LONDON—SailGP, which sponsors high-speed boat racing events worldwide says it is developing its LiveLineFX sports graphics platform for use in other sports.
The patented in-house broadcast graphics package, which powers SailGP’s broadcasts, is used remotely from SailGP's broadcast studio in London for SailGP’s broadcast partners in 212 international territories. LiveLineFX processes 1.15bn data requests per hour from each of the ten F50 catamarans per hour. Supplied by Oracle Cloud, it is all done in real time "to generate unrivalled performance information," the company said..
LiveLineFX collects the data from the 125 sensors positioned on each F50, with data points ranging from the speed and direction of the boats, weather conditions as well as the sea current, which is then presented as a graphical overlay on top of the racecourse. It is all made possible by a unique combination of live racecourse video shot from a helicopter, high-accuracy GPS and the Oracle Cloud, according to SailGP.. Together these components offer real time data to the LiveLineFX team, enabling them to track the boats within two-centimeter accuracy and deliver seamless graphical overlays of geo-positioned race markers, boundary lines as well as boat positions and relative performance statistics.
SailGP says the technology and creative elements of LiveLineFX lends itself naturally to a variety of out-of-stadium sports, such as cycling, horse racing, surfing, and any mass participation sports, where it can be tricky for viewers to get the full picture and understanding of what is unfolding in front of them.
“From the outset, SailGP has prioritized patented, leading-edge immersive media technologies and LiveLineFX is an award-winning example of this,” said SailGP Chief Content Officer Melissa Lawton. “It is truly unique and hasn’t just been built for use by SailGP, it has been developed with other sports properties and broadcasters in mind where the viewing experience can be difficult due to the nature of the sport. We are now welcoming conversations with a range of potential partners and are excited to see how other sports can benefit from LiveLineFX.”
SailGP says its LiveLineFX has helped to grow its commercial and audience growth with the league now averaring 14 million dedicated broadcast viewers per event and representing audience growth of more than 300% in the last year alone.
