DoomsVille Profile Joined August 2010 Canada 4829 Posts Last Edited: 2011-10-24 22:12:41 #1 ***Polls added below.***



*Before you read this, I just want to point out one thing. You may think SC2 is doing just fine online (and it really is). But being on television can't hurt us. Even if it is a colossal failure, it won't destroy the online community. But if it is done right, the potential for growth is enormous. SC2 on television means millions of dollars being pumped into this industry. If we have to "sell out" to succeed on television, it is worth it.



I should also add, yes I went to an extreme with some of this. I don't actually think Artosis being on TV would hurt the show. I just don't think he is the best person for it. Some of the writing below is exaggerated.*







With all this talk about Starcraft 2 on ESPN, I decided to write up a little piece about what I think needs to happen in order to make this a success. Before we begin, I want to make one thing clear: the entire purpose of hitting television is for the mainstream audience. The broadcasters should not be catering to the avid Starcraft/e-sports fan. They need to do whatever they can to get everyone else to watch. If that means our experience suffers, so be it. If you (anyone reading this article) don’t watch Starcraft when it’s on TV, you are actually hurting e-sports. They don’t need to consider our needs. The rest of this article will be based on this premise. A lot of what I say you won't agree with. Some of it is controversial and some of us may hate the show it portrays. This is just what I think needs to be done to hit the right audience.



We need to consider what audience the show needs to try and capture. We don’t want to appeal to everyone. We want to appeal to a very specific subsection of the population. For e-sports, the obvious one is the 18-24 demographic. The college kids that need something to do on a Saturday afternoon. The frat boys that need something to watch while having a beer. You want to hit this demographic hard. This is the demographic that has made Poker, UFC and WWE wildly successful. Anyone else you attract is gravy.



With all this talk about Starcraft 2 on ESPN, I decided to write up a little piece about what I think needs to happen in order to make this a success. Before we begin, I want to make one thing clear: the entire purpose of hitting television is for the mainstream audience. The broadcasters should not be catering to the avid Starcraft/e-sports fan. They need to do whatever they can to get everyone else to watch. If that means our experience suffers, so be it. If you (anyone reading this article) don’t watch Starcraft when it’s on TV, you are actually hurting e-sports. They don’t need to consider our needs. The rest of this article will be based on this premise. A lot of what I say you won't agree with. Some of it is controversial and some of us may hate the show it portrays. This is just what I think needs to be done to hit the right audience.We need to consider what audience the show needs to try and capture. We don’t want to appeal to everyone. We want to appeal to a very specific subsection of the population. For e-sports, the obvious one is the 18-24 demographic. The college kids that need something to do on a Saturday afternoon. The frat boys that need something to watch while having a beer. You want to hit this demographic hard. This is the demographic that has made Poker, UFC and WWE wildly successful. Anyone else you attract is gravy. Challenges to Mainstream



Commercial Breaks

The biggest problem is Starcraft 2 games aren’t a format that fits well with television. Games can be anywhere from five minutes to an hour. It makes scheduling commercial breaks next to impossible. I’ve spent a bit of time thinking about this and do have a solution. But I have no idea whether it is realistically possible to implement.



Let’s suppose a game is being played. 15 minutes in, the game looks like it won’t end any time soon. Both player are macroing and have no intention to get aggressive. You need to go to commercials but you don’t want to miss anything? Simple solution: go to commercials while the game continues. When the commercials end, resume where the cast left off. In other words, you’re not live anymore. The casters simply have to say "We'll be right back after this commercial break" pause for a few seconds and say "And we're back" and pretend nothing happened. You’re broadcasting something that happened a few minutes ago. It doesn’t interrupt the games and casters. It still lets you get your commercial breaks while running the games more or less live. When the game ends (in real life), the casters/players simply need to wait until it ends and the broadcast can go live again. In those few minutes, you can prepare instant replays, post-game analysis, make sure the next players are ready… whatever. It makes everything just a tad bit easier when you do this.



