Television.ee one of the longest-standing partners is Estonian Drift Union NGO (EDL), which organises motorsport competitions in drifting. This is a highly competitive field and judges must make their decisions as quickly and objectively as possible to ensure that the competitions do not come to a standstill. However, sometimes it is difficult to make them, drivers may perform evenly and some mistakes may be missed in time. This in turn leads to football-like arguments about “did the ball cross the line?”. There are a number of ways to solve the problem, but the most common is instant video replays. The first works for television.ee for drifting competitions were primarily aimed at helping the judges. But the provision of replays became more and more important, one might say life-changing, significantly reducing the number of protests and speeding up the pace of the race. Later on, live semi-selective coverage of the track was added. This gives the riders' supporters peace of mind by allowing them to see things from the same angle as the judges in the judges' tower. There is no doubt that video replays will also improve the atmosphere of the race, making the mistakes of the competitors clear and giving everyone the opportunity to analyse the races afterwards.
“Television.ee is a service provider with a reasonable price and fast adaptability. They can handle the conditions on-site, even if the sun is unexpectedly replaced by hail. So far, everything has gone smoothly or any problems that arise are quickly resolved. The team is resourceful, quickly coming up with new solutions and possibilities.”
Drift competitions are held on both purpose-built tracks and on closed-off venues or streets for a specific event. This challenges every broadcast producer – track construction primarily focuses on the drivers, often neglecting to create the necessary communications across the track. Furthermore, organisers alter the track at every competition or even during one, which provides an opportunity to test various technical solutions, from wired technology to fast drones.
As a bonus, the television.ee team has helped to brainstorm how to find additional sources of income for the client or reduce costs using various solutions, so that organising competitions would be an affordable task. We look forward to the start of the 2020 season to test a new type of approach.“
While pay-per-view broadcasts of track events have been functioning for years, the new television.ee platform and the global virus outbreak present an opportunity to trial a novel solution for Estonia, offering people the chance to watch paid drift competitions from their home screens. High-quality content creation requires a leap forward, conveying the atmosphere that is otherwise only experienced by those present. This includes what happens in the pit area, the teams operating at lightning speed due to time restrictions in the competition format, drama, and interviews with drivers, organisers, and also fans.
Initially originating from Japanese mountain roads, drifting has now become a serious motorsport worldwide, with event organisation and driving techniques keeping pace with its rapidly growing popularity. Estonia is about to begin its eleventh professional racing season. Estonian top drivers are now capable of competing with absolute world-class stars, having defeated champions from both the USA and Japan. The generation of drivers and supporters is changing, giving hope for further improvement and encouraging event organisers to experiment with different approaches. Estonians are now pioneers in using large jumps for drift cars, arguably being the builders of the most insane tracks, consequently garnering millions of views for their video clips.
Photos: Karola Koopuu
