Spidercams and X-Ray vision driving Prime-time revolution
REMEMBER the days of grainy footage on a TV set with four channels? Well, things have changed beyond all recognition now. Here, JAMES SHARPE gives you the lowdown on a feast of football coming your way as Amazon Prime dip their toes into the live action, answering all the questions you may have about which devices to use, the cost involved, pundits and even special features such as Spidercam and X-Ray stats.
What games will be shown?
All 10 Premier League games will be available to watch live this week as Amazon showcase the first set of their estimated £90m deal to screen 20 matches a season for the next three years.
The big draws are expected to be Tottenham’s trip to Manchester United on Wednesday, which will mark Jose Mourinho’s return to Old Trafford, as well as the Merseyside derby.
Nine games will be shown on Boxing Day with another on December 27.
Amazon are understood to be celebrating how well it has turned out for them, especially with their documentary of Tottenham’s season capturing the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino.
Can I watch on my TV?
Yes. As well as watching the action on smartphones, tablets and computers, subscribers can beam it to their televisions using their games consoles, or via the Prime Video app on Virgin and BT boxes as well as Amazon’s Fire Stick
Can I watch two games at once?
You can watch up to three games on different devices at the same time with one Amazon account. If you want to watch all the goals go in, there will also be a separate Goals Centre channel, hosted by Match of the Day commentator Steve Bower, that will show all the key moments as they happen. The show will run for a marathon 12 hours on Boxing Day.
What will the coverage be?
Amazon are giving every game the ‘big-match’ treatment, whether it’s Manchester United v Tottenham or Southampton v Norwich.
As well as a studio in Stratford, each match will have its own presenting team at the ground, either at pitchside or in a studio of their own.
More than 2,000 people will work on the broadcast, with 350 cameras up and down the country, as well as 70 onscreen hosts, pundits and commentators.
Goals Centre will be shown on each game stream until 30 minutes before kick-off when it will switch to the individual presenting team at each match for its own build-up, half-time show and post-match reaction.
Are there any new pundits?
Again, they have gone all-out. Match of the Day regulars Alan Shearer, Gabby Logan and Jermaine Jenas will be involved — and the return of the legendary Jim Rosenthal.
Peter Schmeichel, Harry Redknapp, Dimitar Berbatov and Glenn Hoddle are expected to be the team at United v Spurs with Thierry Henry and Peter Crouch at the Merseyside derby.
Robbie Savage, Dion Dublin, Tim Sherwood and Joe Cole will be among the pundits on Goals Centre.
Fans will hear the familiar commentary tones of Clive Tyldesley, Jon Champion, Connor McNamara, and Guy Mowbray with summarisers Andy Townsend, Ally McCoist, Hoddle, Sue Smith and Kevin Kilbane.
Any potential problems?
When Amazon made their first foray into live sports at the US Open tennis last year, they received so many complaints that they eventually stopped p eople leaving reviews.
From more than 1,600 reviews, a whopping 71 per cent gave it one star at an average rating of 1.8 out of five. Their coverage has improved hugely since then with fans praising the level of analysis and use of graphics during their coverage of the ATP Finals. Much of the disdain during the US Open was to do with the inability to watch replays of matches, buffering and poor picture quality described by one disgruntled fan as ‘like going back 25 years’.
Premier League coverage will be in HD but will still rely on a strong WiFi connection, which has led to Amazon holding talks with the UK’s leading broadband providers for assurances they will be able to cope with one of the biggest streaming events in sporting history.
So, what about replays?
No problem this time. Threeminute highlights packages of each game will be available shortly after the final whistle. At midnight, both a 30-minute highlights reel and full re-runs will be uploaded and kept on for a week.
What else can I expect?
Amazon Prime want to use Spidercams to give viewers a bird’s eye view of the action. The radio-controlled camera follows the action at speeds of up to 21mph, suspended at least 10 metres above the ground by four wires connected to each corner of the stadium.
The technology is frequently used in cricket and rugby and was first used in the Premier League in a game between Liverpool and Manchester United in 2017.
Amazon’s coverage will include what they call their X-Ray feature, which means viewers will be able to follow live Opta match stats, see lineups and watch key highlights during the match alongside the live coverage.