With the transition from MyCricket to PlayHQ, the digital landscape of Australian Cricket is undergoing change. Digital scoreboards are not immune to these changes. With PlayHQ now providing the scoring platform, scoreboard information will be feed through from PlayHQ eScoring portal.
What are some of the changes?
Webhooks Replacing Bluetooth:
The live score feed is now controlled via a webhook solution, which is a move away from the Bluetooth solution that many clubs would be used to. This will allow for smoother, faster and accurate relaying of scores to your electronic scoreboard on game day.
Webhooks are a more modern technology than Bluetooth. Using Webhooks will future proof scoreboards and allow scoreboard software to absorb more data. The result being more exciting ways to display match stats and scores in the future.
It is worth noting that you will require internet access to run this solution for your scoreboard. This may mean an upgrade to your existing infrastructure at your facility.
Web Scoring Solution:
The PlayHQ eScoring platform is entirely web based. You will access scoring sessions via https://ca.score.playhq.com/ and by searching for your venue and team to start an eScore session. There is no app available for this platform, but you are able to create a dashboard shortcut to your scoring device if you wish.
You will need to ensure you have an internet connection if you wish to utilise the PlayHQ scoreboard integration.
Annual Cost:
To ensure the webhooks are maintained and kept working smoothly, there will be a cost associated with using the PlayHQ webhooks. PlayHQ charges an annual fee of $60 per scoreboard to the software provider. Any other additional annual costs are at the discretion of your scoreboard software provider and will be charged directly by the scoreboard manufacturer to clubs. It is best to reach out to your scoreboard manufacturer and other scoreboard software providers for a quote on their ongoing costs.
Please note: Most PlayHQ integration software solutions are cross compatible with other scoreboards.
Ongoing Support:
As Australian Cricket moves away from an app-based scoring solution, Cricket Australia no longer manages the API feeds for live scores, like those used for scoreboards in MyCricket. The relationship is now managed directly between PlayHQ and your scoreboard software provider. So, if you ever require support with your scoreboard it is best to touch base with your provider directly in the first instance, before reaching out to the PlayCricket Support Team.