The UFC announced that UFC.tv will offer a new viewing experience featuring live statistics, multiple camera views and audio feeds. In partnership with NeuLion, Inc., the UFC aims to provide fans with a more interactive perspective of its fights. In hopes that fans will like it, the UFC is offering the exciting first round of Edgar-Maynard II for free.
Via UFC:
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® and NeuLion, Inc. (TSX:NLN), the leading service provider of live and on-demand international, sports and variety programming delivered via broadband, today announced a partnership to launch a brand new service for UFC® offering the most interactive, far-reaching digital experience yet.
The new online tool gives fans the ability to control audio and video feeds of UFC Pay-Per-View events, as well as other unique features such as quad view, picture-in-picture, video quality up to broadcast quality, live chat and live scoring by fans. The new UFC viewing experience will launch online on Feb. 5 at UFC.TV, just in time for the much-anticipated UFC® 126: SILVA vs. BELFORT card.
Payout Perspective:
It will be interesting to see how many people will take advantage of this new technology. The price point will make a difference on whether people will check it out. The demo is pretty cool for the fact that there is a bar near the bottom of the screen that indicates where the action is during the round (e.g., flurry, takedown, injury). The different camera angles are a nice touch but I assume that the producers would provide the best camera angles when viewing the fight. So, watching the other angles didn’t really add much in my opinion. If you are into alternate views, it may be cool to play with the different camera angles. I actually think it would be neat if they put a camera on each corner (as they coach their fighter) as well as Dana White as he watches the match. For example, would have been great to have seen White watch Silva-Maia and Silva-Sonnen.
The new technology does provide the UFC with another chance to interact with its fans, and for fans to interact with each other.
Great stuff, but $44.99 is a bit steep for an online stream IMO.
I’m sure $24.99 would work better.
Henry,
I think their PPV contract prevents them from pricing online streams below the television price.
“…I assume that the producers would provide the best camera angles when viewing the fight.”
No one can guarantee that they’re picking the “best camera angle” during a live cut. How many times has it taken minutes for the Assistant Director to find the one camera that caught a critical detail of a position for a replay? They went through every angle they had on the air before finding the one that clearly showed Tim Silvia’s arm snapping—a shot that finally calmed an irate crowd in the arena. (I used to direct live television.)
“I actually think it would be neat if they put a camera on each corner …”
These aren’t cheap, unmanned surveillance cameras that can be scattered around and locked down. Every time you get a shot of the corner or the audience the director has to make a decision about diverting a camera away from the action and missing an important moment in the fight. I’m sure you were “just sayin’,” but it’s not a practical idea. Just sayin’.
i am pretty apauled at the price of watching MMA. Are these people crazy? I would think they would lower the price point to get more people interested in the sport. Watching the fights online should be significantly cheaper than by TV. How much money do these greedy bastards needs anyway??