Improvements On Tap for SBI Key West Worlds Livestream

SBI will provide online Livestream coverage of its world championship races on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Photo courtesy Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

With the Super Boat International World Championships (Nov. 8-15) in Key West, Fla., a little less than two weeks away, the offshore racing producer is working to improve its online Livestream coverage. SBI has streamed all its races live this season, and while there have been challenges, the organization is working diligently to make the Key West Worlds Livestream “the best of season,” according to Rodrick Cox, who handles SBI’s media/public relations.

“I would say we are very fortunate to be working with JM Associates, which is producing the three one-hour shows on the Key West races that will air starting in January on NBC. We are getting a lot of help from them. We are going to add a couple of additional cameras on scissor lifts at the start-finish line to provide longer angles for our viewers—our goal is to have four or five cameras. We’ll also have some additional color commentary.

“We are going to try a couple of new things on the first day of racing, and see what works,” he added. “We’re hoping to improve the stream to provide a better fan experience.”

Cox explained that “buffering issues” some viewers experienced during the Livestream of the SBI National Championships in Clearwater, Fla., last month we created by downstream servers and not correctable by SBI. The issues were eventually resolved before the broadcast was completed.

“It was odd in that people who were watching on smart phones and tablets didn’t seem to have the buffering problem, whereas people on desktop and laptop computers did,” said Cox. “We don’t anticipate having that problem again.”

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