How we see Live Sports in the Future

We look at some ideas for a possible future in live sports.

 

What is changing?

Sports as we knew it has changed dramatically as a result of the coronavirus pandemic outbreak. It will very likely be a hugely different experience for us going forward from now. 

Changed for public safety reasons, in the short term spectators will be remote access only as events go behind closed doors. There will be no more stadium attendance, no more crowds lining the 18th fairway & green, no more crowding into the paddock at the winner's circle.

Since March all 2020 sporting events have been cancelled or postponed leaving a crater in broadcast content and revenue.

With Sky & BT sports predicting £1bn in lost revenue by August and the H1 bill of 20-21 sports rights falling due at £800m returning to income generation is key to the future of sports broadcasting

At eventcentre.ie we have identified a methodology to enable the restart of live team sports broadcasting to fans around the globe.

 

What our solution entails..

In keeping with WHO recommendations on social distancing and isolation we have developed a solution to bringing live team sports competed behind closed door stadia to a live interactive audience.

Participants in professional sports are, under normal circumstances, closely monitored medically and it will be easier to place controls for infection mitigation on a select few than cater for mass attendances.

Our solution introduces the world to the concept of an interactive audience brought to the stadium via means of  social media and big screen broadcasts within the stadium bring the live feel to the games.

We advocate constructing a full broadcasting village at a suitable neutral facility that can cater for the requirements of finishing the 2019-2020 seasons.  In Ireland the National Sports Campus at Abbotstown would be one such venue catering for many different sports.

We think the approach should be one of completed matches in blocks with back to back games where possible to condense the use of the facilities and TV infrastructure rather than multiple mobilisations. Using local hotel systems where available as staging and isolation facilities for teams and support we can potentially address concerns of player health and welfare.

Ireland's National Sports Campus would be a typical neutral facility with a host of options

What are the benefits?

The top benefit for all is the sense of normality that comes from sports spectating. Sports define time for many of us - Monday Night Football, Sunday Game, Heineken Cup Final. Bringing society back to that measure of time and routine is of immense benefit for people's health & wellbeing. 

When we consider the stakeholders in live sport the other benefits include:

  1. Players
    1. complete their contractual obligations & prepare for upcoming season
    2. maintain livelihoods for families
    3. maintain relationships with sponsors
  2. Fans
    1. closure on the season
    2. retains community spirit and involvement
  3. Broadcasters
    1. return of revenue stream
    2. content to distribute
    3. proof of concept and iterate for 2021 if disruptions continue*

This last item* is of particular importance as to date (April 30th 2020) there is no public sign of a vaccine or long term method to manage the virus other than social distancing and hygiene.

If we can establish a method to return to live events without exposing people to risk using the remaining games of the 2019-2020 seasons as test events, we could develop a longer term solution that is acceptable for everyone. We need to test and gain feedback from all to make this happen.

 

What our solution entails..

In keeping with WHO recommendations on social distancing and isolation we have developed a solution to bringing live team sports competed behind closed door stadia to a live interactive audience.

Participants in professional sports are, under normal circumstances, closely monitored medically and it will be easier to place controls for infection mitigation on a select few than cater for mass attendances.

Our solution introduces the world to the concept of an interactive audience brought to the stadium via means of  social media and big screen broadcasts within the stadium bring the live feel to the games.

We advocate constructing a full broadcasting village at a suitable neutral facility that can cater for the requirements of finishing the 2019-2020 seasons.  In Ireland the National Sports Complex at Abbotstown would be one such venue catering for many different sports.

Setting up to broadcast

By establishing our full International Broadcast Centre suite of standalone production and distribution facilities as a central Broadcast Village, all site operations would be controlled from this hub.

Facilities built respecting social distancing in the workplace and following guidelines on workplace hygiene for surfaces would facilitate simultaneous National & International broadcasts of the range of sports.

The proposed facilities would compromise of the following key components:

IBC Broadcast Facilities

Commentary Studios

Camera Towers & Platforms

Big Screen Display

 

Commentators and Pundits

Naturally busy commentary positions and punditry studios are likely a thing of the past as we move in different times now.

Where traditional arrangements are required we can establish suitable facilities (similar to the image at The Open) with respect to social distancing guidelines with minimal surfaces - desks & props to ensure ease of sanitisation. Where this is neither desired nor necessary, with advances in VR technology, we can use our EC-Build systems to create VR-Studios where individual positions can be covered on locaiton.

Amplify your Audience with the Big Screen

Nothing brings a match to life better than audience participation. 

Our research has shown that the atmosphere created by the fans within the stadium is key for the enjoyment of the large numbers spectating via TV and streaming services. We have an innovative concept to bring your audience & advertisers with you using - using smart phones, mobile technology and engaging with fans across media platforms is the route to audience buy-in and support. 

Fans reacting in realtime to events on the pitch. Just like being at the game but in your living room. We are looking at ways to have the audio piped back to encourage players on the pitch. 

You have 1,000,000 living rooms cheering and singing to their team.

Captivating the imagination of your audience leads to happy sponsors and advertisers. The opportunities are endless - vote player of the game via app or red button, blend spectators on the display based on the team in ascendancy on the pitch, flash replay of cheering fans on scores, advertising messages strategically placed for maximum engagement.

Let your imagination see the possibilities.

While this is not the preferred option, we need live engagement and interaction with other people, in a future where we return to attending live sports we could see a hybrid version of stadiums and big screen attendances.

Commercial feasibility of the concept is key to future success. The investment in infrastructure can be weighed with consideration of:

Goal 1: Rebuilding fan connections though live broadcast, social media streaming, interactive app

Achievement 1: Continued target advertisement possibilities across fan devices

As we are aware from broadcasting sources, the extended reach and engagement through social media and online streaming services such as YouTube / Periscope and Facebook Live are revolutionising the industry as we know it.

There is no better time to engage with technology and conflate what we know with what is possible to bring about a game-changing transition.