Are the Spurs ahead of the curve or blissfully ignorant?

Yesterday the Spurs announced a “first-of-its-kind” companion to their TV broadcasts. But doesn’t this sound vaguely familiar?

The San Antonio Spurs today announced the launch of the Spurs TV Companion on spurs.com, a first-of-its-kind live game companion designed to enhance the television viewing experience for fans. The new full screen feature provides an in-arena experience with social media integration and video highlight packages that complement every single live telecast.

via SPURS: Spurs Launch First-Of-Its-Kind Companion For Live Game TV Broadcasts.

I feel like virtually every sports website and television network is trying some sort of add-on component to their traditional format. They add Twitter, Facebook, blog or a chat to something and presume they’re cutting edge or adding value for their audience. For the most part, this hasn’t had the kind of success people have been hoping for.

What is interesting about this venture is that the Spurs themselves have created the companion. Team-owned media is becoming an increasingly popular phenomenon, threatening outlets for sports media. Sports teams are notoriously controlling and greedy, so this makes sense for them, but is it the future of content?