NASA should broadcast matches

[Brandon_L]

You know how NASA kindly broadcasts the kickoff? They should also broadcast the matches. Like maby pick one of the regionals each week (can't broadcast more then one at a time...) and the finals in Georgia....that would be so cool

[EricH]

Webcasts, my friend, webcasts. Hopefully Brandon has the link to them on the portal this year too. (Then again, last year I used SOAP Gameday to watch multiple regionals at once on the web.)

[Brandon_L]

I use the webcasts but I mean come on how cool would it be to flip to discovery and see FIRST

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Brandon_L

I use the broadcasts but I mean come on how cool would it be to flip to discovery and see FIRST

Back in the day, ESPN covered Championships... Discovery Canada covers GTR... various public local stations do spot coverage here and there.

[artdutra04]

Originally Posted by Brandon_L

You know how NASA kindly broadcasts the kickoff? They should also broadcast the matches. Like maby pick one of the regionals each week (can't broadcast more then one at a time...) and the finals in Georgia....that would be so cool

NASA already does this...

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Brandon_L

I use the webcasts but I mean come on how cool would it be to flip to discovery and see FIRST

That would be Discovery, not NASA.

NASA already does that, as pointed out earlier.

[XaulZan11]

Other than the Championship (which usually gets cut off...) does NASA broadcast any other events on tv?

Anyway, if I were FIRST and was serious about spreading FIRST's message, I would webcast them and play them on usfirst.org. Not to knock the webcasts that we have had in the past, but they are not always of the best quality and aren't 100% reliable. I'll still watch them, but how many people not deeply invovled with FIRST does?

If the presidental inaguration, NBC's Sunday night football, NCAA tournament, and the Olympics (from China) be webcasted live with near tv quality, why can't FIRST? Maybe you could create a real nice player that includes team rankings, rules and links that explain FIRST. If I was a potential sponser, mentor, student, government official and I was showed a live, high quality, professional looking webcast, I would certianly be more impressed than a low quality ustreamtv link.

Again, I'm not being critical of the people and teams that spend plenty of time providing webcasts. Instead of providing webcasts to FIRST teams and people who cannot make competitions, webcasts could be used to introduce people to FIRST. I don't know all the inner-workings of FIRST, but I think this is something they should do.

[Brandon_L]

^ that was the question I was asking, TV not web. You wanted more TV time for FIRST..

EDIT: also what you said would be great with the custom players and rankings....

[Dave Flowerday]

Originally Posted by XaulZan11

If the presidental inaguration, NBC's Sunday night football, NCAA tournament, and the Olympics (from China) be webcasted live with near tv quality, why can't FIRST?

$$$$

[EricH]

Originally Posted by XaulZan11

If the presidental inaguration, NBC's Sunday night football, NCAA tournament, and the Olympics (from China) be webcasted live with near tv quality, why can't FIRST? Maybe you could create a real nice player that includes team rankings, rules and links that explain FIRST.

Get some sponsors for it and I'm sure something could be arranged. That is probably the #1 reason they are so professional-looking (besides being things that "everyone" is interested in).

That is also what we're trying to change. We want that type of exposure. But it comes at a price. Let's look at TV for a minute--just live TV, not webcasted. Webcasted gets the same sort of thing, but on another scale.

The first type of question TV stations would ask is, how long would we need? The second is, who's paying, and the third is, where do we put the commercials?

I can answer those questions, somewhat. In answer to the first one, all day, two straight days. Who would display us? Discovery? Yeah, right. FOX Sports? Doubt it. ESPN? They'll say, we tried already. The only stations that would show us for that kind of time are sports stations, and we aren't a sport (in some estimations), or there are other sports wanting the time.

I don't have an answer for the second. Hence the finding sponsors comment.

For the third: you have two options: compress the matches after the fact and split between matches, or put the commercials between the matches. Problem with the latter: commercial time = time of show. TV station likes it, viewers hate it, TV station loses viewers. Problem with the former: needs editing.

My solution might work for Discovery: Follow a team all season, maybe 3-4. This would need consent of the team(s) involved. Edit after the season, then show the next fall as teams start up. Format similar to "Deadliest Catch", say. Include the matches. Or you could just do the competitions that way.

[Brandon_L]

^that's a good idea, follow a few teams through the season! If only we could convince them to do that ;_;

Yeah that would be great....follow a diffrent team each year...

[XaulZan11]

[quote=EricH;805385]

I can answer those questions, somewhat. In answer to the first one, all day, two straight days. Who would display us? Discovery? Yeah, right. FOX Sports? Doubt it. ESPN? They'll say, we tried already. The only stations that would show us for that kind of time are sports stations, and we aren't a sport (in some estimations), or there are other sports wanting the time.

QUOTE]

Yeah, I don't think tv is the answer. People are increasingly watching tv online. Also, its not like FIRST is geared toward the population that are still learning how to use email. I think FIRST's target would certianly 'get' the webcast.

While the quality has to be good and a professional looking site/player, I don't think the video itself has to be changed too much from the current webcast. I think you could have the couple minutes of break inbetween matches. On tv this wouldn't work, but on a webcast I think its acceptable.

[Brandon_L]

http://corporate.discovery.com/contact/producers/

Just throwing that out there.

[Barry Bonzack]

Originally Posted by EricH

My solution might work for Discovery: Follow a team all season, maybe 3-4. This would need consent of the team(s) involved. Edit after the season, then show the next fall as teams start up. Format similar to "Deadliest Catch", say. Include the matches. Or you could just do the competitions that way.

In 2003 Discovery's Science Channel followed teams 339, 254, and 1224. They showed match video of the teams, and did an excellent job covering their experience. Clips from this special have been used in many FIRST promotional videos ever since.

Link to the video