The biggest problem is Starcraft 2 games aren’t a format that fits well with television. Games can be anywhere from five minutes to an hour. It makes scheduling commercial breaks next to impossible. I’ve spent a bit of time thinking about this and do have a solution. But I have no idea whether it is realistically possible to implement.Let’s suppose a game is being played. 15 minutes in, the game looks like it won’t end any time soon. Both player are macroing and have no intention to get aggressive. You need to go to commercials but you don’t want to miss anything? Simple solution: go to commercials while the game continues. When the commercials end, resume where the cast left off. In other words, you’re not live anymore. The casters simply have to say "We'll be right back after this commercial break" pause for a few seconds and say "And we're back" and pretend nothing happened. You’re broadcasting something that happened a few minutes ago. It doesn’t interrupt the games and casters. It still lets you get your commercial breaks while running the games more or less live. When the game ends (in real life), the casters/players simply need to wait until it ends and the broadcast can go live again. In those few minutes, you can prepare instant replays, post-game analysis, make sure the next players are ready… whatever. It makes everything just a tad bit easier when you do this. Legitimizing the Sport

To attract a mainstream audience, you need to ensure a few things.



The broadcast needs to be noob friendly. Cut the analysis out during the game. The casters should be explaining the absolute basics and building hype with play-by-play analysis. Doing anything else is detrimental. You're making a show for people that have never seen SC2 before.



This is a sport. We want it perceived as one. In any sport, you see humans pushing limits. Starcraft is no different. Viewers need to see this:













That is impressive. And that’s the sort of thing you can’t convey without actually showing someones keyboard on screen. Grubby has it right:







This is exactly what we need to see on screen. We need to see the concentration in his eyes. We need to see the speed of his hands. You show that LosirA video to anyone and they are impressed.



I gotta hand it to IPL3. They actually did have most of this. I actually really enjoyed the clicking noises from player keyboards. But what were they missing? This:



To attract a mainstream audience, you need to ensure a few things.The broadcast needs to be noob friendly. Cut the analysis out during the game. The casters should be explaining the absolute basics and building hype with play-by-play analysis. Doing anything else is detrimental. You're making a show for people that have never seen SC2 before.This is a sport. We want it perceived as one. In any sport, you see humans pushing limits. Starcraft is no different. Viewers need to see this:That is impressive. And that’s the sort of thing you can’t convey without actually showing someones keyboard on screen. Grubby has it right:This is exactly what we need to see on screen. We need to see the concentration in his eyes. We need to see the speed of his hands. You show that LosirA video to anyone and they are impressed.I gotta hand it to IPL3. They actually did have most of this. I actually really enjoyed the clicking noises from player keyboards. But what were they missing? This: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbGPNdrRjxU



Ok, fine, I know, we won’t ever get that. But we could get this:







Hearing “Huk! Huk! Huk!” during MLG last night gave me nerdchills. A couple of months ago I would have thought it was impossible to get people to come out for this. But after seeing this video, it certainly shouldn’t be hard to fill an audience:



Ok, fine, I know, we won’t ever get that. But we could get this:Hearing “Huk! Huk! Huk!” during MLG last night gave me nerdchills. A couple of months ago I would have thought it was impossible to get people to come out for this. But after seeing this video, it certainly shouldn’t be hard to fill an audience: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs0XtStMSyQ&feature=share



We need a huge crowd for any televised match. Hell, make it free to guarantee an audience and then charge up the ass for food/drinks (like a movie theatre). Just make sure there is a roaring crowd. IPL3 felt a little lackluster because they were missing this. We also need the right people in charge of the show.





We need a huge crowd for any televised match. Hell, make it free to guarantee an audience and then charge up the ass for food/drinks (like a movie theatre). Just make sure there is a roaring crowd. IPL3 felt a little lackluster because they were missing this. We also need the right people in charge of the show. Personalities

So who needs to be involved in this show? Well if you watch any “sports” that appeal to this demographic, you’ll notice there is always a female host. At UFC it’s the girls walking around the ring with the round numbers. In poker it is Shana Hiatt. These sorts of sports need a female ambassador. For SC2, that is obviously Anna Prosser. She needs to be involved to show the world this isn’t just a sport for nerdy basement dwellers. I mean, if a professional Starcraft player could date her, why can’t you? Women being heavily invested in e-sports are essential. So which Anna should show up? Not this one:







Way too classy. That’s not what we are trying to portray. She needs to be the ultimate girl next door; someone professional yet down to earth. Maybe even borderline slutty. But definitely not dressed up in an evening gown. That’s not the casual, fun, relaxed environment we want to portray. The other important decision is casters.







