MUMBAI: Uncharted territory. That is where the world at large and the sporting firmament in particular is at present vis-a-vis the COVID-19 pandemic. One thing that is clear though is that in the immediate term, when live sport returns, it will be behind closed doors.
Interestingly, for Uday Shankar, chairman Star and Disney India and the man who runs the network that has poured close to Rs 300 billion into cricket, this is not an insurmountable challenge, only a creative one.
“We will figure out ways of creating and enhancing the atmosphere through graphics, audio, sound,” Shankar tells Indian Express in an extensive interview.
“Whenever you’re watching a tense moment at home, do you not have a very intense expression on your face? So, all we need to do is capture it. So, you can be at home but you can also be on television,” says Shankar, who says that had this situation come up 20 years ago when there were no broadband and smartphones, it would be a challenge. “Today, it’s happening at a time when we’re ready.”
Shankar doesn’t see a problem with the participation of foreign players in IPL. “Earlier, they used to come five days in advance; now they will have to come two weeks before the game. They can be quarantine and be more careful,” Shankar tells IE.
And Shankar is confident that the general public rather than the experts, who will likely adopt this new way of engaging with sport. Says Shankar: “To say that people will only like something in a certain form is a very static way of looking at things. I believe that the society is always open to trying out new things. In fact, it is the business and the experts who are more stuck in their ways. People may not be able to articulate it through, but they try out new things every day. They try a new toothpaste because someone in an advertisement says it is great. I think people are far more open than we give them credit (for).”
To read full interview, click here…
