So just watched my first race live since the report, oh my god it is so obvious.
Of course, NBC probably does not give a crap about the true track fan. This is probably just a contractual obligation to televise, comes with the Olympics contract?
To be honest the TV product for track WC is not good. Only reason I had patience all week to watch is because of a COVID case, so been bored out of mind.
Can we just have an all finals WC, dump the country entries and just go off rankings. No relays, no marathon. Stop making this like an Olympics format.
NBC's deal for the Olympics is with the IOC. This is a separate deal with World Athletics. Not a contractual obligation at all. They paid for the rights
This lines up very well with the observation made a few times on the international broadcast, that athletes were looking up at the stadium screens and being misled about who was around them due to a delay. Presumably they and Diffey are on the same feed.
Not the same feed, but it's the same idea.. it's likely IP-based video, so it doesn't reach the board instantly. A lot of international sports events with a world feed operate like this. Definitely not something specific to this event
Every time he calls Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce “mummy rocket” an angel loses its wings.
I agree; that's bad. But you know what's been bothering me? All the talk about Munson. Since when is there a runner named Munson? Nobody by the name of Munson competed at the WC. Perhaps not even watching from the stands.
Many of you will be aware that Munson is the hero in the Farrelly brothers' 'Kingpin'. In fact, dialogue in the movie explains that Munson is also a verb. To be Munsoned is similar to but worse than getting Gouchered (see RWTB). Unfortunately for fans of Monson (no U), but fortunately for those offended by the NBC team, Monson (2nd letter is O) did not factor into the 5k final, so we were spared several minutes of Munson discussion.
We all know there’s more to the story of a pro athlete than what happens on the track, so we decided to take our interviews to a different, more unusual sett...
Every time he calls Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce “mummy rocket” an angel loses its wings.
I agree; that's bad. But you know what's been bothering me? All the talk about Munson. Since when is there a runner named Munson? Nobody by the name of Munson competed at the WC. Perhaps not even watching from the stands.
Many of you will be aware that Munson is the hero in the Farrelly brothers' 'Kingpin'. In fact, dialogue in the movie explains that Munson is also a verb. To be Munsoned is similar to but worse than getting Gouchered (see RWTB). Unfortunately for fans of Monson (no U), but fortunately for those offended by the NBC team, Monson (2nd letter is O) did not factor into the 5k final, so we were spared several minutes of Munson discussion.
Dude, as Alicia herself has confirmed, it IS pronounced mun-son. Sometimes the “mon” sound makes a “mun” sound, as in the word “Monday.” Congrats on the super timely Kingpin reference, though. In a few years you should look out for a cutting-edge comedy called Anchorman; you’ll love it.
Let stay with the delay - is this a demand from some countries (it's a global event after all) so that they can put the finger on a red button in case of political protests or even terrorist acts within the stadium? There was a bunch of climate protesters making it out on the tracks in Stockholm earlier this year after all.
While we're all pointing out the failures of NBC, is anyone else mad at NBC cutting to ads during the track distance races? during the 10k, there were 3 ad breaks. Not play throughs where the screen would be split, nor banner ads, but full ad breaks. same story in the 5k. (and these are full, 5-8 ad breaks, that take up a few minutes each). Both distances are very strategic, and cutting to ads right when these races often heat up, like around 22-23 minutes in a 10k ruins the fun of watching. Fan's favorite athletes might make a move, or get dropped, and no-one would know, because we all have to watch ads. I would understand more if this meet was a USATF meet that no top pros are running in, but this is the the World Championships. it is disrespectful to the athletes who train year round for these races, and it's disrespectful to fans who are finding time in their day's to watch some of the most interesting races of the champs. NBC is ruining the experience for track's most dedicated fans. if they can show 45 minute halves of soccer games without ads, then they can show a 28 minute 10k or 13 minute 5k. (also, I agree that the overall broadcast quality has sucked the entire worlds).
Let stay with the delay - is this a demand from some countries (it's a global event after all) so that they can put the finger on a red button in case of political protests or even terrorist acts within the stadium? There was a bunch of climate protesters making it out on the tracks in Stockholm earlier this year after all.
1-3 seconds is not really enough time to respond to an event like that, and I think they might be broadcast an a delay for that reason already
And just have to say what bugged me more that all of this, was NBC deciding to skip the World Feed at the start of most races, and just use their camera to focus on the US athletes. over half of the races I had no idea who was in a heat or semi, and had to scramble once the race went off to figure out who was where.
NBC is so lame, don't they understand, introducing ALL of the athletes in a race, makes it more compelling and interesting to watch the race. Seems like common sense.
