Rethinking sports broadcasts II – New Experiences

In the first article of “Rethinking sports broadcasts” I wrote about gamification and how it can put fans in a much more active and attractive position when watching sports than the traditional model. Today, my focus will be on innovative experiences, that take spectators even closer to the action on courts, fields, and the like, and give them total control over what and how they consume content.

Fans in control

Personalization is one of the most important characteristics of the digital world. People are used to having the power to choose the format and the moment that they’ll watch something. And because OTT platforms allow it, sports entities and rights holders should use the opportunity to put as much control as possible in the hands of fans. Remember that the younger ones have grown up with videogames, where this literally happens. This customization can be applied in many ways.

In 2018, NBA created different tiers of subscription on League Pass. Besides paying a monthly fee to have access to all the games, the league started selling not only single games, but also allowing people to buy just parts of it. In 2019, it innovated even more when started selling 10 minutes packages for US$0,99, in which fans can choose to watch how many live games they want during the period. The premise is simple: why charging the same price for those who want to watch all the games and others that might be just interested in their team’s games or just the final moments? More options, more consumers.

Other interesting examples of personalization come from MotoGP’s Videopass and the F1TV, the OTT platforms of the two categories. Both put subscribers in the TV director’s role, giving them the option of choosing from which camera they want to watch races, being able to switch among them during the events. Fans can also select multiple languages commentators or keep just the ambient sound, with access to official radio communication between drivers and teams. This is impossible on linear TV, but on digital platforms it doesn’t make any sense to offer spectators the same kind of experience that they have been having for decades. Of course, that not everyone will want it, maybe the majority will prefer the traditional model, but this is the essence of customization.

If fans can choose cameras, they can also be editors, right? Austrian startup Snapscreen created Clip Share, a tool that must be integrated to broadcasters or leagues apps. When an event is happening live, users just have to open the app, point it to the TV and the game is recognized by the smartphone; the device starts to receive images of it with a five minutes window before the action; videos can be cut and published on social media (watch it below). Israeli Pixellot, known for its robotic cams that automate sports broadcasts, also lets spectators cut their own highlights and share it. After all, different people have different tastes and opinions. Allowing each supporter to create a match summary with its own point of view is a gigantic incentive for them to share this content with their networks, generating visibility. At a time in which fans have a hard time being 90 minutes or more dedicated to a single activity, having multiple shorter content being distributed is a great way of increasing brand value. 

Selecting cameras, editing videos, or having different pricing options to consume the same sport are all initiatives that deserve to be highlighted. But a startup from India wants to take fans experience to a whole new level. Edisn.Ai developed a solution to be integrated into OTT players; it uses artificial intelligence to recognize athletes on screen in real time. The technology allows spectators to see athlete’s stats, share their highlights, and even buy products without leaving the platform, which, in my opinion, is its best functionality. Imagine watching a PSG game and, when Neymar has the ball, you could put your finger on screen and open a list of shopping options, like official jerseys, football boots and coats of the French club. This generates new revenue possibilities not only for the rights holder but also for players, teams, and leagues. And I’m not considering the high value that all that data has. Edisn.Ai haven’t officially declared which clients the company is working with, but on its website it writes about a big Asian broadcaster and two NBA and IPL (Indian Premier League of cricket) teams. The startup is well known for its participation in multiple accelerator programs around the world, that’s why I believe that it has great potential, especially for the value that it brings to the table.   

Immersive Experiences and New Camera Angles

Virtual reality has been pointed as the next big thing for many years. But despite the high expectation and billions in investment, the technology did not take off, whether because devices are expensive for what they offer, whether because there are not many options of quality content available, or even because it’s still uncomfortable to stay so long immerse. In May, however, Apple announced that was buying NextVR; a big player like Apple entering this market could be what was missing for RV to become mainstream. The possibility of gathering virtual reality and sports broadcasts is really attractive. Not only it’s possible to put fans in different sectors of a venue or stadium and charge accordingly (behind the basket costs a price, courtside costs more), but also it’s possible to think about allowing them to watch games from a player’s perspective – imagine a camera in a quarterback’s helmet or chest, for example. A relevant part of the audience seems to agree with that, at least it’s what a 2018 Deloitte survey with fans of the five major North American leagues has shown.  

