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Background
People have been kicking around the idea of StarCraft2 on TV for a while now. Just today, iNcontroL posted a huge blog that included the desire of ESPN showing SC2. The idea of having StarCraft broadcasts available to watch on a TV without connecting a computer somehow is really appealing. Far more people are likely to be interested in watching SC casually if they can simply put it on the TV and chill on the couch. It's also much easier to share in a large group setting, like BarCraft, if you don't need to set up any additional equipment.
However, there are huge downsides. Not with the technology, but with the networks. StarCraft isn't well suited to regular commercial breaks, nor is there a good average match length (very high standard deviation). Additionally, especially in English, ratings and financial potential for SC on TV are unproven.
So our situation is simple: SC on TV would be wonderful for the viewer, likely great for the broadcaster, but not worth the effort from the network. However, the desire is not really for StarCraft on a cable channel, but removing the necessity of the computer from our SC viewing experience. We want a stable broadcast with little to no setup.
The Solution
Technology is making this dream possible. Now, almost every home theater component (be it the television, dvd player, or game console) is internet enabled. A growing market of applications are taking advantage of these devices, but one in particular is dominating the market: Netflix.
Netflix is moving more and more into streaming their content, and have worked hard to make sure that as many media as possible are Netflix-enabled. they have been very successful in doing so, and it is now difficult to find any internet device that doesn't have a free Netflix app available for it.
Netflix is perfect for ESPORTS. They have the servers and bandwidth to support a staggering constant demand (they are the only streamer in the USA that gets more traffic than MLG on a tournament weekend, which is just a regular weekend for Netflix). Netflix is aggressively pursuing additional content (now producing their own original shows), and is trying to find enough market to support the replacement/loss of their DVD service (see the Flixster debacle and their new pricing plans).
What might StarCraft look lik on Netflix? Each tournament could be listed like a TV show, each event or day listed as an episode, every broadcast match as an episode. Stream resolution, as with all Netflix content, would be automatically adjusted to match download capacity. While Netflix has not yet done live broadcasts, they have all the infrastructure and technological capabilities to support it.
Why would Netflix do this? Their broadcast would only be available to subscribers, likely strengthening and expanding their consumer base by offering a wider range of content. The cost and effort of production remains with the tournaments, all Netflix has to do is distribute, which is what they already do.
Why would a tournament do this? Access to a huge base of casual viewers. Ease of access is the key to getting casual fans, and Netflix is hugely more accessible than current streams. Everything the tournament does is more valuable when more people watch, the financial benefits are clear. What's more, the broadcast should require no more production or staff efforts (at least during the event) to upload to an additional service.
Last weekend, MLG took a huge step in this direction by broadcasting on YouTube. As a fan, it was awesome to see the banner and broadcast on YouTube, but I was discouraged by four things:
1 - YouTube is basically computer only (has far fewer platforms available to it than Netflix)
2 - The broadcast was unavailable internationally
3 - Resolution was capped at 480p
4 - YouTube videos can only make money through advertisement (no subscription features)
I think a partnership with Netflix would be vastly more successful, and I hope to see tournaments like MLG work on it.
Summary
Netflix can provide StarCraft 2 with the platform it needs to access TVs without needing to go through the restrictive demands on format and commercialization that networks demand.
What do you, lovely TL-ers, think?
 
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Why not take the more than successful experiences of Broodwar on korean TV as a foundation for this?
Is the Korean TV format too different from American/European TV so that taking MBC as example is not feasible?
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On November 23 2011 06:29 Wren wrote:
While Netflix has not yet done live broadcasts, they have all the infrastructure and technological capabilities to support it.
Starcraft is a dish best served live.
Oh and your main premise is getting away from the networks. That's not going to work. Netflix only airs "less popular" shows because of arrangements with the networks that carry those and the prestigious ones that everyone wants to watch. A "package deal" so to speak. An untested concept like Starcraft would only be accepted as such. So ESPN or whatever would be needed regardless. Still, that might be the future though if Netflix decides to pick up live shows and starts signing deals with Sports networks.
