with the OTHER media we plan to build on that accomplishment in the months to come. The agency’s team understood what we wanted and put it into practice both quickly and efficiently. The app proved an instant hit with fans and we look forward to a continued healthy relationship with the OTHER media.”
ECB Cricket, FL Football and Official RFU are all available for free download. ECB Cricket launched in April 2009, FL Football was released a year ago and Official RFU came out ten months ago. Since then, the user minutes logged on the apps is phenomenal. Official RFU has notched up five years of use and FL Football has passed 41 years – while ECB Cricket users have collectively logged a staggering 342 years and four months with their app!
But the OTHER media does not only make acclaimed sports apps. It developed BBC Listener for BBC Worldwide, which allows those outside the UK to listen to highlights from Radio 4’s output, and Can I Eat It?, which scans food products to offer sound advice for those who have allergies and must avoid potentially risky ingredients. More apps are currently in development, several of which are due for release before the end of the year.
With a team of more than 40 expert developers, programmers and designers, the OTHER media specialises in often-complex digital projects ranging from maximising web activity to tailor-made apps for the mobile market. Amongst the agency’s many other respected clients are BAFTA, Ben Sherman, Jasper Conran, HarperCollins, The Royal Collection, The Rug Company, Paul Smith and the V&A museum.
Founded in 1994, the OTHER media is based at London Bridge and is now seen as a cornerstone of the UK’s digital establishment. The three original directors of the company – Jonathan Briggs, George Crabb and Nicholas Oates - are still at the helm, steering its ongoing success 17 years later.
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tim.wapshott[.]othermedia.com 