Not this guy. Sorry. I love Artosis. He is the definition of a nerd baller. I could listen to him talk about random shit all day. But not him. We don’t want to be perceived as mega nerds. We want the audience (again, primarily random college kids) to be able to relate to the personalities. Artosis just doesn’t fit that mold.







One of these two has to be there. So what are the advantages of each? Day[9] is ridiculously noob friendly. He can explain a SC2 concept to anyone. And SC2 on TV (at least at the beginning) needs to be absurdly noob friendly. It needs to be almost repulsive to the diehard SC2 fans. Throw analysis out the window (sorry Artosis). We need everyone to understand what’s going on. The biggest problem with day[9] is that he is a bit of a nerd. He isn’t the ultimate bro.







This guy is. Doesn’t it seem like he fits the frat boy mold perfectly? In my opinion, the best casters would be day[9] + tasteless. But if that can’t happen, then I’d rather see Tasteless there than day[9]. Tasteless is extremely knowledgeable about this game. He knows enough to explain what’s happening to the casual observer and provide thoughtful analysis.



Can we fit Artosis back in? Absolutely. In any sport, you have short breaks in between games. That’s where Artosis pops back in. These breaks typically involve in-depth analysis on what happened in the previous game. Artosis needs to pop in between games and discuss the specifics in terms of strategy. He needs to be seen as the ultimate expert on the subject. But he shouldn’t be the face of e-sports.



That just leaves the players. As much as some of you may hate him, this guy needs to be involved:







You may hate him, but it’s because you’re jelly. A powerlifting, professional Starcraft 2 player with a beauty pageant girlfriend that gets to travel all over the world? Hell yea I’m jelly. He’s living the dream we’ve all dreamt at some point.



Finally, the last element we need is rivalries. We need to get to know the players. We need to hate some of them (Lebron) and love others (Nash, Dwight). This can be done through in-depth player interviews. NASL had it right when they tried to force rivalries. Except that doesn’t work on a Starcraft community that only cares about the matches. We don’t care about rivalries (as much). But a casual, mainstream viewer certainly does.



So who needs to be involved in this show? Well if you watch any “sports” that appeal to this demographic, you’ll notice there is always a female host. At UFC it’s the girls walking around the ring with the round numbers. In poker it is Shana Hiatt. These sorts of sports need a female ambassador. For SC2, that is obviously Anna Prosser. She needs to be involved to show the world this isn’t just a sport for nerdy basement dwellers. I mean, if a professional Starcraft player could date her, why can’t you? Women being heavily invested in e-sports are essential. So which Anna should show up? Not this one:Way too classy. That’s not what we are trying to portray. She needs to be the ultimate girl next door; someone professional yet down to earth. Maybe even borderline slutty. But definitely not dressed up in an evening gown. That’s not the casual, fun, relaxed environment we want to portray. The other important decision is casters.Not this guy. Sorry. I love Artosis. He is the definition of a nerd baller. I could listen to him talk about random shit all day. But not him. We don’t want to be perceived as mega nerds. We want the audience (again, primarily random college kids) to be able to relate to the personalities. Artosis just doesn’t fit that mold.One of these two has to be there. So what are the advantages of each? Day[9] is ridiculously noob friendly. He can explain a SC2 concept to anyone. And SC2 on TV (at least at the beginning) needs to be absurdly noob friendly. It needs to be almost repulsive to the diehard SC2 fans. Throw analysis out the window (sorry Artosis). We need everyone to understand what’s going on. The biggest problem with day[9] is that he is a bit of a nerd. He isn’t the ultimate bro.This guy is. Doesn’t it seem like he fits the frat boy mold perfectly? In my opinion, the best casters would be day[9] + tasteless. But if that can’t happen, then I’d rather see Tasteless there than day[9]. Tasteless is extremely knowledgeable about this game. He knows enough to explain what’s happening to the casual observer and provide thoughtful analysis.Can we fit Artosis back in? Absolutely. In any sport, you have short breaks in between games. That’s where Artosis pops back in. These breaks typically involve in-depth analysis on what happened in the previous game. Artosis needs to pop in between games and discuss the specifics in terms of strategy. He needs to be seen as the ultimate expert on the subject. But he shouldn’t be the face of e-sports.That just leaves the players. As much as some of you may hate him, this guy needs to be involved:You may hate him, but it’s because you’re jelly. A powerlifting, professional Starcraft 2 player with a beauty pageant girlfriend that gets to travel all over the world? Hell yea I’m jelly. He’s living the dream we’ve all dreamt at some point.Finally, the last element we need is rivalries. We need to get to know the players. We need to hate some of them (Lebron) and love others (Nash, Dwight). This can be done through in-depth player interviews. NASL had it right when they tried to force rivalries. Except that doesn’t work on a Starcraft community that only cares about the matches. We don’t care about rivalries (as much). But a casual, mainstream viewer certainly does. Format of Programs/Scheduling

