By: Karen Hogan
Few sports, if any, match the size and scope — and physical
strain — of the Tour de France. Covering a distance of more than 2,000 miles,
the Tour sends nearly 200 riders over nine flat stages, three hilly stages, and
seven mountain stages, including five arduous summits. Once again, NBC Sports
Group is in the thick of it, broadcasting cycling’s most prestigious and
grueling race for stateside fans.
From the Grand Départ in Utrecht, Netherlands, on Saturday
July 4 to the dramatic conclusion in Paris on Sunday July 26, NBC Sports is
presenting live and primetime coverage of all 21 stages on NBC, NBC Sports
Network, and the NBC Sports Tour de France Live mobile app.
“It’s one of those things where, unless you’re actually out
here, you can’t believe what’s happening,” says David Michaels, Tour de France
producer, NBC Sports. “I can’t think of another event anywhere in the world
that comes close to the complexity and overall insanity of the Tour de France.”
The “insanity” of broadcasting an event like the Tour de
France lies in the logistics. Unlike with most major sports events, there is no
centralized broadcast center from which to run the show. NBC is deploying a
small fleet of mobile units provided by Paris-based Woods TV — including a
53-ft. production truck, separate edit truck with four Avid stations,
studio/office trailer, and two uplink trucks — that travels with more than 100
other broadcast trucks following the peloton as it snakes its way around
France.
Each day, the trucks park at the finish line of that day’s
stage, in an area designated as the technical zone. Once that day’s stage is
completed, the trucks pack up and drive more than 100 miles to the next finish
line.
“And then, [the challenge] is parking all these trucks,”
says Michaels. “The way they’re parked is kind of like loading a giant ferry
every day. You’ve got a [hundred-plus] trucks that are all loaded into the
technical zone, and those guys hook up all the power, hook up all the Internet,
hook up all the cables, and we’re ready to go by 8:00 the next morning.”
France Télévisions and Eurosport France provide both a host
feed and individual camera feeds for rightsholders that want to cut their own
shows. NBC Sports cuts its show using those individual camera feeds, which
include five motorcycle and two helicopter shots, and supplementing them with
four handheld cameras (including one stationed at the finish line), three ENG
packages, a specialty RED camera, and a smattering of robotic and GoPro
cameras. In addition, NBC is using three cameras for its studio shows. “It’s
quite a crazy operation,” says Michaels. “There’s never any time to breathe.”
For the first time, NBC Sports’ coverage will indicate
real-time speeds of both the leaders and the peloton in an on-screen ticker
provided by SMT, and show feeds from cameras mounted to cyclists’ bicycles. NBC
Sports tested the “on-board” cameras at last year’s Tour de France and last
May’s Tour of California.
NBCSN is also working with SMT on several production
enhancements, including a pointer feature that identifies and focuses on one
rider in the peloton. The network also offers exclusive, in-depth profiles and
features on teams and riders, as well as onscreen predicted times for cyclists.
While NBC Sports’ Tour de France broadcast is produced
onsite, the network’s Stamford, CT, headquarters is responsible for shortening
the production for re-airs during the afternoon and in primetime.
“Those guys are working to maximize the best content,”
Michaels explains, “and then, for primetime, we usually send them a couple of
extra segments — what we always call ‘value-added TV’ — and then those guys
will edit that into the show as well.”
Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen call the race action for the
live shows with reporters Steve Schlanger, Jenna Corrado, and Steve Porino
(reporting from aboard a motorcycle on the course). Todd Harris hosts nightly
studio coverage alongside analyst Bob Roll and former professional cyclists and
analysts Christian Vande Velde and Jens Voigt.
Digital Coverage
NBC Sports’ extensive digital coverage includes two
premium-subscription products, one for desktops and one for mobile devices and
tablets.
On NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Tour de France Live for
desktops offers live streaming video with a multi-camera option of every stage
online in Full HD, with the ability to pause, rewind, and slo-mo the video.
While watching live coverage, viewers also have access to a live GPS tracking
map to follow the cyclists’ progress and to see an enhanced interactive map for
each stage.
Fans can also purchase the NBC Sports Tour de France Live
mobile and tablet app, available for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. All
features of the desktop online experience are mirrored in the mobile app,
including live video of every stage.
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