SailGP Season 5: Getting umpires onscreen and more studio-based content

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Friday, November 22, 2024 - 10:33
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Australia SailGP Team helmed by Tom Slingsby capsize in Halifax, Canada during the 2024 season (Photo: Ricardo Pinto for SailGP)

With 12 teams taking part in SailGP’s fifth season, it increases the likelihood of more racing incidents – which helps to explain why the SailGP production team is keen to include the competition’s team of umpires in its coverage.

Like the SailGP production team, the team of umpires work remotely from the Ealing, west London production base.

“We’ve created this virtual environment that will also help bring this partnership with Emirates alive”

For the 2025 season, a new green screen studio has been built for use by the umpiring team during races. For this season, they will also have their own EVS Xeebra system, which will enhance their VAR-style video review capabilities with the umpire’s replays to be incorporated into the main broadcast feeds.

“We can also better feature their decision-making in our shows, bringing viewers even closer to the drama,” explains SailGP executive producer Chris Carpenter.

Global and airline partner Emirates will also continue its association with sport officiating by becoming SailGP’s official Umpire partner, working closely with the league to amplify the role of its officials.

SailGP director of LiveLine Tom Peel and his team have built a virtual studio backdrop for the studio to allow them to act more as a VAR style umpire.

In previous seasons, audio from the umpires was used during broadcasts. And while there was also the option for umpires to appear in-vision, the footage wasn’t felt to be of sufficient quality.

Peel explains: “It didn’t look great, so we’ve created this virtual environment that will also help bring this partnership with Emirates alive and make it look much smarter. And then I’m sure Chris and his team will have more uses for the studio as we go on.”

The studio will also be used for a studio-based, presented pre-show. The 30-minute programme will use SailGP’s English-language commentary team, which is based in London. It has the potential to be distributed on digital platforms and as part of SailGP’s English-language broadcast output.

“It started out as an audio podcast, then it became a really simple video podcast, with our three commentators in the booth. That is what we’re going to build into a 30-minute, produced pre-show, which we could then offer to broadcasters ahead of our 90-minute show.”

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