Seems like there's an opportunity here - how difficult would it be for a fan to video / stream the "all-22" from high angle (read nosebleed) seats? I've brought my Laptop and SLR into football and baseball games (Oakland), so they aren't that strict about allowing media/comms equipment in.
Amusingly, baseball broadcasts would also benefit from a broader view.
Televised baseball consists almost entirely of views of the pitcher and the batter, and only turns somewhere else to show where the ball ended up or to focus on a runner who's doing something.
And that misses out on so much of the actual game. The standard view from center field, looking at the pitcher and the batter, can't show you an infield shift. It can't show you how deep the outfielders are playing. It can't show you players reacting to signs from managers and coaches. It can't show you anything except one tiny portion of what's actually happening on the field.
And so you can't really understand why things happen the way they do -- somebody hit a little bloop single into right field? Maybe it was poor defense that allowed it to happen, but maybe there was a shift on and the outfield was playing deep. You don't know, and won't see, any of that in a televised game.
Have you ever seen televised test match cricket?
The CG overlays (bowls short/long, the direction the batter has played each shot, the positions of the fielders) -- add a heap of info (that a TV can show better than being there in person)
I am pretty sure the NFL would shut down any distribution very quickly - not sure how much of an opportunity there is if it blatantly violates someone's IP rights. What I don't understand is why the NFL wouldn't use it to generate more revenue. Do they really think the criticism would be any worse than it is today with 24/7 sports talk and online message boards? Why not have the criticism be more grounded in reality?
I'm a pretty strong supporter of IP rights - but in this case I feel capturing the game that I'm watching falls into grey area - something akin to a bootleg of a concert.
I agree it's likely that a live stream would be shut down fairly quickly, particularly at scale, but I'm thinking a combination of after-the-fact + some intelligent post-processing might be useful/valuable.
Admittedly, the majority-value is in the real-time production, but, by providing after-the game all-22 videos, you might be able to fly somewhat under the radar.
I've never been asked to stop taking pictures with my (admittedly small) 70-200 lens - and it's usually perched atop a rail for the entire game - I could just as easily have been filming the entire game as snapping pictures.
Yeah, I think that's just an excuse they're using. Today's 24-hour media subjects athletes to extreme scrutiny. Any action results in intense criticism. If any athlete does something tabloid-worthy, people will know. Adding more "data", the All-22 footage, won't change the situation much. The owners probably have this irrational fear that this footage will let opposing teams gain greater insights into their teams strategies, and while the NFL might want to open this additional line of revenue, the owners might have their hands tied.
That would work for about 20 minutes until they find out your location and throw the book at you for broadcasting a copyrighted event.
You got an SLR in, but try "filming" a game with it - you'll be stopped in under 10 minutes, I promise you
Also, that isn't like the streaming sites where you can be at a desk in Sweden and re-broadcasting games fairly anonymously... they'd just walk up to your seat and escort you out.
Go try it and let us know how it works out. Nearly every professional sports team has policies against recording (even your own home videos) at the games. You'll promptly be asked to leave if you don't comply.
By your logic, If Fox has the superbowl, NBC could sit above an open stadium in a helicopter and broadcast the whole game - I don't think thats the case, but I don't have the laws to back it up.
His question is what law gives the NFL this right. You can't just claim "I own" this.
As far as I know I am allowed to record anything I want. Perhaps not with audio, but I am not aware of any law that gives someone the right to prevent video recording.
They have the right to kick you out (if they catch you), but not to prevent recording.
Don't be so quick to attribute saneness to IP protection laws. Don't they still do the whole "any rebroadcast, retransmission, or account of this game is prohibited" thing?
What about posting it after the fact? If you were to use a small enough camera (as technology advances, this will only get easier), it's very possible you could make it through a game without getting caught.
Sure, you could have a go-pro or something, but it wont be anywhere near what people will pay for. They want the full overhead view so they can track the plays & the movement of each player - you're still not getting that angle from the nosebleeds.
Regardless, its an awful lot of work which is a) still illegal (therefore risky) b) difficult to market and c) completely obsolete the second the NFL network starts a new TV/online network for it
Well, it's better than nothing. From what it said at the end of the article, it doesn't look like the NFL has any plans to start selling this information to fans any time soon.
The leagues would take you to court if you tried to openly sell that vision. There's a reason that they have the "expressed written consent" message tacked on to every broadcast.
