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(NewsUSA) - The familiar roar of the engines echoed through the air and out to Indy 500 fans waiting with anticipation. But this time, something was different. For the first time, fans around the world were able to watch the race live on the Internet.
Adrian Payne, manager of Internet development for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Racing League, wanted to offer fans something more - an enhanced viewing experience in which they could choose their favorite camera shots, research drivers' stats and interact as a community.
Payne and his team chose WhiteBlox, a leading provider of Internet protocol broadcasting technology, to execute their vision. In the end, when all the building "blox" that made up the Internet broadcasting system were in place, there were seven individual camera feeds broadcasting simultaneously - six inside separate cars and an additional feed from inside the press center. Fans were truly in the diver's seat, deciding which camera angles to follow, when, and for how long.
People from all 50 states and 88 countries cruised online to take part in this new broadcasting frontier, logging more than 1.25 million viewer minutes. For Payne, it was a resounding success.
"The Internet broadcast exceeded our expectations," he said. "It turned out to be the second-closest race in the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the overall event was incredible."
Live chats and fan polls were just two of the many interactive features of the broadcast. Additionally, WhiteBlox created the system to support interactive advertising in flash, static and video formats, with ads targeted by demographics and geography - a win-win for viewers and advertisers.
"As an IndyCar Series racing fan myself, it was a real pleasure designing a customized system, especially for the Indy Racing League," said Greg Demetriades, chairman and chief executive officer of WhiteBlox. "We love seeing the tremendous benefits of the Internet enhancement to traditional broadcasting. The league, the fans and the advertisers all benefit."
The Indy Racing League plans to continue its relationship with WhiteBlox and signed an exclusive online broadcasting agreement with the Houston-based company through 2009.
It makes sense, officials say, for the two entities to continue building on such a good thing. Because in the words of one of the tens of thousands of viewers who sent chat messages during the live broadcast, the WhiteBlox system "drives like a dream."
For more information, log on to www.whiteblox.com or www.indycar.com.