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CPL Europe

Thursday, 11 May 2000 -
The Virtual Spectator ? $comment_count ?>
With the emergence of large commercial Quake events comes the possibility of commercial coverage, and of Quake players being charged to enjoy "premium coverage" such as Qtv. Hoony takes a look at what we might expect in the next few years, including a comparison of the recent online America's Cup coverage:

Coverage of major LAN events is evolving into a cooperative enterprise involving a range of different technologies. We have seen NetGamesUSA who provide instant access to match tables, statistics, screenshots, and demos. We have Qtv, which provides live spectating to thousands through proxy servers in daisy-chains. We have Web Cams, which bring live images, and we have Shoutcast, which brings music and live audio commentary. We have IRC, which provides a massive "venue" for the "crowd" and a central location for official announcements. In addition, we have myriad "news sites" and "demos pages" which provide colourful commentary and information, such as interviews, stories, and match predictions.

What is often lacking with "coverage" of major events is a single location for all of these elements. It's very rare that they are all available at the same time. Currently, they are provided by independent services - no-one offers a "one-stop shop" service. There is nobody who can "produce" the show, who can orchestrate all of these elements into a smooth and seamless production. This entire territory is very much "up for grabs" at the present moment.

Read the full article here.