Virtual reality broadcasts are not new, but are still not popular, especially because of the problems listed above. NextVR shows a weekly NBA live game on League Pass, besides providing other full games, highlights, and other immersive content. It also has had deals with the NHL, NFL, WWE, and US Open, and broadcasted a few soccer friendlies. MLB has VR content on its app and Fox Sports USA has an app dedicated to VR too. Yes, there’s a lot to improve, but despite the tiny market, the possibility of offering fans at home an audiovisual experience very close to what they would have in sports venues makes companies keep betting that this is the future. In addition to Apple, Facebook (owner of Oculus) and Intel are other tech giants that are into virtual reality. The latter, by the way, is heavily invested in the technology with Intel True VR. In the NBA, for example, 38 cameras are installed in some venues for broadcasts in a partnership with Turner. These give spectators the chance of watching games in high definition basically from whatever angle they want in a totally immersive experience.

These cameras are there for another good reason too: volumetric replays. You probably have seen it already in some sports; when an important move happens, the image is frozen and spins, giving you a 360° perspective of what is going on, like in “The Matrix”. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, watch the video below, it’s worthy.

Intel True View is currently in seven NBA venues. Next season it’ll be installed in Golden 1 Center, Sacramento Kings home, where Intel will also have a R&D center focused on sports broadcasts innovation. The system can also be found in 17 NFL stadiums, besides the stadiums of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City in Europe. The technology was developed by an Israeli company called Replay, which was bought by Intel in 2016. South Korean 4DReplay is another company that offers that kind of product and have already worked with NHL, MLB and FIFA.

In addition to volumetric replays, volumetric captures are being used to enrich broadcasts around the world, creating athlete's holograms. In the Open Championship of Golf in 2019, Sky Sports launched SkyScope. Every player was put in a tiny studio equipped with 120 4K cameras. Each athlete simulated their swing and the mechanics were captured in 360°. During broadcasts, commentators were able to analyze golfer’s movements from every angle possible, giving spectators a perspective never seen before (watch it below). SkyCope was awarded the best innovation prize of the year in the SVG Europe Awards.

Some companies offer more simple and cheap options than volumetric replays and captures. SponixTech, from Qatar, created “Feel the Match Technology”, that gives spectators the point of view of players and referees in soccer games. Beyond Sports, from the Netherlands, does something similar, but turns videos of the games into perfect animations. It currently works with Fox Sports in Eredivisie broadcasts.

With the proliferation of smartphones and the increased quality of cams, during and after every sport event it’s possible to watch videos made by the public present in venues. Because these videos capture different perspectives than TV cameras, they often have more engagement on social media than official broadcasts content. So why not experiment using smartphones to broadcast sport? That’s what NBA did in the 2019 Summer League. The game between Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards had an alternative feed that was shot only with Samsung S10s. Even the audio was captured by the devices.

The angles were different than in a traditional broadcast because the idea was to simulate the point of view of the fans in venue – professional cameramen were in control, though. Using a 5G network, the smartphone’s feeds were sent normally to the OB Truck and from there broadcasted to ESPN+, NBA League Pass and NBA TV Canada. The experience was such a huge success that the League is considering repeating it on regular season games and even using smartphone cameras in traditional broadcasts alongside normal TV cameras. By the way, the popularity of Instagram and TikTok opens the possibility of vertical broadcasts, which were already tested by the NBA in 2018 and the Bundesliga in 2019.

As you can see, a lot of things are being put into practice and there are different possibilities of delivering a unique experience to fans that are watching sports. As I wrote in the first article, the fight for consumer’s attention is more and more fierce and there are only 24 hours a day. So, it’s time to think outside the box in order to not be left behind.

Next week I’ll write about megacasts and "watch together" tools.