The final frontier
Huge tV deals make news but new tech is on the rise
rAINING eQUIpmeNt is the first place you would cast your eyes for technological advances in rugby, writes rW’s Alan Dymock. We’ve already seen camera drones fly over team sessions while video analysis of training is a must for elite sides now.
One company, myplayXplay, offer instant video feedback from sessions and have branched into helping out officials off the field – at the London sevens, independent doctors could review real-time footage, to assess potential concussive incidents.
It is this trend of seeing a match by novel means that is on the rise. World rugby have streamed games online, while last season’s enisei-Connacht clash in siberia was aired on Youtube. As Facebook Live’s instant stream service gathers momentum, there is a sense of opportunity.
In may, action camera manufacturer Gopro joined forces with extreme sports sponsor red bull – who already have sponsored playing ‘assets’ in rugby – while in April, World rugby and Chinese e-commerce giants Alibaba struck a ten-year deal. Alibaba said: “We will use our platform to showcase this excellent sport to millions of people.”
It is worth keeping your eye on, says martin Anayi, managing director of pro12 rugby. “Whilst tV deals will
Tcontinue to play an important part in the development of rugby properties, the exciting advances in technology mean we have to look very closely at ‘non-traditional’ platforms and maximise the new and growing audience that this will bring to the future landscape of watching rugby.
“We cannot stand still. As a sport we must embrace new technologies and be at the forefront of the latest streaming, digital and social media applications to create unique viewer experiences on whatever platform audiences choose to view rugby on.
“In doing so we become a market leader, not just in the eyes of a rugby fan but to a new generation of sport viewers.”