Competition

The Trials Finals Set to Debut with a New Digital Format This Weekend

January 13, 2021 by
Photo Credit: Loud And Live Sports (instagram.com/loudlivesports)
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Loud and Live’s presentation of The Trials Finals is set to air this weekend and we had the chance to catch up with Vice President of Sports, Dylan Malitsky to discuss the origins of the idea, the timing and importance of this competition, and the new online broadcast platform we’ll be able to watch all the action on.

  • “The Trials Finals concept was born out of a couple unique places and feelings,” said Malitsky. 
  • “First, was our community’s desire to compete at a time when there has truly been a void. [And] secondly, we have seen other online competitions, and while done decently, we thought how can we take it to the next level? [Specifically], how can we emulate, as authentically as possible, the in-person event experience? Those were the lenses we looked through when the idea for the Trials came to light. Then it was just about “executing it at the highest possible level for everybody.” 

Remind me: The Trials are an online competition organized by Loud and Live Sports. The qualifying workouts took place in early December, and the top finishers in each of three regions (U.S., Spain, Latin America) were invited to compete in the Finals.

  •  During the Finals, viewers will be able to watch the top nine athletes in each division (the top three from each region) on a “stage” in an international live broadcast. Viewers will get to choose the athletes they want to watch.
  • “We’re very excited that we’ve developed our own digital broadcast platform that is meant to emulate the in-person competition for the athlete, spectator, and brand alike; as well as to take all the things we like about broadcast events and make them reality.” 

No scores or times have been released from the workouts. Everyone who has competed will get to watch the events play out for the first time on the broadcast. As the events air, the leaderboards will begin to fill out throughout the weekend with final placings in each event. Additionally, athletes from each division will get to see Elite athletes take on the very same workouts. 

  • “We’re giving the 99% the opportunity to feel like the elite with the chance to watch themselves compete against their fellow competitors,” Malitsky said. 

Some numbers: Around 5000 people registered to compete in the 20 different divisions available, but only as many as 18 in each division (and less in some) could qualify for the Finals. 

  • A unique element to this competition are the three different regions (Spanish, Latin American, and United States) that would each receive representation not just in the Trials, but also for the Trials Finals. 
  • Malitsky: “2020 was a tough year for many across the globe. With many boxes closed, events cancelled, and people [being] prevented from spending time with others socially, we know people were looking for ways to feel part of something larger than themselves. We wanted to make sure to bring the global community together.”

How to watch: The Trials Finals are set to air on trialsfinals.com January 16-17, beginning at 8:30 AM ET both days. 

The viewing experience: The broadcast will have “enhanced viewing features; [including] live-scoring, commentary in the Spanish or English from [familiar voices in] the sport, the ability to select the athletes to watch in a given heat, [and] the chance to chat and interact with other viewers.”

  • “We can’t wait to show [this product] off January 16 and 17. This is only phase one. We fully intend to use this platform for other events in the future, and plan to build upon our successes to create an even more robust digital competition and viewing experience,” Malitsky concluded.

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