Broadcast Sports Research Articles

Consideration of Measures to Increase the Free Distribution of Live Sports Broadcasts on OTT (Over The Top)

Consideration of Measures to Increase the Free Distribution of Live Sports Broadcasts on OTT (Over The Top)

Displaced and Diminished: How the Placemaking Value of “Being there” Influences Play-By-Play Broadcasters’ Professional Identity

Play-by-play (PxP) broadcasters’ routines and professions are in a state of flux. Even before COVID-19 protocols disrupted PxPs’ professional practices, broadcast networks tried to reduce on-site staff to cut costs. After COVID, some teams and networks opted to not send PxPs on the road while others experimented with artificial intelligence or alternative telecasts (e.g., the “Manningcast”). Whereas alternative broadcasts create innovative entertainment, PxPs continue to serve an important and distinct role in sports broadcasts, and often act as the link between teams, fans, and other stakeholders. Interviews with 15 professional PxPs revealed that placemaking processes are a key element of their professional identity. Displacement during the pandemic led to shortterm, yet rapid changes, and potentially long-term effects on their profession. We found that while our study’s timeframe enabled a dissection of pandemic-related obstacles, it ultimately articulated PxPs’ professional uniqueness and speaks to how placemaking influences PxPs’ professional identity. Constraints stemming from COVID-19 protocols reinforced that physical proximity is paramount to the PxP profession, and while temporary shocks can be absorbed, prolonged changes to foundational aspects could negatively alter the profession and those it serves.

Game talk: exploring the linguistic features of sports commentary

This study is investigating the linguistic features of sports commentary. The focus is the politeness techniques using and gender-specific language variations observed in 2022 FIFA World Cup. This study used qualitative approach. This study was examining the collection of real-time commentary from various matches in 2022 World Cup. The analysis of this study focusses on prominent politeness methods, including softened criticism, neutral descriptions, respectful acknowledgments, and positive reinforcement. It further investigates the effectiveness of these strategies in the specific context of live sports broadcasting. The findings suggest that the use of politeness tactics is important for maintaining the professional users and engaging tone when commenting the match. This study also found that female commentators disposed to use more supportive and cooperative language, emphasizing teamwork and exertion, while male commentators disposed to use more competitive and authoritative language, focusing on individual performance and strategic analysis. These findings consistent with the research on gender communication and emphasize the significance of comprehending special style communication styles in sports commentary. This study branch holds significant importance for both the field of sports broadcasting and the branch of linguistics. The results indicate that commentator training programs should include knowledge of politeness techniques and gender-specific communication styles in order to improve audience involvement and provide a pleasant viewing experience. This work improves the knowledge of language usage in real-time sports commentary, such as dynamic and culturally significant situation in linguistic form. It highlights the significance of language in reflect and reinforce the cultural values and conventions, promoting inclusiveness, and deepening the spectator’s which tie up with the event. Keywords: Live Sports Commentary, Politeness Strategies, Sports Broadcasting.

“I Quit”

Abstract This article examines concussion in 1990s wrestling, specifically during the World Wrestling Federation's (WWF) “Attitude Era,” an epoch marked by intense physicality and boundary-pushing narratives. Conventional discourse about concussion in sports typically centers on the inherent risks and regulations associated with athletic competition. However, to truly comprehend the nature and frequency of concussions in the Attitude Era, it is imperative to consider wrestling, especially in the WWF context, as primarily an entertainment medium rather than a conventional sporting endeavor. This perspective shift necessitates an exploration into the production pressures, viewer expectations, and dramatic storytelling that often overshadowed wrestler safety during live broadcasts. Importantly, this reconsideration of wrestling can offer broader insights into the intersection of entertainment, commercial broadcasting, and injury in televised sports at large. As the lines between spectacle and competition blur across various broadcast sports, the wrestling case study underscores the urgent need for a nuanced approach that incorporates the imperatives of entertainment in understanding and mitigating risks such as concussion.

How did the ‘whistle-to-whistle’ ban affect gambling advertising on TV? A live football matching study