NBC also did this at the US champs, like we want to only see the favorite, and not give a sh%t about the rest of the athletes. Stupid ass producers that know little about the sport.
The broadcast is also way too American-centric. They discuss so much on the American athletes, they skip announcing the others in the race, sometimes some of the greatest athletes it there (see women’s 1500 where they spotlight McGee four way to long.
Also, it’s cringe when he announces feet and inches in the throws/jumps and not meters.
NBC picks up (buys it on the indie trading floor at the Twin Towers in Century City / L.A.) WC. It's not an NBC production. WC is by World Athletics Broadcasting Services, renamed to Olympic Broadcasting Services every 4 years. It's a volunteer TV sports artists group from the UK. They buy gear at yard sales, probate courts, pawn shops, and used electronics aficionado stores. That's why for example track camera man at the Budapest WC finish line has a 1970s vintage, massive gyroscopic vest with huge bulky batteries. They don't have any money for new gear.
Start Line camera: zooming in on the face so you can't see their name on their chest; keeping the camera on one runner the whole time and not showing other runners.
Finish Line camera: zooming in on the first three finishers and you can't see others finish. Critical in heats when runners are trying to qualify.
One more: a not-famous runner falls down on the track, almost tripping a famous runner, and the announcers only talk about the famous runner who nearly fell.
Here is what is going on in case someone at NBC reads this.
1) The audio in the stadium and live NBC video are synced up so that is not the issue.
2) The problem is Leigh Diffey is looking at a monitor in front of him to broadcast the race. This monitor is 2-5 seconds delayed. So everything he says is 2-5 seconds later than it should be.
They're in the stadium, so they can see what's happening in front of them. I work in television and saw this happen during the Tour de France where the announcers were slightly delayed from the video. Here is likely what's happening.
The announce team is in the stadium, but the production crew is back in Stamford likely working out of one of the control rooms from their studio (as opposed to sending a full production crew to Budapest). So for the announce team to see everything, the signal on their monitors has to travel from Budapest back to Stamford and out to Budapest again. Hard to sync all that without delaying the audio/video coming back from Budapest in which case everything would be out of sync.
The issue is more where their control room is, not what feed the announcers are. They're obviously looking at the track, not a monitor, so that's not the reason they're out of sync. It's just the delay in getting their audio back from Budapest.
If it was feed is sent to Stamford and back and is 2-3 seconds delayed and Leigh is broadcasting on that feed, then Leigh would still be synced up with the feed. In this scenario anyone broadcasting off of the live action would be 2-3 seconds ahead of the video. So Ato, Sanya, and Kara would react to a fall before we see it on the screen as they are starting at live action on the track. But that's not what is happening. Ato and Sanya seem to be looking at the action on the track, Leigh broadcasting off of something 2-3 seconds behind.
Pretty sure it's just an issue of the instadium feeds being slow.
They're in the stadium, so they can see what's happening in front of them. I work in television and saw this happen during the Tour de France where the announcers were slightly delayed from the video. Here is likely what's happening.
The announce team is in the stadium, but the production crew is back in Stamford likely working out of one of the control rooms from their studio (as opposed to sending a full production crew to Budapest). So for the announce team to see everything, the signal on their monitors has to travel from Budapest back to Stamford and out to Budapest again. Hard to sync all that without delaying the audio/video coming back from Budapest in which case everything would be out of sync.
The issue is more where their control room is, not what feed the announcers are. They're obviously looking at the track, not a monitor, so that's not the reason they're out of sync. It's just the delay in getting their audio back from Budapest.
If it was feed is sent to Stamford and back and is 2-3 seconds delayed and Leigh is broadcasting on that feed, then Leigh would still be synced up with the feed. In this scenario anyone broadcasting off of the live action would be 2-3 seconds ahead of the video. So Ato, Sanya, and Kara would react to a fall before we see it on the screen as they are starting at live action on the track. But that's not what is happening. Ato and Sanya seem to be looking at the action on the track, Leigh broadcasting off of something 2-3 seconds behind.
Pretty sure it's just an issue of the instadium feeds being slow.
Major issues: Ato, Kara and Sanya. Why can’t they just talk normally. Why must they yell their talking points at me. Fake reactions, stupid quips, amateur hour.
First and foremost - Lewis Johnson needs to go. His harassment of athletes, especially those that didn't have a good day, was awful. There was no need for him to do anything other than ask them "what they will be fixing in time for Paris". Instead, he pushes them, embarrasses them, and looks like a jerk.