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Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts
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Just a few years ago, race coverage throughout the season was spotty at best. You had to really know where to look on various youtube channels and livestreams to find IM race coverage. Now it's as simple as following Ironman Now on facebook and they do the rest.

This year they'll broadcast 17 races, free of charge to anyone who has a facebook account. If you are a competing organization (Super League, ITU) it's got to be a blow to the viewing numbers. I hate to say this but I subscribed to ITU pay per view (season) for several years but stopped once Ironman started the free facebook broadcasts. People only have a certain amount of time to watch triathlon and regardless of what people think, it's still a niche sport.

The facebook notifications are a game changer. I've said it before, and I'll repeat it was a brilliant move to use notifications for the livestreams as it's a no-brainer to tune in now. If I'm awake and not busy and I get a notification that a race is on-I'll watch it. If I'm busy at the time, I may go back and watch it.

But they have to be careful not to over notify people! I subscribe to notifications from: Ironman Now, Ironman, Ironman 70.3, and Ironman World Championship facebook pages because I don't want to miss anything important. Well... if I get notifications from several of those pages in the same day it clogs my feed. I want to know when the channel is broadcasting, but I don't need a notification with highlights, results, podiums presentation, and finish line speeches, from several different facebook pages... and... I think you get the point. I may need to stop notifications from a few of those pages if my feed is overwhelmed with alerts.

The commentators are fine IMO. They all have the credentials to do the broadcasts as well as anyone. I know lots of people will argue with me on this but it's like that in every sport/news broadcast/TV show from the beginning of television history.

SportsStats has done an amazing job getting a lot of splits from the course and getting that info out on the IM mobile website and app. A ton of info can be derived just from the race splits! The IM announcers keep up on those splits as that's the core of racing. Whether I have the commentator volume on or off, if I have the visuals on the leaders and know the race splits, I can pretty much figure out for myself what's going on in the race. Granted, the commentators often provide inside information from the marshalls/media/on-course personnel. But I can always figure out the gist of the race from the livestream and latest splits if I want to turn down the volume.

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Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [Timtek] [ In reply to ]
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Agree with almost everything you've said here. I really do think that 70.3 racing is a much more viewable product , though, than full ironman racing.

Folks got around the augusta course in ~3:40 today. That's a long baseball game, or less time than many stages in the TdF. That's something I can handle. I only ever watch really 'watch' the Kona broadcast, and that is still in bits and pieces.
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [Timtek] [ In reply to ]
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I'm going to dissent from your positive view of "ironman Now" b/c it *seems* that, now that they are doing all of this Facebook stuff, the time to get the actual results posted has increased to 2 days or more. It used to be that I look at the results page for an ongoing race and see the results as they came in, delayed by maybe 1-2 hrs from the time that the segment was completed. I don't really care about watching per se, I just want to see the final results. Looking at the Facebook page for Ironman Now doesn't give any of the splits as far as I can see.


"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [Timtek] [ In reply to ]
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Ironman coverage on facebook turned me into a blob watching full ironman races from the couch.
Comments are awesome. Having the facebook comments bring some fun.
Really a game changer. Looking forward to watching kona.
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [ericmulk] [ In reply to ]
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Doesn’t the Ironman Tracker App give you everything you are asking for in real time?
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [tamiii] [ In reply to ]
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I didn't watch a lot of IM Chatt today, but preferred the sound of Welch and Rachel Joyce announcing over the other pairing (drawing a blank atm), that seems to do the big races.
I really hope the do even better race tracking for splits, which should result in better race announcing for Kona this year.
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [Trigirl357] [ In reply to ]
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Trigirl357 wrote:
Doesn’t the Ironman Tracker App give you everything you are asking for in real time?

I hate to seem troublesome but I rarely look at race results right when they are happening but rather later that day/evening. I'm not aware that the tracker app stores those splits where they can be recalled???


