Hey
Did you see the TV coverage of the America's cup? If not, check out this link and forward to around 15 mins and watch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHdmviq1kyg
This is sailing, possibly the worst spectator sport in the world, and they've transformed it into a fantastic TV spectacle. They've put cameras on top of masts and all over the boat. They've put a microphone on all of the sailors. They've got cool graphics showing how fast the boats are going and how far ahead the leading boat is. They even show the wind speed and direction.
Wow - wouldn't that be cool if they could do that for cycling? How difficult can it be? What reason is there that it can't be done at least for the Tour de France, but ideally for all major races. Hey - I've had a thought - maybe SKY could think about incorporating into their coverage?!?!?!?
If we could have the following, wouldn't it make TV coverage of cycling 100 times better - and so much easier for commentators:
1. A wind speed and direction graphic at all times.
2. Speed of the leading group and of the chasing peloton.
3. Footage from the bikes (camera pointing backwards and forwards on every bike)
4. An audio stream of race radio (anyone who's been in a team car or race car will tell you how fascinating race radio can be).
5. Distance between the break and the peloton.
These are just five things that other sports incorporate into their coverage - why can't we have this in cycling? If we did then I would be willing to bet that TV audiences will be up, which would attract more sponsors, allow teams to charge sponsors more, allow broadcasters to charge more to advertisers and generally bring more money into the sport.
Can it be done? Surely it can.
Think you are right - but it's all about appetite and desire within the organising body. UCI and others, have been very traditional (and hence open to the cat and mouse aspects of cheating at numerous levels - drugs, holding cars etc) and so much of this tech coverage would blow the roof off all of that potential 'angle'. Long overdue changes within UCI might see some of this come to fruition, but I think it will be a lot like football, and very much drag it's heels into the modern era.
ReplyDeleteGreat article - absolutely spot on!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kevin to a point, but we have to move on at some point and embrace latest technology.
Other things we could do to illuminate the race on TV:
- riders' personal performance - HR, cadence, power etc. Link this to strava so that we can see the leaderboard change in real time.
- talk live to the race officials, especially if something major has happened
- allow the TV spectator to identify where their favourite riders are in the race
Totally agree Will - there's so much more information that could be displayed to increase the viewing experience, and also allow commentators to talk about useful stuff rather than cheese or castles!
DeleteAgree again. But therein lies the extra benefit to a potential sponsor, no? Whether it be a cheese or castles, the commentators do indeed illuminate the race with strange anecdotes, especially during Le Tour. Imagine if, during live commentary, a spectator (on TV/laptop/tablet/phone) could 'go deeper' and get more info about ... the cheese in that region, or the castles ... or better still the main sponsors, taking a look at Skoda cars, or browsing produce sold in Carrefour - all with a link back to cycling.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely - second screen opportunities are the way forward.
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