What: SMT, the leading provider of data integration,
graphics presentation and video enhancement solutions to live sports and
entertainment television, has partnered with the 2014 Amgen Tour of California
to deliver real-time broadcast graphics to NBC Sports and international
broadcasters during live coverage of every stage of the eight-day cycling
event.
Considered America’s largest and most prestigious cycling
contest, the 2014 Amgen Tour of California will be its ninth edition. More than
100 cyclists from across the globe will participate in the annual event.
SMT’s ISO Track® System, which allows broadcasters to track
riders with an on-screen pointer feature and to interface names, rankings and
headshots, allows viewers to easily follow the cyclists in the tightly packed
peloton.
SMT’s live race crawl, or ticker, will provide a wide range
of information and statistics, including live data tracking and the position of
the leaders, peloton and other groups during each stage. The crawl will also
showcase stage winners, the standings of top American cyclists and other
notable riders, and jersey standings.
Other graphic features from SMT include lower-thirds with riders’
names, headshots, team logos and other race statistics; leaderboard graphics;
race stage profiles showing the layout of the current stage and the progression
of the riders; a production telestrator;
a social media display aggregated and parsed through SMT’s DMX® Social
Media Publisher; and onscreen clocks and time trial graphics.
SMT will debut a new enhancement during the time trial stage
on the competition’s second day in Folsom, Calif. Each rider’s time displayed
on screen will be 100 percent accurate down to a tenth of a second thanks to
SMT interfacing with the race’s official timing system.
When: Sunday, May 11 through Sunday, May 18. NBC Sports live
coverage includes Stages 1-6 Live at 2-4 p.m. PT (5-7 p.m. ET), Stage 7 Live at
1:30-3:30 p.m. PT (4:30-6:30 p.m. ET), Stage 8 Live at 10-12 a.m. PT (1-3 p.m.
ET), with rebroadcasts later each day
Where: From Sacramento to Thousand Oaks, Calif., in eight
days (1,156 kilometers/700-plus miles), including Folsom (first time host city
– individual time trials), San Jose, Mount Diablo State Park, Monterey, Cambria
(first time host city), Pismo Beach (first time host city), Santa Barbara,
Santa Clarita, Mountain High (first time host city) and Pasadena.
Quote: Joel Felicio, cycling producer, NBC Sports Group:
“SMT will provide critical graphics – from start to finish – for this year’s
coverage of the Tour of California. Our operators will be able to identify any
rider at any data point, supplying a headshot and compelling stats about him
on-screen. We will also have the ability to calculate which rider would receive
the yellow jersey at any point in a stage, allowing the viewer to see who could
potentially take over the overall lead of the race.”
Ben Hayes, SMT account manager: “Our three-man team will set
up and install the system in advance, followed by two of our personnel serving
as primary workers during the event; one to monitor the race crawl and insert
leaderboard graphics, the other to operate the ISO Track® System. This race is
a massive effort covering hundreds of miles of varying terrain, with
information gathered by cameramen on motorcycles and helicopters, and we’re
proud to be part of this exciting competition.”