Side-By-Side (graphic)

Side-by-side is a split-screen television presentation format originally introduced by sports network ESPN which allows the broadcast to show commercials and live sports simultaneously. It is primarily associated with ABC's telecasts of the IndyCar Series and ESPN's coverage of NASCAR. When used for NASCAR, it goes by the name of NASCAR Nonstop.

While primarily associated with sports telecasts, the format has been used on other forms of broadcasting. CNN has also used a similar arrangement for commercial breaks during live news events.

The technology was adopted due to certain televised sports (such as auto racing and soccer) not having natural breaks in action to fit in commercial breaks. Sports such as football and baseball have timeouts and scheduled breaks, which allow for commercial time without viewers missing any actual game play. Auto racing had long suffered from commercial breaks interrupting live action, as races are never purposely halted outside of emergency situations. The only time during races which commercials could be shown without missing much action was during caution periods, but they are random and could not be counted on for regular intervals. In addition, the racing action technically does not stop during caution periods either, as competitive pit stops (an important aspect of the race) occur during yellow flag periods. However, with most networks such as FOX or ESPN, during side by side coverage it is seen that the screen with the commercials is 4 times bigger than the live sports screen. Fans complain that it should be equal size screen for both commercial and sports.

The technology uses a split-screen to show the feed of the live sports event on one side with no audio, while the traditional commercial is placed on the other side, with full audio. Typically, the square used for the commercial is larger and more prominent than that of the event. Sometimes, a small graphic showing the lap count and leaders' names accompanies the square, or the normal ticker is still shown in the layout. side-by-side is used during all national commercial breaks during the race but Side-by-Side is also used during local breaks. Side-By-Side can also be used during the pre-race and the post-race segments. During red flag stoppage conditions, Side-by-Side has been used, but during lengthy delays, such as rain delay, commercials revert to traditional full-screen format.

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