…Sportsvision Has Revolutionized Televised Sports
1. Way back in 1996, Stan Honey invented a way to highlight hockey pucks on-screen and display a trail when the puck was moving rapidly, assuming hockey fans are idiots and can’t follow the puck. Known as FoxTrax when launched by the Fox Network, it was less than successful (and that’s being generous). However, this technology lead to the formation of Sportvision in 1998, which then went on to develop the 1st & Ten system - technical brilliance that generates and displays the yellow first down line during football broadcasts!
2. The company has won eight Emmy Awards, including three for its signature broadcast enhancements, the virtual yellow 1st & Ten Line and KZone, and three for its work with NASCAR.
3. You can thank Sportvision for the roll-out of virtual ads. Of course, the average viewer probably doesn’t even know that they are virtual. The best example can be seen during baseball games, when an ad can be seen behind home plate. Players on the field don’t actually see the ad, but millions of viewers can. According to the company’s web site, “Branding is no longer limited to commercials during breaks in the action — now it can be executed anywhere. Virtual ad and insertion solutions can be customized for any sport, offering a cost-efficient and exciting solution to ensure a product or brand message can’t be missed.” Marketers must love that what was previously seen as wasted space has been converted into high-price advertising real estate.
4. With the introduction of PitCommand, TourCast and IceCast, Sportvision has brought dynamic data tracking and analysis to sporting events as they are broadcast live on the boob tube.
5. Sportvision is a private company and lists Motorola as one of its investors. This suggests that there is a lot in the pipeline dedicated for mobile telecasting. Watch this space!
Sportvision’s technology is truly astounding. Check out their product lines at www.sportvision.com. For a recent interview with the company’s CEO, Hand Adams, click here and here for a behind the scenes look.
