Eurosport is the latest network exploring the possibility of broadcasting drone racing. The Discovery Communications Inc’s European sports presenter is in discussions with prospective partners to broadcast the innovative sport.
Drone racing is a sport where contestants steer diminutive, remote-controlled aircraft at high speeds across airborne obstacle courses.
Drone racing is an opportunity for television networks and advertisers to bring together the allure of a live, traditional racing event with the modern, high-tech attraction of eSports, wherein viewers online watch video game players for free while they compete.
Eurosport currently has 228 million subscribers in 93 countries in Asia, Australia and Europe. They would join ProSiebenSat.1 of Germany, British broadcaster Sky PLC, and Disney Corp’s ESPN, all of which have endorsed the air races by the Drone Racing League.
Presently, most drone racing on TV involves a tape delay. This allows for editing to capture the most gripping visuals. This poses a limiting factor for the sport. The appeal for most sports programming is that the games are aired as they happen.
Drone racing still at its infancy
There are, at the moment, a few drone racing leagues in Europe, the United States, and Asia. Fans of the sport believe that it is only a matter of time before the leagues and the network work out how to effectively broadcast the races live.
However, Drone Racing League CEO and founder Nicholas Horbaczewski said that presenting races in a produced format is the best way to attract new fans. He added that there are a number of sports that don’t go live at the onset and mentioned professional poker as an example.
The television audience for drone races has been few so far. According to Nielsen, only 223,000 people viewed the US Drone Racing Nationals aired on September 18 on ESPN.
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