Julien Bertin, head of Infront Productions, France, reveals how broadcasters can adapt to the new normal and take advantage of the opportunities available in sports It seemed over the early summer that everyone in the production industry’s favourite pastime was speculating how we would adapt and return following the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of us participated […]
Tag archives: coronavirus
OZ Sports fills empty stadiums with the sight and sounds of virtual fans
The tech filling empty stadiums with virtual fans. Sports tech company OZ Sports has launched an AR product called OZ Arena to bring fans from home into live broadcasts when football resumes. Fans will appear as personalised avatars, and will make genuine cheers from home via an app. They will even be offered their preferred […]
Eurosport to screen Zwift Tour for All exhibition cycle eracing series
5-day tournament features some of the world’s best cyclists and mass-participation stages. Eurosport is broadcasting the Zwift Tour for All exhibition racing series, a pro racing tour on the Zwift virtual platform. The tour will be held over five stages on 4-8 May, and will feature teams from both the men’s and women’s World Tours. […]
Podcast: BT Sport COO Jamie Hindhaugh on creating a virtual studio during lockdown
BT Sport has decentralised production to enable presenters and crew to create, produce and broadcast live shows from their homes. Episode 8 of the Broadcast Tech Talks podcast series sees BT Sport COO Jamie Hindhaugh talking with Broadcast Sport editor Jake Bickerton about how the broadcaster has responded to lockdown. Working to a very tight […]
Live darts returns to television
The Professional Darts Corporation’s home-staged tournament, Home Tour darts, is being televised each night from 7:30pm. One of the few examples of live sports still on our screens is the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) Home Tour darts tournament, which began on Friday. The competition runs for 32 consecutive nights, broadcasting live and on-demand for free […]
Podcast: Ronnie O’Sullivan & Eurosport’s Jamie Steward
O’Sullivan talks about what he’s been up to during lockdown, including recording a series of 30-minute vodcasts for Eurosport, while Steward reveals Eurosport’s sports strategy to fill the live sport void during the pandemic. The latest episode of Broadcast Tech Talks podcast series sees Ronnie O’Sullivan join Eurosport UK senior director of production and broadcast […]
Eurosport reveals snooker content to replace World Snooker Championship
The broadcaster, which calls itself the Home of Snooker, has created new content with snooker legends, as well as new formats that enable fans to delve into its extensive snooker archive. Eurosport has unveiled its snooker programming over the next two weeks to replace the postponed World Snooker Championship season finale. The broadcaster has created […]
BT Sport removes WrestleMania from PPV for free screening this weekend
BT Sport is replaying WrestleMania in its entirety this weekend, and is removing the pay-per-view requirement, making it available for all subscribers at no additional cost. The WrestleMania action will be broadcast on Saturday and Sunday night, alongside a range of other WWE content to be screened across the bank holiday weekend (see box […]
Eleven Sports goes free in Italy and Portugal
The OTT broadcaster removes subscription costs for the rest of April, and – in Portugal – all of May too. Eleven Sports has frozen all subscriptions in Italy until 3 May and in Portugal until 31 May. The full archive of content on the platform will be made available for free during this time. Eleven […]
Sports industry experts join webinar to discuss the impact of the pandemic
Sign up now to hear experts from BT Sport, Noah Media, Excel Sports and FACEIT at 4pm on 14 April. BT Media & Broadcast is running a virtual roundtable webinar, The changing content landscape, at 4pm on Tuesday 14 April. The event will discuss the way the sports industry is evolving in its response to […]
Sports viewing falls by 91% as coronavirus hits Europe
A streaming report from Conviva shows the impact of the pandemic on sports viewing. Sports viewing is down 91% across Europe, according to research by streaming intelligence company Conviva. Sports usually accounts for around 30% of viewing, but since the coronavirus pandemic has halted all live sports, sports viewing has plummeted dramatically. There’s been a […]
BT Sport launches live show to re-run last year’s Champions League
Archive material to be aired by BT Sport in a new live show format, preceded by highlights from classic European finals BT Sport is re-running key UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League moments for British clubs through two new productions. The first new series – Throwbacks, on BT Sport 2 – is focused on […]
COVID-19’s effect on football: Spotlight on the Women’s Game
Rebecca Smith, global director of the women’s game, Copa90 gives her opinion on how the coronavirus crisis could impact the growth of women’s football. The effects of the coronavirus pandemic is being felt across the globe and the consequences for football and in particular women’s football are multifaceted and complex. The recent announcements that the […]
BT Sport unveils schedule of original sports docs for April
Broadcaster to screen one original sports doc a week. BT Sport is to showcase one original sports documentary a week during the coronavirus crisis. Its schedule of BT Sport Films covers sports stories across a wide range of sports, including football, rugby, boxing and MotoGP. The first of the weekly series was broadcast yesterday with […]
Wimbledon 2020 cancelled, Women’s Euro 2021 postponed
Two more huge sporting events affected by the coronavirus pandemic In somewhat inevitable news, the All England Club (AELTC) announced earlier today that Wimbledon 2020 wouldn’t go ahead – the first time the iconic tennis competition has been cancelled since World War II. A decision has also been made to move the Women’s European Championship […]
Blast esports tournaments to move from stadiums to online