So what tournament format suits television the most? Personally, I think it is a winner’s league team league. 1v1 matches are boring because you can’t hit those epic rivalries. You don’t get as much trash talk like you do in the GSTL. You don’t get the sense of team spirit and camaraderie. I mean 1v1 can work, I just think team formats are much easier to make work.



When should matches be broadcast? Saturday late-afternoons/early-evenings. Sunday to Thursday evenings you can’t compete with regular sports and primetime television. Friday and Saturday night all the college kids are out grabbing a drink. Sunday afternoons you’re competing with football (lol good luck). This leaves Saturday (and Sundays if football season is over). When I was in College, the only time I would have had free to get together with my buddies and watch Starcraft is on Saturdays/Sundays. Don’t have to study, don’t have anything else to watch, sitting around at wondering what to do… these days are perfect. The other option is really late at night (like overnight poker). But that would obviously just be rebroadcasts and not anything live.



So what tournament format suits television the most? Personally, I think it is a winner’s league team league. 1v1 matches are boring because you can’t hit those epic rivalries. You don’t get as much trash talk like you do in the GSTL. You don’t get the sense of team spirit and camaraderie. I mean 1v1 can work, I just think team formats are much easier to make work.When should matches be broadcast? Saturday late-afternoons/early-evenings. Sunday to Thursday evenings you can’t compete with regular sports and primetime television. Friday and Saturday night all the college kids are out grabbing a drink. Sunday afternoons you’re competing with football (lol good luck). This leaves Saturday (and Sundays if football season is over). When I was in College, the only time I would have had free to get together with my buddies and watch Starcraft is on Saturdays/Sundays. Don’t have to study, don’t have anything else to watch, sitting around at wondering what to do… these days are perfect. The other option is really late at night (like overnight poker). But that would obviously just be rebroadcasts and not anything live. TL;DR Summary

Appeal to the College crowd. Cater to their needs by making it noob friendly. Legitimize the sport with crowds and keyboard cameras. Make sure you have the right personalities to hit this audience. Schedule it based on the availability of your audience. Never forget your audience is 18-24 year olds that have free time in between drinking, class and regular sports. Personally I think there is a good chance this can succeed. I’d rather watch Starcraft 2 online but if putting it on TV will help it grow, so be it. Starcraft is extremely similar to Poker and Poker has obviously been a huge success. So if done right, there is no reason Starcraft shouldn’t be one. IPL3 was almost done right from a broadcasting standpoint. MLG was strong points as well. But small tweaks to both can make a show that is marketable to everyone.



Images shamelessly stolen from: Grubby's stream, Leah Jackson's Twitter, readmore.de, mymym, teamliquid.net and sk-gaming.com. If any of the aforementioned has a problem with me using their images, I will certainly remove them.





Poll: What you tune in if the above changes were made?



Yes, I love some of these changes. (22)

42%



No, I don't want to watch SC2 on TV... online is where it's at. (14)

26%



Yes, but only because I want it to succeed (E-sports!!) (9)

17%



Yes, I'm neutral about the changes. SC2 on TV! (6)

11%



Maybe, it depends on who is playing and what tournament is on (1)

2%



No, I hate the changes. Screw this bullshit. (1)

2%



53 total votes (22)42%(14)26%(9)17%(6)11%(1)2%(1)2%53 total votes Your vote: What you tune in if the above changes were made? (Vote): Yes, I love some of these changes.

(Vote): Yes, I'm neutral about the changes. SC2 on TV!

(Vote): Yes, but only because I want it to succeed (E-sports!!)