"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [Timtek] [ In reply to ]
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"But but but Super League blows Ironman broadcasts out the water..."

So far, as far as I can tell, ain't many people watching Super League.

Different comment, why does the tracker no longer work from a computer? If I want live tracking I have to use my phone.

Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.
Last edited by: TheStroBro: Sep 29, 19 21:49
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [Timtek] [ In reply to ]
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I'm super happy the coverage exists and has improved dramatically over the last two years.
I remember when the stream would fail over and over again, and they wouldn't have the resources to even show who was leading in the women's race.

The commentary is good. They interact with chat. I'm a huge fan.
I just hate that it requires a facebook account...and that it's on facebook...and that facebook exists. Fuck facebook.
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [Timtek] [ In reply to ]
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Its a good move for sure.
Commentary is individual of course i think they talk a bit too much in general terms and are not always watching the race close enough, but there should plenty of time for both!
One thing though, watching a full Ironman is SUPER boring, people are spaced out too. Where as IM70.3 is much more fun to watch. If i was Ironman i would skip coverage of some of the less contested IMs on the circuit and add maybe 3-4 IM 70.3.

Nice to see they have more stats on screen too from the different splits.
The only really fun full IM to watch is Kona, too bad it is in the middle of the night for EU :(
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [lassekk] [ In reply to ]
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They are pretty decent productions when it is only really for a few thousand dedicated followers.

I watch Kona end to end. I watched most of Frankfurt, Texas; others check in a few times during the race to see what’s changed.

Agree, 70.3 is the most watchable, just not that many have a properly gun field so outside the Worlds possibly only Oceanside would be worth a dedicated watch. If they could find a way to get 3/4 70.3 s deeper, maybe pro Kona places, then they would be well worth replacing some of the IMs on the schedule.
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [TheStroBro] [ In reply to ]
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TheStroBro wrote:
"But but but Super League blows Ironman broadcasts out the water..."

So far, as far as I can tell, ain't many people watching Super League.

Different comment, why does the tracker no longer work from a computer? If I want live tracking I have to use my phone.

Super League is live on TV in several countries. So, I am not sure where you get your information from. The world is bigger than the USA…..
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [Timtek] [ In reply to ]
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I do like the coverage and I hope it gets better in the coming years.

The picture quality isn't great however (I guess they're expecting most people to watch on a PC or tablet which would be fine but for those of us watching on a large TV , the poor image quality stands out)

Needs better splits - something like they have on the grand tours, so why not put GPS transponders on the Pro's bikes?

I hope the lack of commercial breaks continue - but this is Facebook we're talking about so it can only be a matter of time.
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [ericmulk] [ In reply to ]
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ericmulk wrote:
Trigirl357 wrote:
Doesn’t the Ironman Tracker App give you everything you are asking for in real time?


I hate to seem troublesome but I rarely look at race results right when they are happening but rather later that day/evening. I'm not aware that the tracker app stores those splits where they can be recalled???


Yes, you can use the app to pull up 2-3 years worth of historical data (since release) from the moment they collect it live. I use it to look up and compare time splits for races within the last few years like IMSC 70.3 2019 vs 2018 vs 2017.
Last edited by: Trigirl357: Sep 30, 19 3:06
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [TheStroBro] [ In reply to ]
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TheStroBro wrote:
Different comment, why does the tracker no longer work from a computer? If I want live tracking I have to use my phone.

You're 100% correct and I don't know why either.

I do know it stopped working on my iPad as well. So I realized I needed to visit their mobile site at: https://m.ironman.com for the tracker to work. I assume that also works from a desktop computer.

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Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [Halvard] [ In reply to ]
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Halvard wrote:
TheStroBro wrote:
"But but but Super League blows Ironman broadcasts out the water..."

So far, as far as I can tell, ain't many people watching Super League.

Different comment, why does the tracker no longer work from a computer? If I want live tracking I have to use my phone.


