North One Television and Aurora Media Worldwide are to tap into VR and AR technology to turbocharge their Formula E coverage after securing a £40m contract to produce the global feed for the fledgling motorsport.

1. Formula E taps into VR and AR
27 JULY, 2017 | BY ALEX FARBER
North One & Aurora plan cutting-edge coverage
North One Television and Aurora Media Worldwide are to tap into VR and AR technology to
turbocharge their Formula E coverage after securing a £40m contract to produce the global feed
for the fledgling motorsport.
The two companies are keen to keep pace with the expectations of the gaming generation.
Earlier this week, Broadcast revealed that the firms had joined forces to secure a four-year deal
to become the host broadcasters of the sport – beating competition from around 12 rivals.
The coverage of the racing, which gets under way in Hong Kong in December, will be enhanced
with the introduction of live VR visuals.
Virtual footage
Aurora, which has produced the FIA event for the past four years, has linked up with VR
specialist Virtually Live to map each circuit and overlay it with GPS data from the cars.
The virtual footage will allow the race director to immediately jump to any piece of action and
replay it in 360 degrees, with additional graphical data such as driver markers, speed, revs or the
racing line taken. Previously, the functionality was only available post-race.
Aurora managing director Lawrence Duffy said Formula E is at the forefront of the collision
between the gaming and broadcast worlds.
“The Chinese walls between TV and video games are crumbling – all opportunities are up for
grabs now,” he said. “Anything we do has to work well and help tell the story of the race, but if we
are able to do it, then why wouldn’t we?”
Duffy added that he is in the early stages of working with a developer on a game that will allow
fans to race against their heroes in real-time. “There’s a lot of talk about gamification and
unpacking data – motorsport lends itself really well to that,” he said.
Duffy, who will oversee a 100- strong production crew alongside North One managing director
Neil Duncanson, also plans to increase the number of track cameras used this season from 18 to
26.
The number of on-boards will also double to 40, with two positioned on each car.
Cameras will also be fi tted to the drivers’ helmets for the first time.
North One has parachuted in Formula One veteran producer Dave Lewis as creative director to
work alongside series director Westbury Gillett and series producer Mike Scott.
The crew will have access to more wire cams, which will help showcase the city centre locations
in which most circuits are located.
Duncanson is also working on new programming ideas to help convert viewers into Formula E
fans.
Building interest
North One will develop a host of shows exploring areas such as the development of electric
racing or the stories of the teams involved, which include Audi, BMW, Citroën and Jaguar. A
reality format involving the drivers is also under consideration.

2. The shows will be funded by governing body the FIA, or co-produced with international
broadcasters, with the All3Mediaowned indie eyeing opportunities Formula E taps into VR and
AR beyond sports channels with the likes of Discovery and Fox.
“It is hard to get under the skin of Formula One teams, but Formula E is keen for us to come in
and put our stamp on it creatively and editorially,” said Duncanson. “Our job is to make sure that
these programmes help to tell the story of the sport.”
Liberty Global and Discovery, which acquired a minority stake in Formula E in 2015, also own
All3Media, North One Television’s parent company.
All3’s digital producer Little Dot Studios has a separate deal to produce original Formula E
content for platforms including Facebook and YouTube. Little Dot produces Channel 5’s
magazine show alongside Aurora.