The International Luge Federation Selects Chyron PRIME to Improve Fan Engagement

Background

The International Luge Federation, or FIL (Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course). is the primary international federation for all luge sports. Founded by 13 nations at Davos, Switzerland in 1957, it has members of 53 national luge associations as of 2009 and is based in Berchtesgaden, Germany.

For broadcasts and streams of its official events. the FIL used the same graphics provider for many years to visualize data and information for its broadcast coverage of luge races. These broadcasts are popular across Europe, and particularly in Germany and Latvia, and are available to a broader audience on the federation’s YouTube channel.

Challenge

Eager to enhance both the appeal of the sport and FIL broadcasts, the federation wanted to implement a more sophisticated graphics package that would showcase the personalities of the racers and tap into the wealth of stats available, but never shown before, to create more engaging and visually satisfying storytelling. 

“Like the rest of the world, the international sports world is constantly changing, and we’re working to help luge develop and evolve in positive and meaningful ways. To that end, we are trying to implement new race formats, new technology, and new graphics that modernize the look and feel of luge,” states Matthias Böhmer, FIL sports director.

Solution

The FIL began a dialog with Chyron in April of 2023 and by December of 2023 had launched a brand-new graphics package on the Chyron PRIME live production platform, bringing a new look and feel to the 2023-24 luge season. In addition to providing the technology, Chyron Creative Services executed the graphics design and data integration.

The Chyron Creative Services team built the package from scratch, delivering an insert package, lower thirds, full screens, standings pages, opening animation package headers, and other elements to add color and personality. For example, lower thirds for race coverage now feature video clips of the highlighted racer removing their helmet and looking up as if being introduced to the viewer. Smaller touches, such as simple weather animations and waving flags representing the competitor’s country, make broadcasts more dynamic and bring visuals in line with audience expectations for top-tier sports events.

Working with FIL’s data provider, Chyron integrated data into PRIME to create attention-grabbing on-screen graphics featuring stats such as max speed, G-force, and roll angle as racers rocket down the course. PRIME is built to handle data from any provider, and the hands-on services team from Chyron works closely with the Olympic sport data providers to ensure smooth integration of sources and handling of data.

Dwight Bell, FIL secretary generally enthusiastically reported, “Our partnership with Chyron has been amazing. Many people doubted that we could make this kind of change, especially within such a short time frame, but we did it. Chyron has been incredibly supportive throughout this project, creating a new package and working with us on site to help us enhance broadcasts with graphics that allow us to tell richer stories connecting viewers to athletes and the sport,” 

Result

In addition to adding new graphics to enhance live competition, FIL has added fresh graphics to level up its pre- and post-race shows. The cumulative effect of the federation’s work with Chyron has been to raise the profile of FIL broadcasts and grow the FIL YouTube channel significantly, spurring greater interest in luge and making FIL a model for other federations who have retained or are reclaiming their broadcast rights.

“If you’ve been watching luge for many years, you certainly see a big improvement in the look and feel of FIL broadcasts. It’s different, just as FIL requested!  The Chyron team really enjoyed bringing this project together. Luge is an exciting sport, and now, the broadcasts can convey more of that excitement,” says Mark Friedman, Chyron vice president of strategic accounts who managed the project. 

“Through our fantastic collaboration with Chyron, we’re leveraging the PRIME platform’s cutting-edge design tools and its ability to handle data quickly and flawlessly, all in service of innovative sports coverage,” added Dwight Bell. “Using data that’s always been available to begin illustrating elements of the sport in new ways, we have transformed our luge broadcasts. We’ve added interest and a more professional presentation that viewers appreciate, and we have more planned as we move into next season.”

Moving forward, FIL plans to continue utilizing Chyron PRIME. Following a successful first season with Chyron graphics, the FIL has now named Chyron as the Official Live Graphics Provider for all FIL broadcasts. Learn more about the project in the video below or connect with one of our product exerts today!