All a bit too theoretic to be deemed the definitive future of esports viewing though.
By the way, most new TV's ship with YouTube support and my personal take on the situation is that Netflix will be a a short lived concept once livestreaming is fully developed.
A future without networks? No. A future with networks but also more "underground" content: livestreaming.
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On November 23 2011 06:51 fabiano wrote:
Is the Korean TV format too different from American/European TV so that taking MBC as example is not feasible?
Are you being intentionally ironic? MBCGame is shutting down.
OGN is an awesome network, but I don't see any American channels being willing to take on the irregular format of full matches. While a highlight show could fit, it would likely sacrifice most of the game flow and building excitement that make live broadcasts so appealing.
I believe that only full-format matches are appealing enough to draw significant casual viewership, which is a very hard sell on traditional TV.
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On November 23 2011 06:58 Thrill wrote:
Netflix only airs "less popular" shows because of arrangements with the networks that carry those and the prestigious ones that everyone wants to watch.
Netflix has access to DVD material, which is owned by the studios. The reason it's all-or-nothing is because the studio chooses to only sell all or nothing. If MLG works out a deal with Netflix, it doesn't have other content to attempt to package.
If that is an investment worth making is up to Netflix, but I believe that a cost/benefit analysis would prove it a good financial decision.
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On November 23 2011 07:01 Wren wrote:
Are you being intentionally ironic? MBCGame is shutting down.
dude wtf..................
Of course I know that its shutting down, but do you think MBC was not successful during its BW days and all its experience is not worth to take in consideration?
Personally I think Starcraft 2 is not appealing to the casual foreign viewers like Broodwar ever was with korean viewers, I doubt we will see it succeed on TV any time soon.
So many girls cheering for Bisu, uncountable guys cheering for Stork, all those girls and guys turned into little girls cheering for Reach manliness, this is something that, to my eyes, can only happen in Korea and with Broodwar.
But all that I suggested was that TVs should take the experiences, both successful and unsuccessful, of Korean channels into consideration.
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As a person who almost never watches live nor cares really if its live or not. The TV networks could easily edit a bunch of matches to fit in some specific time order to allow for commercials and what not at regular intervals. The only potential problems is casters spoiling or referring to things that didn't happen chronologically.
Another possibility is to just run a split screen where ads will be played during downtown moments.
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On November 23 2011 07:17 fabiano wrote:Show nested quote +On November 23 2011 07:01 Wren wrote:
Are you being intentionally ironic? MBCGame is shutting down.
dude wtf.................. Of course I know that its shutting down, but do you think MBC was not successful during its BW days and all its experience is not worth to take in consideration? Personally I think Starcraft 2 is not appealing to the casual foreign viewers like Broodwar ever was with korean viewers, I doubt we will see it succeed on TV any time soon. So many girls cheering for Bisu, uncountable guys cheering for Stork, all those girls and guys turned into little girls cheering for Reach manliness, this is something that, to my eyes, can only happen in Korea and with Broodwar. But all that I suggested was that TVs should take the experiences, both successful and unsuccessful, of Korean channels into consideration.
Just as we can learn from MBCGame and OGN, we have to understand that there are significant format issues to take into account when talking about Western TV.
If SC2 is not going to get the major viewership, then that's all the more reason to replace the large fixed costs of a television broadcast with the manageable marginal cost model of a streaming service. Yet if the scene wants the convenience of watching on non-computer devices, we need to tap into the existing content delivery systems.
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On November 23 2011 07:21 SpoR wrote:
As a person who almost never watches live nor cares really if its live or not. The TV networks could easily edit a bunch of matches to fit in some specific time order to allow for commercials and what not at regular intervals. The only potential problems is casters spoiling or referring to things that didn't happen chronologically.
Another possibility is to just run a split screen where ads will be played during downtown moments.
this. its what they do with racing don't see why they cant do it here
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