(Vote): Maybe, it depends on who is playing and what tournament is on

(Vote): No, I hate the changes. Screw this bullshit.

(Vote): No, I don't want to watch SC2 on TV... online is where it's at.





Poll: Which of the changes do you hate the most?



I'm perfectly fine with all the proposed changes. (18)

40%



Artosis is perfect as a caster. Don't need to have him just as an expert between games. (12)

27%



Noob friendly. I don't want this any more noob friendly than your typical cast. (11)

24%



Anna/female hosts aren't necessary. Don't need to have any sex appeal. (3)

7%



No need for a huge audience. A small studio like the GSL is fine. (1)

2%



Don't want to see player hands/webcams. (0)

0%



Anna isn't too classy. No need to change anything there. (0)

0%



45 total votes (18)40%(12)27%(11)24%(3)7%(1)2%(0)0%(0)0%45 total votes Your vote: Which of the changes do you hate the most? (Vote): Noob friendly. I don't want this any more noob friendly than your typical cast.

(Vote): Don't want to see player hands/webcams.

(Vote): No need for a huge audience. A small studio like the GSL is fine.

(Vote): Anna/female hosts aren't necessary. Don't need to have any sex appeal.

(Vote): Anna isn't too classy. No need to change anything there.

(Vote): Artosis is perfect as a caster. Don't need to have him just as an expert between games.

(Vote): I'm perfectly fine with all the proposed changes.





Appeal to the College crowd. Cater to their needs by making it noob friendly. Legitimize the sport with crowds and keyboard cameras. Make sure you have the right personalities to hit this audience. Schedule it based on the availability of your audience. Never forget your audience is 18-24 year olds that have free time in between drinking, class and regular sports. Personally I think there is a good chance this can succeed. I’d rather watch Starcraft 2 online but if putting it on TV will help it grow, so be it. Starcraft is extremely similar to Poker and Poker has obviously been a huge success. So if done right, there is no reason Starcraft shouldn’t be one. IPL3 was almost done right from a broadcasting standpoint. MLG was strong points as well. But small tweaks to both can make a show that is marketable to everyone. Responding to Criticism



Artosis

I never said Artosis shouldn't be involved. I simply said he shouldn't be a caster. If you read the entire post, you'd see I'm advocating Artosis being an expert of sorts. Someone that comes on between games to provide in-depth analysis on what happened in the previous game. Sort of like a half-time show where the commentators breakdown the game and go into the specifics. This adds a ton of production value as well (replays of previous action etc.). Why won't he be a good caster? Anyone that watches the GSL knows Artosis tends to go off on nerdy rants. He'll spend 5 minutes talking about some video game from the early 90s that the late 90s/2000s generation has no idea about. I love it (because I can relate to what he's saying). But most people can't. A mainstream audience can't. And so he just doesn't belong as a caster.



Target Audience

You HAVE to market for a mainstream audience. If we are putting Starcraft on television, marketing to the hardcore audience is pointless. The hardcore audience is already watching. Why the hell are we wasting time on TV? The point of going to TV is to attract a much larger/broader audience. You do that by catering to the audience you want to attract (mainstream < 24 audience).



Noob Friendly

You have to be noob friendly. Coincidentally, the perfect example came up last night. Joe Rogan does a podcast (and random shit). They happened to discuss Starcraft 2 last night (starts at the 41:20 mark for anyone that wants to watch). So immediately, as soon as one of the other members of the podcast started talking details about it, Joe Rogan completely lost interest. He didn't understand what he was talking about. And frankly, he didn't give a shit anymore. This is why you need to start noob friendly. You can progress to more in-depth shows as you start to collect the audience, but at the start it has to be noob friendly. I'm talking about noob friendly like Husky's casts were about a year ago. I don't mean just ignoring what's going on in game.



Here's the Joe Rogan podcast btw:



Sexualization

I get that some of you were offended by my desire to adding some sexuality to it (by saying Anna should be borderline slutty). I said borderline, not outright slutty. Keyword is borderline. I don't mean she should be dressed like a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. Also, you have to look at this from an American perspective. There is a huge difference between American and European television. Watch a soccer match. The only women you see are cheering in the audience. Watch american football/basketball/ufc. They have scantily dressed women dancing every time the sport pauses. I don't want that of course. But it should show you why I want to sexualize it just a bit. Again, I don't want Anna (or anyone) to go full on slutmode. I just want them to not be so classy and tone it down to what you'd see young women typically dress like nowadays.



