How can an annual TV institution build an even bigger worldwide audience and give its well-established fan base a way to enjoy the event year round?

Those were the questions facing the Miss Universe Organization a couple of years ago as it looked to build its brand, attract new, younger viewers and create a sense of anticipation in the public about its beauty pageants.  In the age of social networking, YouTube and Twitter, the solution –to stream ancillary pageant content live on the Internet– may seem rather obvious. But as is often the case in life, just because something is easy to recognize doesn’t mean that it will be easy to do.

For Colin Hornett, producer and head of new media for the Miss Universe Organization, however, simplicity along with reliability and portability were the fundamental requirements of whatever solution the organization settled on to produce and stream content. “Production is incredibly complex,” says Hornett. “The simpler it is, the better it is. Simpler means fewer mistakes and tighter shows.”

After evaluating and considering various alternatives, Hornett settled on the NewTek TriCaster™ as the centerpiece of his streaming production setup. Not only was it easy to use and packed with the production tools he needed, but the TriCaster also was portable enough to be located in the tight confines Hornett would be given. “I knew we would need to be under the stage, under the steps and tucked away in places you would never imagine,” he says, “so being nimble and mobile was a must.”

Streaming coverage

The Miss Universe Organization kicked off its use of streaming video during the 27th Miss Teen USA pageant from the Atlantis Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas, in July 2009, which was followed the next month by the 58th Miss Universe pageant from the same venue.

From the outset, an important goal has been leveraging the worldwide reach of the Internet to bring fans into contact with the pageants before the big night. “We want to get people excited before the show and get them engaged with the pageant,” explains Hornett. “We want them to meet the girls and the judges and to build a connection so they keep coming back for more.”

Viewers of the pageant telecasts probably aren’t aware that by show night the field of contestants has been narrowed down to 15 quarter finalists. The winnowing begins two days to a week before the finale with a preliminary competition. “During the preliminary competition, judges narrow down the field of contestants,” says Hornett. Contestants are judged on the same criteria during this pre-show phase, including evening gown and bathing suit competitions, as during the show that gets televised.

Streaming this pre-show competition is the ideal solution for building excitement, says Hornett. “You don’t get to see any results, but the stream of the pre-show allows viewers to be part of the process by seeing the girls walk in their evening gowns, et cetera,” he says. “It is incredible content.”

Then 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the telecast, Hornett and his team complete the anticipation phase of their production with a half hour of live content streamed from pageant leading into the show.

Streaming content again takes center stage as soon as NBC, the network televising the pageants, concludes its coverage. At that moment, Hornett’s team is on stage with its own cameras to capture the reaction of the winner immediately after she is crowned and stream it to the public on the Internet. “We run on stage and interview the girl right after she wins,” he says.