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Editorial | Technology can allow the show to go on
- Many events – from sports to concerts – have been cancelled or postponed because of the coronavirus, yet innovative thinking can see some shows put online
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Cancellation or postponement of sports, arts, cultural and music events out of concern for spreading the coronavirus to participants and spectators is inevitable. Uncertainty means that no organiser, performer or promoter is willing to risk the backlash from fans or lawyers should infections occur. Disappointment is growing as a mounting number of events are affected, having a huge financial impact on industries. But the disease is not necessarily reason to reschedule or shelve events; technology means that some shows can still go on, one way or the other.
Among the most prominent decisions are the suspension of the rest of the National Basketball Association’s season, cancellation of the South by Southwest tech, music and film festival in the American city of Austin, and playing of European soccer fixtures in empty stadiums. The Shanghai Grand Prix has been postponed, as have the Hong Kong and Singapore rugby sevens events. A question mark still hangs over the biggest event of them all, the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Hollywood has been rocked by Oscar-winner Tom Hanks announcing that he and his wife have the infection. The release of the next James Bond film, No Time To Die, has been put back from next month to November. Hong Kong Canto-pop star Andy Lau was among the first performers to call off dates, his 12 shows scheduled for February at the Coliseum affecting 100,000 ticket-holders. K-pop superstars BTS abandoned their Korean shows and Asian tours by Western performers including Khalid and Green Day have been postponed.
South Korean girl group GFriend came up with one solution. It decided to hold its Seoul showcase on February 2 without an audience, instead streaming it online for fans the following day. This is a far from ideal alternative for those who like the energy of a live performance, but given the way the coronavirus has taken hold in the homeland of K-pop, it is a sensible approach to ensure shows still go on. People being forced to stay home due to office, school and sports ground closures are eager for a break from the monotony. The cancellation of events is an added blow. Innovative thinking can ensure competitions, entertainment and profits do not disappear.
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