Background In 2019, the gambling industry introduced a voluntary partial advertising ban during live sports broadcasts in the United Kingdom known as the ‘whistle-to-whistle’ ban. This study explores the change in television advertising around live football games following the introduction of this ban. Methods Inverse Probability Weighted (IPW) matching models identified the change in the frequency of advertising associated with the implementation of restrictions in each section, and across the entire duration, of a live football game. Data on UK television schedules (Concise Media, TVSportsGuide) and gambling advertising (Nielsen Media) covered 3 months (1st September to 1st December) pre (2018), and post-ban (2019). There were 1049 live football games across the period studied: 468 in 2018 and 581 in 2019. Results The implementation of the ban was associated with a reduction in advertising (2.3 advertisements per-programme (p < 0.001, CI [−2.75, −1.84])), driven predominantly by reductions during half-time (2.18 advertisements per-programme (p < 0.001, CI [−2.32, −2.04])). It was associated with an increase in advertisements (0.34 advertisements per-programme (p < 0.001, CI [0.09,0.59])) during the pre-match section. In the post-ban period, an average of 3 (SD: 3.5) advertisements per-programme remained. Conclusions A voluntary partial gambling advertising ban in the UK was associated with reductions in television advertising during live football games during the restricted period. There is evidence of increased advertising in the unrestricted period due to the partial nature of the ban. Future research is needed to explore the impact of the ban on other types of advertising, and across other channels.

On-Air, Off-Balance: Detecting and Examining Media Biases in Filipino Sportscasting

With sports gaining global acclaim and recognition, media outlets have extensively covered a myriad of sporting events with a particular emphasis on international tournaments. In the digital age, media is crucial for disseminating news and shaping audience perspectives especially in sportscasting where local sportscasters tend to show affection and allegiance to their home nation by providing more airtime and positive commentaries to athletes representing their country. Such an approach shortchanges the viewers’ right to unbiased and diverse perspectives. Hence, it is imperative for media outlets, particularly during live sports broadcasts, to adeptly navigate and manage biases, given the significant impact of nationalistic positioning on sports media. In this study, the researchers analyzed the language employed by sportscasters in the local media coverage of the games of the Philippines Men’s Basketball Team, also known as Gilas Pilipinas, during the FIBA World Cup 2023. Following a mixed-method approach, the study sought to understand how sportscasters detect and manage media biases through corpus analysis. The investigation involved identifying prevalent forms of media biases within the study corpus, focusing on lexico-semantic, discourse, and pragmatic constructions that serve as indicators of these biases. The study findings indicated that all the analyzed sports broadcasts contained evident manifestations of media biases. Moreover, it was revealed that Filipino sportscasters exhibited a range of media biases favoring Gilas Pilipinas, and that the media biases in their utterances were affected by the phenomenon of nationalistic positioning that raises concerns about fairness and impartiality. Consequently, the frequency of these biased expressions in sportscasters' utterances was found to be contingent upon the specific context, varying with the situation. Furthermore, these biases can be identified through specific linguistic cues and features. This paper underscores the importance of fostering a more equitable sportscasting environment while simultaneously fortifying language and media education initiatives.

Being and timeouts: live sports in the psyche

Despite televised sports being a non-fiction event, the gap that separates a sporting event’s live unfolding from its televisual transmission ensures that it has all the aesthetic dynamism of a dramatic series. This essay argues that the sense of liveness that undergirds a televised sports broadcast operates on the side of the viewing subject rather in the object itself. It is the psyche that makes sport live—not the broadcast. This essay looks to Freudian and Lacanian concepts and ideas from television studies to concretize its theoretical intervention.

Loved It, Miss It, Would Never Go Back: Why U.S. Local Television Sports Broadcasters are Leaving the Industry

For decades, one of the most recognizable public faces of a local television news station was the sports anchor. However, as newsrooms across the United States struggle with employee burnout, sports departments have not been immune to low job satisfaction and high turnover. The purpose of this study is to examine what factors are causing sportscasters at local television stations to leave the profession. A survey of sports broadcasters who had left their positions at a television station for a job outside of broadcasting revealed that they felt overworked and underpaid, and many placed the blame for their problems directly on newsroom management.

Global Challenges and Legal Solutions in Sports Broadcast Rights

Global Challenges and Legal Solutions in Sports Broadcast Rights

INFLUENCE OF BROADCASTING OF SPORTS EVENTS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF TELEVISION INDUSTRY

The industry of sports has become one of the most profitable global industries and live broadcasting of sports events has proved to be the most wanted TV programme. There was a time of linear TV emissions, when the contents used to be available exclusively on TV sets, for free, live and only on official national emitter programmes, while nowadays these contents are followed by the viewers via all available platforms and devices, quite frequently for certain additional fee. Sport broadcasting has become globally available at any moment and at any place, both live and delayed, and licence rights are the mighty instrument in the media game. The development of technology and overall media industry is directly linked to the development of the industry of sports through technological advances regarding content placement, the development of new business models and marketing placement. Due to possible budget limitations, exorbitant prices of licence rights concerning the broadcasting of international sports events and the legislation not protecting our national interest in terms of the contents available free of charge to all the citizens, public media services are rather often likely to lose in this race to specialised sports channels whose baseline business models are founded on none other than live broadcast. The research will be conducted using the methods of induction, deduction, analysis and synthesis, as well as the comparative method.