TV is Dead

What? I don't understand the people saying this. You realize that literally millions of people watch Nascar (which is just watching cars crash). Even crap on ESPN2 attracts over 200k viewers. And that is solely in NA. Online starcraft attracts 100k worldwide for a good event. IPL3, NASL, TSL etc. only attract 50-70k. TV is nowhere near dead. Maybe 10-20 years from now online will eclipse TV. But for now, that is nowhere near the case. Yes I realize this is an unfair comparison. But ESPN2 still averages 200k for a 24 hour cycle. And TV ratings measure people watching commercials, not actually people watching the show (I think). There is also more money in TV views than there is in online views (more possible ad revenue). This quote may interest some of you:



I never said Artosis shouldn't be involved. I simply said he shouldn't be a caster. If you read the entire post, you'd see I'm advocating Artosis being an expert of sorts. Someone that comes on between games to provide in-depth analysis on what happened in the previous game. Sort of like a half-time show where the commentators breakdown the game and go into the specifics. This adds a ton of production value as well (replays of previous action etc.). Why won't he be a good caster? Anyone that watches the GSL knows Artosis tends to go off on nerdy rants. He'll spend 5 minutes talking about some video game from the early 90s that the late 90s/2000s generation has no idea about. I love it (because I can relate to what he's saying). But most people can't. A mainstream audience can't. And so he just doesn't belong as a caster.You HAVE to market for a mainstream audience. If we are putting Starcraft on television, marketing to the hardcore audience is pointless. The hardcore audience is already watching. Why the hell are we wasting time on TV? The point of going to TV is to attract a much larger/broader audience. You do that by catering to the audience you want to attract (mainstream < 24 audience).You have to be noob friendly. Coincidentally, the perfect example came up last night. Joe Rogan does a podcast (and random shit). They happened to discuss Starcraft 2 last night (starts at the 41:20 mark for anyone that wants to watch). So immediately, as soon as one of the other members of the podcast started talking details about it, Joe Rogan completely lost interest. He didn't understand what he was talking about. And frankly, he didn't give a shit anymore. This is why you need to start noob friendly. You can progress to more in-depth shows as you start to collect the audience, but at the start it has to be noob friendly. I'm talking about noob friendly like Husky's casts were about a year ago. I don't mean just ignoring what's going on in game.Here's the Joe Rogan podcast btw: http://vimeo.com/30715947 I get that some of you were offended by my desire to adding some sexuality to it (by saying Anna should be borderline slutty). I said borderline, not outright slutty. Keyword is borderline. I don't mean she should be dressed like a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. Also, you have to look at this from an American perspective. There is a huge difference between American and European television. Watch a soccer match. The only women you see are cheering in the audience. Watch american football/basketball/ufc. They have scantily dressed women dancing every time the sport pauses. I don't want that of course. But it should show you why I want to sexualize it just a bit. Again, I don't want Anna (or anyone) to go full on slutmode. I just want them to not be so classy and tone it down to what you'd see young women typically dress like nowadays.What? I don't understand the people saying this. You realize that literally millions of people watch Nascar (which is just watching cars crash). Even crap on ESPN2 attracts over 200k viewers. And that is solely in NA. Online starcraft attracts 100k worldwide for a good event. IPL3, NASL, TSL etc. only attract 50-70k. TV is nowhere near dead. Maybe 10-20 years from now online will eclipse TV. But for now, that is nowhere near the case. Yes I realize this is an unfair comparison. But ESPN2 still averages 200k for a 24 hour cycle. And TV ratings measure people watching commercials, not actually people watching the show (I think). There is also more money in TV views than there is in online views (more possible ad revenue). This quote may interest some of you: Although it feels like everyone in the U.S. is connected to the Internet and watches TV online, only about 2/3 of houses in the U.S. have broadband Internet access. And only 50-70 percent of households that have the Internet watch video online. And of the people who watch video online, most of them are watching short videos, not full TV episodes.

Source: Source: http://blastr.com/2011/01/the-truth-about-tv-ratings-online-viewing-and-sci-fi-shows.php