Previously there was an ever changing splattering of personalities for each event with the host sponsor nominating their own commentary team. The former ASP media arrangement went further to stipulate the event licensee owns not only naming rights but also the right to deliver television broadcasts and live webcasts (and beach commentary) how they see fit.
When you consider that the cost of hosting an event sits somewhere between US$2 – 3 million, the ZoSea deal seemed too good to pass up. Brands will now buy in to the naming rights and exclusivity of the event at $1 million, thus a saving of $1-2 million per event. Given that these are sporting goods and apparel companies recovering from the global financial crisis you can imagine that it would have been unsustainable to carry one with the old model.
How many commentators would jump out of the booth and into 12-15 foot Cloudbreak? Dave Wassel is one such man. Photo by ASP/RobertsonEnter ZoSea. The media partnership with ZoSea and the ASP has one other hook. Coverage on ESPN, YouTube and Facebook which is hoped to add a few extra zeros for the Top 34 and present surfing as a professional sport to a wider audience. You can bet that the brands are hoping they will reap the benefits from indirect brand association from their top surfers competing on the world stage now that the days of hearing their exclusive marketing message are over.
So what will the Tour feel and sound like? Well for one it’ll have a much more US-centric voice. You see the ASP has relocated from the Gold Coast and posted up in California. The new CEO is American Paul Speaker. Formally Director of Marketing and Ideas at the National Football League, President of Time Inc. Studios, and President of RKO Studios. We are rather curious to see how an ASP/ZoSea deal will change the previously Australian-centric delivery of contests.
Will it mean a mixed bag of nationalities and personalities reflective of the multicultural landscape that is professional surfing? Or an all-American field of talking heads that err to the side of safe and polished? Although the previous arrangement of a revolving door of commentators come every event was sometimes a bit weak, there was always plenty of life and personality when people like Occy or Dave Wassel got on the mic.
We can only speculate but if it is an all-American team one would think that Joe Turpel, Todd Kline and long time Pipe Masters commentator Dave Stanfield would be a safe bet. According to Stanfield, broadcasting in the United States means much higher standards. “For U.S. television, the broadcast production needs to follow FCC [Federal Communications Commission] rules and regulations. The audio and video quality has a higher standard. The commentators will have additional responsibilities speaking to a more diverse general audience.”
Ronnie Blakey and Joe Turpel, the yin and yang of commentary teams. Photo by ASP/CestariAside from a higher quality broadcast it means the previously specialised domain of webcasts will now move into the mainstream. Which is where the ASP and ZoSea is banking on getting a return for their investment. They will assemble a core team of individuals that will promote, execute and deliver on their initiatives. And that core team will most likely be from America. Do you think the American market could handle the larrikin nature of Australian callers like Occy, Doherty and Egan? I hope I’m wrong, I really do. But judging from the direction the ASP have gone it seems as though the American market is what they’re targetting and that might mean we lose out on hearing the best heats called by our favourite Aussies.
But who would you like hear call the best heats on the 2014 ASP World Tour? As the focus shifts to Snapper for the first event of the year tell us who you think should get the top job. Vote from the canditates below and we’ll post the results tomorrow at 5pm.
The Poll is now closed.
Who would you like to see make commentary cameo appearances on the world tour? The Occ gets our vote. Photo by ASP/Cestari