Super League is live on TV in several countries. So, I am not sure where you get your information from. The world is bigger than the USA…..

Being on live television actually means nothing. Super League is more than likely paying for the air time in those countries. If anyone wants to know how Cornhole or whatever is getting on ESPN, that's how.

Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [Trigirl357] [ In reply to ]
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Trigirl357 wrote:
ericmulk wrote:
Trigirl357 wrote:
Doesn’t the Ironman Tracker App give you everything you are asking for in real time?


I hate to seem troublesome but I rarely look at race results right when they are happening but rather later that day/evening. I'm not aware that the tracker app stores those splits where they can be recalled???


Yes, you can use the app to pull up 2-3 years worth of historical data (since release) from the moment they collect it live. I use it to look up and compare time splits for races within the last few years like IMSC 70.3 2019 vs 2018 vs 2017.

OK, thanks, I'll look more for this.


"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [Timtek] [ In reply to ]
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Speaking as someone that used to hope a kiwi would get a top 3 at kona so that hopefully a few days later a couple of lines of black and white text about it might appear in the new zealand herald paper.... This live/interactive/multimedia/commentated/data mine coverage is unbelievably awesome

I just wouldnt tell them too loudly cos no doubt it costs a bomb to deliver and will go subscription or pay per view the second everyone sounds satisfied
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [Timtek] [ In reply to ]
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I am reluctant to complain because I recall what it was like only a few years ago, and things are much better.

However, if pushed to comment I would prefer it if they could;

- Put GPS chips on the Pro athletes to provide real-time tracking, and then invest a bit of time and money in some decent on-screen tracking graphics. It shouldn't be hard to show relative positions of the front runners like they do in the TdF. Real time GPS tracking is totally possible. How do I know this? They did it at Norseman on a point to point race across a very sparsely populated area with a limited budget (300 or so athletes paying 300 quid each). Folks back at home were able to watch my numbered dot move along on a map, surrounded by all of the other dots.
- Focus the commentary a bit more carefully on the major events of the day. The number of times we miss significant passes or key moments from the race because they are busy talking about grape juice or salt sticks or something like that. Sometimes you can see it happening in a video box in the bottom corner of the screen, with the commentators oblivious. Really, they need a race coverage director watching the streams and feeding info to the commentary team.

Cheers,
Rich.
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [lacticturkey] [ In reply to ]
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lacticturkey wrote:
I just wouldnt tell them too loudly cos no doubt it costs a bomb to deliver and will go subscription or pay per view the second everyone sounds satisfied

I completely understand your concern. However, there aren’t that many hardcore spectators that would pay for coverage. We live in quite a bubble on slowtwitch here. A huge majority of Ironman athletes I know might watch Kona for a few hours per year if it fits in their busy schedule. And that is no exaggeration.

What the free broadcasts do is get new eyes on the IM brand. They see the top dogs effortlessly biking and running the marathon and some think “I can do this”. It plants a seed in noobs and keeps the sport alive in the mind of casuals.

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Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [knighty76] [ In reply to ]
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knighty76 wrote:
I am reluctant to complain because I recall what it was like only a few years ago, and things are much better.

However, if pushed to comment I would prefer it if they could;

- Put GPS chips on the Pro athletes to provide real-time tracking, and then invest a bit of time and money in some decent on-screen tracking graphics. It shouldn't be hard to show relative positions of the front runners like they do in the TdF. Real time GPS tracking is totally possible. How do I know this? They did it at Norseman on a point to point race across a very sparsely populated area with a limited budget (300 or so athletes paying 300 quid each). Folks back at home were able to watch my numbered dot move along on a map, surrounded by all of the other dots.
- Focus the commentary a bit more carefully on the major events of the day. The number of times we miss significant passes or key moments from the race because they are busy talking about grape juice or salt sticks or something like that. Sometimes you can see it happening in a video box in the bottom corner of the screen, with the commentators oblivious. Really, they need a race coverage director watching the streams and feeding info to the commentary team.

