Cup broadcast battle begins

By Keith Newman

Even before the America's Cup challengers put the wind up each other in October, a battle is brewing.

The fight is over technology and it is pitting broadcasters against the Internet, and local software developers against international competition.

The players involved are sailing the uncharted waters of leading edge technology where the PC, Internet and even CD-ROM technology is cutting a swathe across what has previously been clear-cut broadcasting territory.

A new dimension to yachting's premier event will come from highly accurate global positioning systems that will send data via satellite from the boats to a high powered computers to create Web pages using 3D animation.

The technology has previously been seen only on television.

While the jury is still out on what technology will be employed by whom, the Internet still provides the great hope for a common view.

At present uncertainty exists as to whether there will be two `official' Web sites and what level of real-time Internet-based coverage broadcasting rights holders will tolerate.

Both the America's Cup Challenger Association (ACCA) and the AC2000 organisation have struck a deal to share the Louis Vuitton media centre and are hoping agreement can be reached on a single super Web site across the Challenger Series and America's Cup 2000.

The vision is very much alive despite last week's deal with US-based software developer Quokka to manage and control content on the America's Cup and AC2000 sites, which Telecom has the rights to.

The ACCA has not yet signed a developer to manage its official site but is hopeful of a common site across both events.

To that end, ACCA and AC2000 have been talking to Telecom, Quokka and Boston-based TWI Interactive, whose sister company TWI owns all the broadcast rights.

But a lot has to do with whether the development companies can work together. TWI interactive and Quokka had a falling out in December last year over production issues related to creating a joint site.

Both Quokka and TWI Interactive are bidding for the ACCA business.

Alan Sefton, executive director of AC2000, said everyone saw the logic of a single site.

He was hopeful TWI Interactive and Quokka could put aside their differences and go back to the original proposal of a common site first put forward last year.

Further complications may arise as both America's Cup and Challenger Series organisations weigh up the value of running live animated coverage of the racing via the Internet and how it might cut into broadcast rights.

"Broadcast rights holders are not too happy having a Web site which is out there for the world to see and could be aired before delayed or live television broadcasts.

"They're paying good money for those territorial rights and the Web does not respect territorial rights," said ACCA president Dyer Jones.

While keen on a single Web site, Mr Jones said such a deal would have to work to everyone's advantage. While the technology was there, Mr Sefton did not believe there was powerful enough hardware in common use to produce much more than rudimentary graphics.

However, newly formed Virtual Spectator has come up with a hybrid technology with graphics on the CD-ROM reducing the amount of data having to be moved to for accurate, quality animation.

He said AC2000 was now awaiting details of a plan to use that technology so international media could watch the race in real time on their computers.

Virtual Spectator, a partnership between Auckland new-media house Terabyte and Dunedin's Animation Research, will provide technology services, including Internet support, virtual reality production and video walls to the Louis Vuitton media centre during the Challenger Cup races.

Directors Craig Meek and Ian Taylor last week claimed that an opportunity to showcase New Zealand technology had been lost though Telecom's deal with Quokka.