DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SMT (SportsMEDIA Technology Corporation), the award winning and leading provider of data integration, graphics presentation, and video enhancement solutions to live sports television, today announced it will supply the NBC Sports Group with a host of SMT products to support their broadcast of the Triple Crown on NBC Sports and VERSUS. The NBC Sports Group will broadcast all three legs of the upcoming Triple Crown races; the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes, unifying the races under one network for the first time since 2005. SMT’s technology will provide television viewers with new visual cues and real-time statistical information enhancing the entertainment value of the broadcast.
“You get one chance to get it right the first time,” said Gerard J. Hall, SMT founder and CEO. “This is especially true for the live television broadcast of “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports.” SMT is proud to have been selected by the NBC Sports Group to participate in their unprecedented coverage of the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby. What better showcase for SMT’s products than Churchill Downs and the Run for the Roses?”
The DMX Switchboard
SMT’s DMX Switchboard, the company’s signature customizable data integration product, has been custom engineered for the Triple Crown. The DMX Switchboard, the central hub of SMT’s overall technical solution, absorbs, collates and synchronizes multiple on-site live data feeds into a proprietary SMT Live Horse Racing database. The DMX Switchboard provides up to 16 separate channels for integrating live data and time-code synchronized data into a mix of on-air and off-air graphics displays both in real-time and replay modes. Additional SMT products plug into the DMX Switchboard to provide features and benefits tailored to three distinct phases of the NBC Sports Groups’ coverage – pre-race analysis, live race presentation, and post-race analysis.
Pre Race:
SMT’s Autograph Ticker accesses the DMX Switchboard to produce a continually updating on-air display of real-time odds and payouts for bets on each Derby horse from live data provided by United Tote, Churchill Downs’ in-house wagering system.
SMT’s Talent Interactive Prompter System (“TIPS”) gives the NBC Sports Group on-air announcers and producers access to SMT’s Live Horse Racing database via individually customized touch-screen displays. TIPS provides on-air talent with efficient behind-the- scenes access to live racing statistics and other real-time information on horses, trainers, and jockeys to promote relevant and effective storytelling.
Live Race Presentation:
SMT’s Live Leaderboard System will show the running order of the top six horses based on data received from Churchill Downs’ newly installed, real-time horse tracking system. This positional data, which updates 30 times per second for each horse, will be available for the first time at this year’s Kentucky Derby, giving SMT’s on-air graphic presentation unprecedented speed and accuracy.
SMT’s Track Map System will show the real-time position of the lead horse on a graphical representation of the track.
SMT’s SMART System will virtually insert “distance to the finish” indicators on the track surface at 200 yards, 100 yards, and 50 yards out. This shows viewers how much track real estate is left as the horses head to the finish line.
Post Race Analysis:
SMT’s ISO Track System allows the broadcaster to identify, point to, and visually track up to two horses simultaneously both live and in replay. Kentucky Derby fans watching from home will see a graphical arrow pointing to each tracked horse. In addition, live data associated with a tracked horse (e.g., speed, current standing in the field, and distance from the finish line or gate) can be displayed and will update on-air in real-time. The ISO Track system uses SMT’s proprietary time-code synchronization server to support live and replay modes. SMT’s ISO Track System, which has been used successfully for IRL auto racing and the Tour de France, will provide the NBC Sports Group with an unprecedented tool for graphically illustrating how the race was won –- or lost.
SMT’s Video Annotation System gives NBC Sports and VERSUS virtual telestration capability on race replays for highlighting the most important aspects of the race and to give viewers a deeper understanding of the in-race dynamics.
SMT’s CG Interface System provides comprehensive data integration and real-time information to three dedicated Chyron Duet machines on-site.
“NBC and VERSUS could not be more pleased to have SMT support our telecasts of the Triple Crown races,” said Fred Gaudelli, producer of NBC Sports’ coverage of the Triple Crown. “I’ve worked with Gerard and his team on my NFL telecasts for the past seven years including the last five on ‘Sunday Night Football.’ SMT brings to the table not only solid, reliable and cutting edge technology but also a deep understanding of the nuances of the needs of live television and live sports production. SMT is a great asset to our telecasts.”
“I am pleased that SMT’s products have been selected by the NBC Sports Group to support the most sophisticated on-air presentation of the Kentucky Derby in history,” said Hall.
The NBC Sports Group coverage of the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby reaches the starting gate on Saturday, May 7th from Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky with coverage starting at 11 a.m. ET on VERSUS and continuing at 4 p.m. ET on NBC. The Preakness Stakes will be held on May 21 in Baltimore, Maryland while the Belmont Stakes will be held on June 11 in Elmont, New York.
About SMT
SMT (SportsMEDIA Technology Corporation), headquartered in Durham, NC, is a leading provider of graphics, statistics and video enhancement software and services for live television sports broadcast networks. Founded in 1988, SMT pioneered the first real-time scoring and wireless data system. SMT continues to develop and deliver customized products and services to enhance the production quality and viewers' experience of sporting events. The company has won 20 Emmy awards since 1993. SMT’s solutions have been used at the most prestigious sporting events including the Kentucky Derby , the Super Bowl, NBC Sunday Night Football, the Indianapolis 500, the NCAA Final Four, ESPN Summer and Winter X Games, NBA on TNT, NASCAR and NHL. SMT’s customers include all major broadcast television companies as well as several regional and specialty sports networks. For more information, visit www.smt.com.