Quidich enhances IPL coverage with Stiqy graphics tool
Formed in 2007, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is the most popular cricket league in the world, attracting millions of viewers globally across multiple platforms.
For the 2022-23 season, broadcasters wanted to improve the production quality of games across satellite TV and OTT channels. They turned to StiQy from Quidich to enhance the way information is relayed to viewers and commentators.
Graphics solution Stiqy can detect a player on camera and attach a graphic to them as they move across the frame. The information it portrays can be classified under three main categories – historical player or match data, live player or match data and field positions with player names.
IPL games focused on key data such as most runs in the season so far, player milestones, such as 300th wicket, bowling figures from a previous game/season, batsman strike rate, and boundaries hit so far (4s/6s). Field position along with the player name (for eg: Paul, Backward Point) and the current partnership between two batsmen, as they meet on the pitch between overs, were also highlighted, along with the distance covered by a particular fielder in a match.
As Stiqy does not need any specialised camera equipment and can easily adapt to existing broadcast flows, IPL broadcasters didn’t have to invest in new equipment or train their teams to implement the technology.
“Stiqy works in tandem with the live feed and does not distract the viewer’s attention away from the game,” said Quidich co-founder, Gaurav Mehta. “Viewers were able to see and understand more unique information about the sport that they otherwise may not have known, as part of a richer viewing experience at the IPL this year.”
One of the firsts at the tournament this year was the stories that Quidich was able to run in consultation with the producers, with the objective of increasing engagement with fans.
“One of our most successful stories was the success rate of MS Dhoni’s DRS appeals which, at the time, stood at close to 82%. This was picked up by several publications, and fans on social media dubbed it the Dhoni Review System,” added Mehta.
Stiqy operators also kept track of the data around players approaching any important milestones during the tournament – for instance, Virat Kohli was on his way to completing 7,000 runs in the IPL. Other data, such as bowling record in the death overs at the IPL that could make for interesting narratives to go on air towards the end of the innings, was also recorded over time and used. These data points were also weaved into the live commentary during the games.
“We have received positive feedback in general from producers, commentators and even members of the teams’ staff including coaches and experts at the IPL.
“We are continually iterating and refining the visuals for Stiqy, since its first deployment this year at the IPL. It has exceeded our expectations in terms of the reach and popularity it was able to gain and you can almost certainly expect it to feature in more international tournaments in the future,” he concluded.
Star Sports is the host broadcaster of the IPL.
The 2022/23 IPL season concluded on 30 May when the Chennai Super Kings won their fifth title by defeating Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahemedabad.