Commentator Rustam “Adekvat” Mavlyutov shared his thoughts on the future of the official Russian-language broadcast for The International 2024 in Dota 2. He explained why the casters won't be working on-site at the tournament venue.
“Maelstorm stirred up unnecessary panic this morning. Here’s a breakdown:
1. It was clear that the talents wouldn't be on-site right after the format announcement. The playoff stage starts immediately after just two days of the group stage. This means either bringing a lot of people for the group stage (since there are 3-4 simultaneous streams), or just for the Final Weekend (for three days, which is still an option but unlikely). So, it was obvious from the format announcement that the commentators wouldn't be there.
2. Valve has always been meticulous about the work of analysts and commentators for the official TI broadcast. Compared to previous RFPs (Request for Proposals), there are no changes in this regard. So, there’s no difference between now and before in the RFP stipulations.
3. The entire TI will be streamed on the studio's channel. I don’t see any changes in the RFP or in this aspect compared to previous years. Where did this idea come from? It’s unclear why the official Russian-language channel wouldn’t be used for the official broadcast. Again, everything aligns with the RFP released by Valve.
It’s truly disappointing about the participation of professionals in the cast. The most we might get is an on-site reporter who can conduct interviews. Last year, we managed to have drafters from the eliminated VP team on-site, which was incredibly cool, in my opinion. The ambient noise will overshadow the live emotions of the audience, though technically, these can still be conveyed in the broadcast.
In summary, talented cyber tourism is quietly dying, but we remain hopeful. I trust that the production team that won the tender will do their best to attract top-notch staff both behind and in front of the cameras,” Rustam “Adekva” Mavlyutov.
On June 8, Valve opened applications for broadcasting TI13 in Russian, Chinese, and Spanish. Studios interested in securing the rights must submit their forms by the 15th.