Esports tournament promises “an immersive live broadcast unlike anything done before”. Global esports network Blast is adapting its forthcoming Premier Spring Showdown and Spring Final events to be played remotely, in response to the coronavirus crisis. The events, which are both scheduled for June, were previously due to be held live in stadiums in front […]
Eleven Sports Belgium signs up NBA TV
Basketball fans will have a chance to see some action while the coronavirus pauses live games Eleven Sports is to show NBA TV in its efforts to bring viewers content while live games are postponed. The competition was postponed on 11 March, and it looks unlikely to come back any time soon as the coronavirus […]
Tech Talks podcast: BBC’s Gavin Ramjaun on reporting during the pandemic
Episode #4 of the Broadcast Tech Talks podcast series is with BBC sports and news presenter Gavin Ramjaun Up until a month or so ago, being a sports presenter was a fairly predictable role, reporting on the day’s live sports. Like everything else in life right now, coronavirus has turned the role of sports presenter […]
BT Sport offers customers bill credit or NHS donations
Competitor Sky Sports has let customers pause their subscriptions during the break in sport BT is allowing customers to either claim a month’s credit or donate their subscriptions to its BT Sport service. With the vast majority of sporting events postponed during the coronavirus crisis, the broadcaster has been left to fill its schedule with […]
The FA reveals online content plan for football hiatus
The governing body will be attempting to keep the public entertained while stuck at home The FA has launched #FootballsStayingHome, its plan to keep fans entertained while stuck at home. With football matches postponed for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus pandemic, the governing body has announced a weekly content programme including archive footage, […]
Sky and BT could lose over £900m if sport remains postponed until August
Enders Analysis has looked into the impact of a long-term pause in live sport Sky and BT could lose £928m if live sport is suspended until August, claims a report from Enders Analysis. The broadcasters have been hit by postponements to live events as part of measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, […]
French sports minister signals Tour de France could go ahead
The race could go ahead behind closed doors as it doesn’t rely on ticket sales French sports minister, Roxana Maracineanu, believes the Tour de France could still go ahead behind closed doors this summer. With ticket sales not a major source of income for the race, the event could still go ahead without fans attending. […]
APAC sports media set for £1.7 billion coronavirus hit
However, Media Partners Asia does believe that there is some hope for the future Research and analytics agency Media Partners Asia (MPA) believes the APAC sport media sector could lose $2 billion (£1.7bn) in revenue from the coronavirus pandemic. Originally the Asia Pacific Sports Media 2020 report had estimated that there would be $5.7 billion […]
Tokyo 2020 Olympics postponed until 2021 to leave broadcasters’ schedules bare
Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe announced that the games will take place next year The 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been postponed until 2021, announced Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe. The IOC had given itself a four-week deadline to make a decision earlier this week, but it has only taken just two days since that announcement […]
Southampton chief claims Premier League could be broadcast before restrictions end
Chief executive Martin Semmens thinks games could be shown every day while people are at home Southampton chief executive Martin Semmen believes that the Premier League could return before coronavirus restrictions are lifted from daily life. Semmens, speaking to BBC Radio Solent, appears to think that play could be possible sooner than expected – despite […]
ESPN turns to news and studio shows during postponements
Archival content and special events could also help in the medium term ESPN has revealed its plan to continue programming during the sports postponements caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The broadcaster has lost access to many live sport events that would usually fill it schedule over the next month and beyond. However, executive vice president, […]
Figures across esports eye opportunity during and after coronavirus crisis
The industry is aiming to take advantage of the postponements in traditional sports Several esports figures are looking at the cancellation of traditional sports events worldwide as an opportunity for the industry. With high profile live sport on hiatus during the coronavirus pandemic, a sport that can largely be played online is one of very […]
UEFA creates committee to discuss revised European football calendar
Committee aims to remake the calendar to ensure completion of European football leagues in 2020. LaLiga, the Premier League, European Club Association, UEFA and European Leagues have all confirmed they will take part in a UEFA-created committee to discuss the revised European football calendar for 2020. LaLiga president Javier Tebas will represent the league’s interests, […]
Sky Sports follows BT Sport with coronavirus statement
The broadcaster is also refusing to refund customers Sky Sports has released a statement regarding the coronavirus’ impact on the sporting calendar. With major sporting events from around the world cancelling or postponing their events, it has left the broadcaster without much live content for its channels. This had left customers wondering if they would […]
Premier League suspended: European football’s reaction to Covid-19
Professional football has been suspended across Europe The Premier League, EFL, and WSL have announced that they will suspend professional football in England due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is currently planned to return on 4 April but will be subject to medical advice and conditions at the time. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea […]