The English Premier League is exploring the use of audio effects and computer generated “fans” to improve the viewer experience of watching matches in empty stadiums.
The league on Monday voted to allow teams to return to non-contact training in small groups from yesterday and hopes to be able to clear contact training next week as it steps up “Project Restart.”
Germany’s Bundesliga returned to action on Saturday without any major hitches, which has encouraged the Premier League, but chief executive Richard Masters said it is looking at ways to improve the TV experience of watching games in empty stadiums should the league return as planned next month.
Photo: AFP
“I think we’ll take a different approach, not better, but slightly different approach about the behind-closed-doors product, and that was one of the things we were able to talk to clubs [about] today... We have [a] group of clubs and broadcasters together on that,” Masters told reporters.
The absence of fans was highly noticeable on Bundesliga broadcasts, with players’ shouting the only noise to be heard other than the voice of the commentator.
Sources with knowledge of the discussions have said that all options are on the table, including adding crowd noise and the use of computer generated fans to replace the images of empty seats in the stadium.
No decision has been taken on whether to use such technology, with concerns that any changes do not make the match appear too far away from the reality of what is unfolding on the pitch.
“In terms of the precise nature of what we are planning, we haven’t really talked about it with the wide group yet, so I don’t want to share too much of the plans,” Masters said in a conference call with reporters. “But obviously the big issue is that if there aren’t fans in the stadium, what does the viewing fan at home, what’s his experience like? And how different is it to a normal Premier League production, and that’s the question we’re seeking to answer.”
A number of companies offer technology, including augmented-reality products, which could add crowd noise and the impression of supporters to broadcasts.
“The idea is to protect the integrity and experience of the game, by turning the attention away from the empty stadium, and instead replacing it with appealing surroundings to make the game more interesting, and as close to reality as possible,” said Gudjon Gudjonsson, chief executive of one such company, OZ Sports.
“These are times to explore and experiment, to make sports even more appealing and to bring it closer to the latest developments in e-sports,” he said.
Oz Sports declined to discuss whether it was in talks with the Premier League.
“OZ Sports can confirm it is in discussions with multiple sports bodies, not limited to football,” the company said.
While the league and broadcasters evaluate all the options, the focus was on the players returning to their training grounds.
Initial training was to be in small groups, no bigger than five players, and with social distancing regulations enforced in and around facilities.
Taiwan’s men’s A team last night defeated their counterpart B team 82-77 in their first showdown in the William Jones Cup at New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang Gymnasium. With four wins under their belt, Taiwan’s A squad — also known as the blue team, consisting of the national team’s main roster — lead the tournament, while Malaysia and the Philippines Strong Group-Pilipinas, who were not scheduled to play last night, are both undefeated with three wins each. Taiwanese-American teenager Robert Hinton, playing in his first William Jones Cup, led the scoring early in the first quarter, putting up nine points for the A
A chance encounter during a drunken night out was the unlikely catalyst for breaker Sunny Choi’s journey to the Paris Olympic Games. The 35-year-old American is to showcase her skills before a global audience in Paris when breaking makes its debut on the Olympic stage. Choi is the beneficiary of efforts to attract younger fans to the Olympics, a move that led to breaking’s inclusion for the first time. However, as Choi says, the Olympics was the last thing on her mind when she took up the sport. A freshman student at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, Choi stumbled into breaking
Teenage gymnast Shoko Miyata has been pulled from Japan’s team for the Paris Olympics after being caught smoking and drinking, officials said yesterday. The 19-year-old, a world bronze medalist and captain of Japan’s women’s gymnastics team for the Games, was sent home from their training camp in Monaco and admitted she had violated the squad’s code of conduct. “With her confirmation and after discussions on all sides, it has been decided that she will withdraw from the Olympics,” Japan Gymnastics Association (JGA) secretary-general Kenji Nishimura told reporters in Tokyo. Nishimura said the association had been told that Miyata was seen smoking in a
Former NFL receiver Jacoby Jones, whose 108-yard kickoff return in 2013 remains the longest touchdown in Super Bowl history, has died at the age of 40. The Houston Texans, Jones’ team for the first five seasons of his career, announced his death on Sunday. In a statement released by the NFL Players Association, his family said he died at his home in New Orleans. A cause of death was not given. Jones played from 2007 to 2015 for the Texans, Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers, and he made several huge plays for the Ravens during their most recent Super