Each team in the National Basketball Association is using the company’s web-based services in scouting opponents, developing its players, and evaluating players in free agency, trades and rookie drafts. Based on a team’s specified criteria, Synergy logs the ball possessions of each basketball game. The results are integrated with the league statistics that visually displays the players’ or the team’s tendencies.
Synergy is using the “ontological” tagging method, which is proprietary to the company although its application for patent is still pending at this time. Clients tag the videos from their remote locations, allowing the organizations to make synchronized collaborations. Once the video clips are uploaded into the Synergy platform, it can allow manual and automated edits, stats display, iPod transfers, smartphone access and video email functions.
Coaches will log into the Synergy platform to drill down the needed reports that provides information to better understand the players, the opposing teams, and the individual games. An interesting stat sighted can be a subject of further scouting and investigation, which can easily be done by clicking into the match video. Clips worth sharing to the entire team can be saved in just one click. The clips can be shared through the players’ iPads, or emailed to any location in the world, or added into the Synergy platform’s online and offline editor so that they can become a part of a collaborative workflow.
In 2008, Synergy underwent two important corporate developments. In July, Synergy announced that it entered into a contract with NBA for a multi-year license to give NBA.com and NBA TV access to Synergy’s products and services. In September, Synergy announced that it has partnered with EA Sports in the development and publication of interactive entertainment software where the data from Synergy will be integrated.