Volleyball Action Recognition based on Skeleton Data

This research explores the intricacies of volleyball action recognition using skeleton data through the lens of the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model. With the objective of accurately identifying distinct volleyball actions—Serve, Spike, Block, Dig, and Set—the study implemented a structured LSTM network, achieving a commendable 95% accuracy rate consistently across all actions. The findings underscore the transformative potential of deep learning, particularly the LSTM network, in sports analytics, suggesting a paradigm shift in understanding and analyzing sports actions. The research serves as a foundation for future studies, offering insights into the blend of artificial intelligence in sports, with applications extending to coaching support and enhanced sports broadcasts.

Clicking around the dial: viewer choice of sports broadcasts

ABSTRACT While major sporting mega-events have begun to feature equitable amounts of coverage, portrayals of male and female athletes can reinforce gender stereotypes about sports. It is important to examine viewer preferences for broadcasts featuring male and female athletes to determine if viewing choices reflect stereotypical sporting beliefs and behaviors. Drawing on gender schema theory and social dominance orientation, this study examines viewing behaviors during sports broadcasts that vary by the sex of the athlete and the perceived gender of the sport. Results show that viewers tend to spend more time watching sports broadcasts that reinforce rather that challenge existing stereotypes.

Does the Game Matter? Analyzing Sponsorship Effectiveness and Message Personalization in Sport Live Broadcasts

This study aims to increase the effective use of in-stadium sponsor message placement by analyzing the influence of various run-of-play characteristics on television viewers’ visual attention allocation. Sports broadcasts constitute one potential platform for sponsors to place personalized messages. However, literature still questions the effectiveness of in-stadium sponsor messages, and the influence of game-related factors on viewers’ visual attention has received little consideration in this context. In addition, researchers call for more reliable and realistic measures concerning the effective evaluation of sponsorship-linked marketing. Therefore, this study uses real-time adaptions (eye-tracking, in-play betting odds, etc.) utilizing live soccer broadcasts as one of the first. Data were analyzed second by second (n = 100,298) using generalized linear mixed models. Results indicate significant associations of several run-of-play characteristics with viewers’ visual attention to sponsor messages depending on the characteristic, the games’ degree of suspense, and playing time. Findings provide hands-on advice for practitioners to enhance sponsor message placement during live broadcasts.

Evaluasi Pelaksanaan Digitalisasi Penyiaran Pada LPP TVRI Jawa Timur

LPP TVRI East Java station has carried out preparations for digital broadcast trials on channel 35 UHF starting in 2015. Migration of television broadcasting systems from analog to digital until the time the research was carried out had not been fully carried out because it encountered several obstacles including problems related to government policies which postponed the implementation of full digital broadcasts. The research objective was to evaluate the implementation of digital broadcasting at LPP TVRI East Java. This study uses a type of qualitative research method by analyzing primary data and secondary data descriptively. The implementation of research has been carried out and obtained results regarding the implementation of digital broadcasts on TVRI East Java. Lack of human resources, especially those in charge of transmission stations, both in terms of number and competency that can support the target of the digital broadcasting era. The need for equipment support, spare parts and other back up equipment, to anticipate technical problems so that digital broadcasts can continue to run every day. LPP TVRI East Java starting November 2, 2022 and all terrestrial transmissions must have carried out full digital broadcasts. Having a capacity of 32 MB, LPP TVRI East Java is capable of broadcasting 8 HD content or 12 SD content. Currently TVRI East Java is operating and has broadcast 4 types of programs namely; national broadcasts, East Java local broadcasts, sports broadcasts and world broadcasts.

