LIVEAIRSHOWTV BREAKS RECORD AT NELLIS AFB

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 16, 2017 – Las Vegas, NV – LiveAirShowTV shattered its recently-set records with its coverage of the Aviation Nation Air & Space Expo at Nellis AFB over the weekend. To commemorate both the 70th Anniversary of the US Air Force and Veterans Day, Nellis AFB and LiveAirShowTV partnered to enhance the show for the audience on the base and to let viewers all over the world enjoy the honoring of veterans and the USAF’s tradition of breaking barriers.

The expo featured year-end performances by the USAF Thunderbirds as well as from many of the aircraft based at Nellis AFB, including a spectacular air and ground warfare demonstration featuring the F-35, the F-16, HH-60 Helicopter and the A-10. The show opened daily with the USAFA Academy Wings of Blue parachute team bringing in the flag followed by a flight of the “Vegas Strong” F-16 that Nellis AFB painted to show support for the local community after the tragedy that struck in October. The expo also featured civilian aerobatic performers, a jet car, a Corvette driven entirely by quadriplegic Sam Schmidt’s head movements, and a tribute to veterans by a collection of World War II-era aircraft from the Texas Flying Legends Museum. Additionally a Breaking Barriers video series produced by the USAF Public Affairs Office was showcased on video walls and in the telecast.

LiveAirShowTV integrated many production elements including mounted, handheld, onboard and announcer stand cameras, partner videos and messages, social media promotions, act introduction videos, and green screen introductions of the Thunderbirds team. Once again the partnership with Mark Magin and Angela Harris of On Board Images took the viewers into the air with performers with spectacular live, HD onboard cameras. Video matching announcer commentary was added, along with graphics identifying and providing facts about the aircraft and pilots performing. The timing of all these elements was coordinated with air boss George Cline, creating a five-hour live television program synced with both Saturday and Sunday air shows. It was the most advanced production in air show history, made possible by Nellis AFB and its partners.

In addition to being viewed on video walls by over 170,000 people in attendance, the broadcast was viewed over 400,000 times by people in over 80 countries on mobile devices, desktop computers and internet-connected TVs.

LiveAirShowTV also fielded a social media team to post social media features related to the video production, including everything going on “behind the flightline.” Social media impressions on Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram exceeded 1.5 million. Moreover, engagement for posts during the event was over 170,000 – representing an engagement rate of 5% versus a cross-industry average of 0.17%. During Sunday’s show, the Air Force’s #BreakingBarriers being promoted by the team became one of Twitter’s top trending hashtags.

Aviation Nation Air & Space Expo 2017 marked the return to Nellis after a 10 year absence for LiveAirShowTV President, Jeff Lee. “Nellis AFB, when Aviation Nation was originally founded, was one of the air shows we did before we were known as ‘LiveAirShowTV’,” noted Lee. “We were at Nellis from 2002 through the 60th Anniversary of the Air Force in 2007. While our production that year surpassed anything we had done before, it was not even in the same league as what we just did for the 70th! Production technology has improved and Internet video has finally caught up to our vision of bringing air shows to fans around the world. With this show we’ve proved our audience is passionate, engaged and much larger than even we expected. In so many ways, Nellis is home for us. It was great to bring all of the new advances back to this great show.”

For Aviation Nation Announcer Ric Peterson, who has worked with LiveAirShowTV previously, had the opportunity to see what the company could do at an even larger show on the ramp and via the livestream on the Web in conjunction with the social media presence was key to the success of the show. “It’s Great to see a show grasp the power of social media for both the fans and sponsors,” states Peterson. “Large screens add to the value by strengthening important security and sponsor messages as well as better connecting aviation to the public. Another barrier being broken.”

For Aviation Nation civilian performer and retired USAF Lt. Colonel Jerry “Jive” Kerby, the ability to take both the power of the performances in the air and the story of the USAF to even more people around the globe and not just those in attendance at Nellis was an added bonus for Veteran’s Day weekend. Kerby said, “LiveAirShowTV’s extraordinary video and big screen production enhanced Aviation Nation by intertwining the USAF 70th Anniversary videos with the celebration of the past and present aircraft being flown during the show. The addition of the video history, including the Breaking Barriers series, created a complete production that could take the excitement and history of the USAF beyond the ramp at Nellis AFB and celebrate our veterans throughout the world.”

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