Italy’s Mediaset revving up for MotoGP, Superbike 2013

“A great season, no doubt, for Mediaset, MotoGP and Superbike 2013,” says Fabio Pravettoni , who is responsible for the ‘engine area’ at Sport Mediaset. Evidently very enthusiastic about the 2013 season, Pravettoni says that Mediaset has further optimised its coverage of these two highly popular events.

This year represents a unique situation in the Italian market in that both major two-wheel track competitions, MotoGP and Superbike, are handled by the same provider, Mediaset, with the two networks of Italia 1 and Italia 2.

The coverage is undoubtedly extensive, encompassing free practice and qualifying sessions, warm-ups, post-match discussion and news reports for various bulletins. Coverage totals 18 and 14 hours at weekends for MotoGP and Superbike, respectively, adding up to a total of 600 hours across the season.

“It’s a great season, no doubt about it,” says Pravettoni. “To be precise, it encompasses 33 weekends, considering that this year a 15 º Grand Prix Superbike has been included and MotoGP races are 18 for a total of 33 circuits. However, given that there will be coincidences, we can talk about 27 busy weekends for the two networks Mediaset Italia 1 and Italia 2. Never before can viewers at home [follow] everything that happens ‘around’ these international competitions, and all for free without paying a subscription.”

The central premise is to follow the full practice on each circuit and enrich this coverage with sophisticated visual integration. The holder of international rights for both events, the Spanish company Dorna Sports, possesses an outstanding technical structure that enables events to be covered with the latest technology and a host of TV cameras, onboard cameras, lapse info and much more. To this elaborate series of beautiful images are added customisations made by Mediaset incorporating a total of eight cameras and constant RF connection.

The company also proposed a comprehensive TV program to be assembled on-site, called Fuori Giri, which will be aired at the end of MotoGP and the close of the second World Superbike race. For this coverage, riders and prominent figures will be interviewed on-site, with all footage shot in HD, 16/9.

“We are trying to change the habits of viewers,” says Pravettoni. “We used to follow only the race itself. Today, however, a spectator over the weekend lives everything that happens in the paddock, both live and with recorded stories, since the circuit is completely covered thanks to cameras and RF link in HD. So images and information are arriving in a continuous cycle not only from the pit lane but also from the paddocks, the mobile clinic and the whole area of ​​the motor homes where the riders can be found. Our presence is very extensive and we are able to report any situation.”

Expanding upon the principal objectives of the coverage, Pravettoni remarks that “the important thing for us is to bring live to the audience throughout the weekend everything that happens, almost without filters and whatever happens we are always ready. In fact, despite the preset ‘schedule’, we are able to ‘dismantle and reassemble’ everything at any time, change the order of events, present continuous updates and links even in the unfortunate event of an accident. We can technically guarantee anything to the viewer at home continuously and with great quality.”