Time to Die 2: Improved in-game death prediction in Dota 2

Competitive video game playing, an activity called esports, is increasingly popular to the point that there are now many professional competitions held for a variety of games. These competitions are broadcast in a professional manner similar to traditional sports broadcasting. Esports games are generally fast paced, and due to the virtual nature of these games, camera positioning can be limited. Therefore, knowing ahead of time where to position cameras, and what to focus a broadcast and associated commentary on, is a key challenge in esports reporting. This gives rise to moment-to-moment prediction within esports matches which can empower broadcasters to better observe and process esports matches. In this work we focus on this moment-to-moment prediction and in particular present techniques for predicting if a player will die within a set number of seconds for the esports title Dota 2. A player death is one of the most consequential events in Dota 2. We train our model on ‘telemetry’ data gathered directly from the game itself, and position this work as a novel extension of our previous work on the challenge. We use an enhanced dataset covering 9,822 Dota 2 matches. Since the publication of our previous work, new dataset parsing techniques developed by the WEAVR project enable the model to track more features, namely player status effects, and more importantly, to operate in real time. Additionally, we explore two new enhancements to the original model: one data-based extension and one architectural. Firstly we employ learnt embeddings for categorical features, e.g. which in game character a player has selected, and secondly we explicitly model the temporal element of our telemetry data using recurrent neural networks. We find that these extensions and additional features all aid the predictive power of the model achieving an F1 score of 0.54 compared to 0.17 for our previous model (on the new data). We improve this further by experimenting with the length of the time-series in the input data and find using 15 time steps further improves the F1 score to 0.62. This compares to F1 of 0.1 for a standard RNN on the same task. Additionally a deeper analysis of the Time to Die model is carried out to assess its suitability as a broadcast aid.

TV and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of the Television Platform Consumption Choices of Millennials in Gauteng during a Pandemic

On 31 December 2019 the first reports of COVID-19 appeared. To control the spread of the disease, countries across the globe implemented social distancing and quarantine measures. In South Africa, a nationwide lockdown was implemented on 26 March 2020 which meant that the majority of the South African population were housebound. Very little research has been conducted to establish the effect of the pandemic on the way South Africans consumed television. This was a mixed-methods study of 385 Millennial television viewers in Gauteng, South Africa, to establish the ways in which the pandemic affected the type of television platforms used and subscribed to, considering the physical and financial ramifications of the nationwide lockdown. The findings indicated that, among Millennials in Gauteng, over-the-top (OTT) streaming services were the preferred television platform, with most participants using Netflix as their main source of TV entertainment. Many participants also indicated an intention to “cut the cord” with pay-TV providers, once live news and sport broadcasts become available on OTT TV platforms. The shift from pay-TV to OTT services was accelerated by financial constraints caused by the pandemic.

Haptic Presentation System Synchronized With Live Sports Broadcasts at Public Viewing Events

The addition of haptic feedback as well as visual and audio information can help make live sports broadcasts more immersive. However, it is difficult to add haptic information to the video content in realtime. Thus, we developed a system that analyzes sports videos with low computational cost and displays haptic information depending on the results. The system measures the intensity value of athletes’ motion and the timings of specific actions from input video in realtime. The haptic chair and handheld devices are actuated by the trigger from the video analysis. The system provides viewers with haptic stimuli synchronized with audiovisual information. The haptic stimuli from the devices enhance viewers’ feelings of immersion while watching live sports broadcasts at public viewing events.

The pandemic crisis and its impact on sport

The article describes the changes in the functioning of media-dependent professional and competitive sport caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It addresses the strong dependence of sport on electronic media; the consequences of a break in the production of sports broadcasts for the media, sports organisations and athletes; and pandemic remedial strategies. A discussion of the role of sport in contemporary consumer culture and its importance in the development and reduction of the impact of the pandemic is also presented.

Immigrants’ Dual Identity and the Hostile Media Effect in the Context of Sports Broadcasts

Abstract: We explored how immigrants’ dual (ethno-national) identity affects the hostile media effect in the context of broadcast news of international sporting events. A mixed-methods approach to collecting data was used comprising an online experiment and in-person focus group interviews with Korean Chinese immigrants residing in South Korea. The results demonstrate that hostile media perception in favor of the out-group was greater for out-group broadcast news than for in-group broadcast news. The hostile media perception was linked to support for in-group players only for immigrants with a strong dual identity. The results of the focus group interviews suggest that the dual-identity participants reinforce their national identity and increase their support for the in-group players to deal with the threat to their self-esteem when collective self-esteem connected to their national identity is threatened by what they considered broadcast news biased against Chinese players.

The Complexities of Understanding Reported TV Audiences for Live Sports Broadcasts

Abstract: Organizers of major sports events regularly report impressive multibillion TV audiences to emphasize the success of their competitions, yet such claims are seldom substantiated with hard evidence, nor is it usually made clear what the numbers actually stand for. The aim of this paper is to provide a better insight into the ambiguity of reported audience sizes for sports events and to beg the question: What is the TV audience size for a live sports broadcast? By detailing seven pitfalls, we critically discuss the problems associated with a correct understanding of TV audiences for live sports broadcasts. We substantiate our findings with specific examples for various sports events. The paper demonstrates the relevance of a correct understanding of how TV audiences for sports broadcasts are determined and communicated, and the analysis of the pitfalls uncovers misunderstandings about reported TV audiences that have been largely ignored before. We also discuss the relevance of our insights for the growing body of academic literature in this field.