The Game is Back On: Rethinking the Sports Broadcast Workflow

alt=Empty sports stadium width=960 height=540 data-lazy-srcset=https://3kqxwn1k9d01s9ict1484jk6-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Rethinking_Sports_Broadcast_Workflow_1.jpg 960w, https://3kqxwn1k9d01s9ict1484jk6-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Rethinking_Sports_Broadcast_Workflow_1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://3kqxwn1k9d01s9ict1484jk6-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Rethinking_Sports_Broadcast_Workflow_1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://3kqxwn1k9d01s9ict1484jk6-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Rethinking_Sports_Broadcast_Workflow_1-200x113.jpg 200w, https://3kqxwn1k9d01s9ict1484jk6-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Rethinking_Sports_Broadcast_Workflow_1-400x225.jpg 400w, https://3kqxwn1k9d01s9ict1484jk6-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Rethinking_Sports_Broadcast_Workflow_1-600x338.jpg 600w, https://3kqxwn1k9d01s9ict1484jk6-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Rethinking_Sports_Broadcast_Workflow_1-800x450.jpg 800w data-lazy-sizes=(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px data-lazy-src=https://3kqxwn1k9d01s9ict1484jk6-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Rethinking_Sports_Broadcast_Workflow_1.jpg />Stadiums were left empty as sporting events around the world were cancelled, postponed, or played behind closed doors for most of 2020. The world of sports suddenly froze in Spring 2020, but the thaw has begun.

First came the titans of European football, then the heroes of American soccer. By August, most franchises were resuming play or planning their upcoming season with coronavirus-related restrictions. And as professional sports leagues gradually return to the ballparks, pitches, and rinks of the world, so too do the sports media professionals tasked with capturing each game.

Everything is different about live sports this year, save the rulebook. Sports broadcasters and production teams are finding new ways to adapt to an ever-changing environment. Most prominent and profitable among these changes is the new fan experience.

Reinventing the Audience Experience The goal of most sports broadcasts is to capture the experience of being in the stadium and deliver it in an authentic, convincing way. Fans watching at home expect to feel the pressure of a penalty kick, the tension of bases loaded, the euphoria of a buzzer beater. They want to go through the same emotions as their in-stadium counterparts.

But with every fan watching from home, sports broadcasters can no longer aim to give viewers a true-to-life stadium experience. A quiet, empty stadium simply isn't the experience viewers crave when watching live sports.

Avoiding the Awkward

In 2015, civil unrest in Baltimore led to what many fans prior to 2020 would describe as one of the strangest professional baseball games, ever. Fans at home watched a quiet contest in a colossal ballpark where only the announcers' commentary provided a sense of normalcy for viewers. It was eerie, awkward, and almost dystopian. Players and fans alike were eager for the next game in a crowded stadium. Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long to start filling the stands once again.

In 2020, that eerie emptiness has lingered for months. Tournaments and entire seasons are being played without fans. Quite frankly, the traditional live sports experience doesn't exist this year. Instead, broadcasters and production teams need to get creative to avoid the awkwardness of emptiness.

Creative Broadcasting Solutions

Sports broadcasters are tasked with creative reinvention of the way fans enjoy professional sports. The teams that create the most enjoyable experience for fans watching from home can expect a major competitive advantage.

Digital effects are driving creative change in 2020. For example, La Liga used a digital mesh of colors to create a lively crowd effect and add ambience to their television broadcasts. While most of the downtime between innings, plays, and hydration breaks goes to advertising-which plays a huge role in offsetting lost ticket revenue-some breaks in play are too short for advertisements. Replays, game analysis, and digital effects like goal-line technology and golf ball tracking can help an audience feel more in tune with the game and improve their overall viewing experience.

Fans still want to be part of the game, too. Teams, leagues, and networks are trying myriad ways to showcase real fans during live broadcasts. The National Hockey League used large LED screens above the benches to show fans at home and produce novel picture-in-picture moments. Major League Soccer live-streamed fans on the jumbotron and used the stands for supplemental advertising space. Several sports broadcasts have featured cardboard cutouts of fans to fill their would-be sold out seats.

While the verdict is still out on which league, sport, or network got the mix just right, it is clear that creativity and ingenuity to enhance the spectator experience will certainly pay off in the COVID-19 era.

The Importance of Stadium Sound

As the industry works through this tedious trial and error, one thing has become crystal clear: sound matters.

As reported by multiple sources, most professional sports leagues are sourcing stadium audio from game developers like Electronic Arts and Sony Interactive Entertainment. Both have built massive libraries of authentic game audio for their sports simulators that work great for live sports broadcasting as well.

Stadium sound is not only affecting the audience. It's impacting the game itself. When the US returned to soccer, referees were reminded that the sound of player-to-player contact should not affect their calls, as both the sound of impact and player reactions will be amplified in a fanless stadium. In baseball, the subtle squeak in the catcher's shoes as he repositions for a pitch-som

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