Cheers,
Rich.

x2! Very well stated and exactly where I feel things could improve.
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [JBell] [ In reply to ]
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JBell wrote:
knighty76 wrote:
I am reluctant to complain because I recall what it was like only a few years ago, and things are much better.

However, if pushed to comment I would prefer it if they could;

- Put GPS chips on the Pro athletes to provide real-time tracking, and then invest a bit of time and money in some decent on-screen tracking graphics. It shouldn't be hard to show relative positions of the front runners like they do in the TdF. Real time GPS tracking is totally possible. How do I know this? They did it at Norseman on a point to point race across a very sparsely populated area with a limited budget (300 or so athletes paying 300 quid each). Folks back at home were able to watch my numbered dot move along on a map, surrounded by all of the other dots.
- Focus the commentary a bit more carefully on the major events of the day. The number of times we miss significant passes or key moments from the race because they are busy talking about grape juice or salt sticks or something like that. Sometimes you can see it happening in a video box in the bottom corner of the screen, with the commentators oblivious. Really, they need a race coverage director watching the streams and feeding info to the commentary team.

Cheers,
Rich.

x2! Very well stated and exactly where I feel things could improve.

Didn"t the GPS transponder blow up Frodo's race in Kona a couple of years back? Looks like they stopped using them shortly after that.
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [Hoffmeister] [ In reply to ]
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I'm not sure what you're talking about? I didn't hear of anything like that.
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [TheStroBro] [ In reply to ]
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TheStroBro wrote:
Halvard wrote:
TheStroBro wrote:
"But but but Super League blows Ironman broadcasts out the water..."

So far, as far as I can tell, ain't many people watching Super League.

Different comment, why does the tracker no longer work from a computer? If I want live tracking I have to use my phone.


Super League is live on TV in several countries. So, I am not sure where you get your information from. The world is bigger than the USA…..


Being on live television actually means nothing. Super League is more than likely paying for the air time in those countries. If anyone wants to know how Cornhole or whatever is getting on ESPN, that's how.

I really *really* appreciate Ironman Now and the fact that there is coverage, which is better than zero coverage. But you're really just pulling data points out of thin air here. I tuned into IM Chatt at one point and there were like 3k viewers at the time. Do you really think SLT had fewer than 3k viewers globally this last weekend?

But anyway, I appreciate the positive tone of this thread and the appreciate that WTC is trying to make coverage more of a priority. I do stand by, however, that Ironman could learn a thing or two about marketing and production quality from SLT. Just like SLT could learn from Ironman in how to jedi mind trick an entire generation of endurance athletes into training 20+ hours a week and spending thousands of dollars for years on end to go get melted into a lava field once a year (if they're lucky - or never if they're not!). Whatever your thoughts on WTC and Ironman it's a goddamn leviathan and SLT would be lucky to end up with 1/10 of the staying power

But yes - this year has been a massive improvement, much much better than squinting at the tracker app every once in a while. I really hope they can keep the momentum and try to make the broadcasts as viable and as engaging as possible
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Re: Let's talk about the Ironman facebook broadcasts [MadTownTRI] [ In reply to ]
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MadTownTRI wrote:
Agree with almost everything you've said here. I really do think that 70.3 racing is a much more viewable product , though, than full ironman racing.

Folks got around the augusta course in ~3:40 today. That's a long baseball game, or less time than many stages in the TdF. That's something I can handle. I only ever watch really 'watch' the Kona broadcast, and that is still in bits and pieces.

It’s more viewable, but still not quite compelling IMO. 70.3 is typically boring, even the WCs this year were boring. It’s not good as a spectator sport unless you’re there, course-side, seeing everyone while drinking beers (or lacroix, or whatever).

The length of the event is irrelevant, if there’s a lack of dynamism, there’s just no way to make it exciting. I don’t know, maybe mix up the distances a little?
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