The fast, high-tech F50 catamarans of SailGP came to Europe for the first time last Sunday in blustery conditions resulting in “the most exciting racing of the series so far,” according to one of the commentators. The three races were all won by Australia, with boat speeds approaching 60mph/100kph at times. Weather is a constant […] More
It shows a true commitment to remote production when you choose the location for your first ever event in a new sport to be on the other side of the world from your production gallery. For SailGP, its first-ever race was in Sydney this year (15-16 February), more than 17,000km from its production base in […] More
The Henley Royal Regatta is one of the grandest events in the English social calendar. A place to see and be seen – but, for 50 years, not by TV viewers. That was until five years ago when the Regatta brought in Sunset+Vine and started streaming every single race on YouTube. That partnership has now […] More
Speed is key to most sports and also to the production of fast turnaround clips and near-live highlights for the web, mobile and social media. It is an ideal way of engaging with fans, but getting it both right and fast is tricky, according to a lively panel session at SportTech 2019 in London on […] More
Broadcast TV often finds it difficult to reach younger audiences, particularly in the 16-24 age group. It’s not enough to simply show a match on a big screen to a generation that has grown up with YouTube, instant messaging and multiple platforms. “Things are moving much faster than they ever have before, and young audiences […] More
The nature of live sports makes launching OTT and VoD sports services particularly exciting. “Whether it’s a single round heavyweight fight or Tottenham scoring in the 96th minute of a Champion’s League semi-final, those minutes are not to be missed.” Unfortunately, they sometimes are, said Tom Williams, chief executive, Ostmodern, who chaired the SportTech 2019 […] More
Streaming is usually seen as a way to deliver on-demand and catch-up services, but increasingly it is also being used for live TV, particularly sports. A notable example of this is New York-based fuboTV, which streams linear TV in the US and more recently in Spain. Although it is on the internet, 90% of the […] More
There were more than 4,000 eSports tournaments globally in 2018, a number that will rise this year thanks to a total prize pool of some US $200m, comparing favourably with the $135m for ATP Tour tennis. This makes it a major draw for competitors – the highest paid eSports star is estimated to earn about […] More
Sports broadcasting is changing. New entrants are putting pressure on traditional broadcasters, rights holders are bypassing broadcasters to engage fans directly, and public service broadcasters are having to re-think how they attract viewers. It’s challenging, but this transformation also offers opportunities, according to a panel session at last week’s BVE conference in London entitled ‘A […] More
Becoming ‘the Netflix of’ any broadcast genre is the aim of many new entrants to the online market. It is certainly the case for DAZN, which has emulated the Netflix model for sport. DAZN now offers a very wide range of sports, on any device, with the ability to cancel the contract at any time. […] More
