It appears to be the mantra for FIH president Batra in all of his endeavours: overpromising and underdelivering!
We’ve seen it with the HIL (or Hockey India League) which was an excellent occasion, to the credit score of Batra, nevertheless it didn’t final and has been cancelled after merely 5 seasons.
We’ve seen it along with his FIH Professional League. The place he promised serving to athletes reside and generate profits as full time professionals. Nonetheless we’ve seen most of worldwide gamers having to double their time invested with none rise in revenue up to now.
And it’s the identical for FIH.reside so it appears. The platform and app had been introduced throughout his FIH congress in November 2018 and launched in January of 2019.
As you possibly can learn in my column following the announcement of FIH.reside entitled “The proof of the pudding is within the consuming” I used to be enthusiastic although considerably sceptical from the beginning. At present we’re 6 months down the street and we’ve not seen any added worth from the brand new platform but. So I suppose I used to be proper in being sceptical, however possibly that’s simply me…
What FIH.reside was meant to be…
Watch the 20 minute video beneath the place FIH.reside is launched by Andy Oram, director broadcasting on the time for FIH:
Our athletes is why we’re right here
The very first aim acknowledged for the brand new FIH.reside platform was “Athletes first”. Creating superstars, permitting our high gamers to be the ambassadors for our sport… Have you ever seen something in direction of this in FIH.reside? I haven’t, however possibly that’s simply me…
Consolidate information
One other essential aim for the brand new software was to assist consolidate information about viewers and video games and all information that issues to both these in sports activities or these in advertising and marketing. Troublesome to evaluate if this promise has been met or is being met from the surface. I doubt it, however let’s give them the advantage of the doubt on this one…
Construct the group
FIH claims the brand new app would assist construct our group from the underside up. Serving to to attach gamers, coaches, associates and followers… Once more it might be they’re amassing helpful information on our hockey household by way of FIH.reside already however have we seen any worth from it to assist construct our group as followers, associates, coaches and gamers? I haven’t, however possibly that’s simply me…
Broadcasting app
FIH promised us a straightforward to make use of app for all of our smartphones. So inside 5 minutes from downloading the app we’d be streaming our native membership video games on the platform, sharing our hockey with the world. The app nevertheless is nowhere to be discovered even 6 months after launch. Nicely, I couldn’t discover it, however possibly that’s simply me…
Automated video evaluation and AI capabilities
FIH boasted AI and automatic video tagging of their presentation. Let’s say we imagine the AI choices proven had been simply there to have the ability to use this buzz phrase. To be able to come of as ahead considering and we should always not naively conclude from this it could be prepared to make use of already. Nonetheless the automated video evaluation was offered as a software prepared to make use of as of the launch. Have you ever discovered it? I haven’t, however possibly that’s simply me…
Archives
FIH boasted to have 26.000 hours of video archive from video games of the previous. These had been to be uploaded earlier than launch for our enjoyment but in addition for AI guided comparisons between for instance video games within the seventies and modern-day hockey… Have you ever seen it? I haven’t, however possibly that’s simply me…
Social
The app and platform would assist us promote the sport on all social media. First for the athletes… FIH claims they might ship clips from memorable moments mechanically to the concerned athletes to share this content material on their social media and make some noise for the betterment of our sport.
Secondly for followers. Fan engagement can be triggered with reside chat choices throughout reside video games and every kind of potentialities to share what you thought was price sharing by way of your channels. Have you ever been capable of do it? I haven’t, however possibly that’s simply me…
Customized person interfaces
Followers dwelling in for instance Australia wouldn’t be bothered by irrelevant content material from elsewhere and would have all Australian hockey entrance and heart of their person interface. Native video games and competitions and their very own nationwide staff efforts from all around the world. Did you get this tailor-made, personalised and related display screen? I haven’t, however possibly that’s simply me…
Geoblocking and the broadcasting companions
Clearly the FIH remains to be reliant on revenue from their media companions, broadcasters primarily. Which means geoblocking sure content material is inevitable. I get that, that is smart even when I don’t prefer it, nor assume it ought to be mandatory. Nonetheless if FIH can’t handle higher offers with broadcasters the sport will nonetheless undergo from an outdated mannequin. At present there are nonetheless nations who’re geoblocked, even when video games are not proven reside by native broadcasters. As a result of for instance a few of these old school broadcasters declare exhibiting a sport inside 24 hours of it being performed is taken into account reside. Do you assume this is smart? I don’t, however possibly that’s simply me…
What has FIH.reside actually been up to now…
So, what have we seen from FIH.reside since its launch in January of 2019?
Frankly an outdated platform on the www with some classes of the newest large occasions the place we are able to watch video games in poor high quality. At greatest you get a 720 high quality as a substitute of normal HD which might be 1080. However for a lot of amongst us the streaming high quality typically is caught on 240 which is like being again within the early days of video on web.
Has it been an enchancment on what the common YouTube channel offers us with? No! It’s appears of a lesser high quality up to now… Not one of the introduced additional’s and interactive gimmicks are reside but. To this point FIH.reside has been an enormous disappointment for us followers from around the globe. FIH.reside appears like one more case of overpromising and underdelivering, typical for the Batra administration up to now.
We will solely hope FIH manages to show this round ASAP. If not, I worry it’s been cash down the drain and solely MyCujoo, the corporate behind this platform obtained a bit of bit higher of all of it. Their platform is able to it. I don’t doubt that. At present 2nd division Danish soccer golf equipment are already higher served in comparison with our international group of hockey with interactive timelines, highlights, stats and shareable content material.
Perhaps I’m impatient. In that case… sorry. I’m getting pissed off by all of this overpromising and underdelivering, however possibly that’s simply me… 😉
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