For the first time in its 40 year history the ABCA sponsored Rockhampton Brangus sale will be offered in a live online streaming platform thanks to AuctionsPlus.
Registered females will enter the ring at CQLX, Gracemere, on October 10 followed by registered bulls the day after and buyers will be able to revel in the sale atmosphere from the comfort of home.
AuctionsPlus business development manager Ciaran O’Gorman said the promise of live video and audio aimed to give the online buyer an experience as close as possible to being at the sale.
“First and foremost live audio is a great addition because buyers can be bidding on each lot as it’s coming through the ring while listening to the auctioneer, getting an understanding of the tempo of the sale, where the sale is up to and how much bidding activity there is,” Mr O’Gorman said.
“The natural progression is to add video so they can see those animals walking around the ring- it’s as close as possible as we can get them to the real thing,” he said.
Mr O’Gorman said live videos encountered a delay of about two seconds at present while audio is delivered in real-time.
“Delays of more than two to three seconds become detrimental to the sale and generally in areas like Gracemere where there’s good mobile coverage things run smoothly,” he said.
“I was up there (at Gracemere) a couple of weeks ago running some tests and we couldn’t see any issues when we tested the live streaming service.
“Myself and another staff member will be onsite for the duration of the Brangus sale managing the live stream and also the online bidding platform to handle any hiccups should they arise.”
AuctionsPlus has rolled out its live streaming interface across a number of seedstock sales in Queensland this spring, including the Ascot Charolais and Angus sale, Moongool Charolais at Yuleba and Palgrove Charolais, Warwick.
Mr O’Gorman said the system had been in operation for about six months and while image quality was not perfect the interface offered unbeatable online exposure.
“There is no doubt vendors who take good photos and professional videos of their lots prior to the sale produce a slightly higher quality video than what is physically possible by livestream.
“In saying that, the livestream offers great exposure- the amount of people we have just logging in to view those sales who may not have logged in previously makes it a really good platform to boost your brand within your breed.
“For the buyer it’s about convenience. It’s a great service for a vendor to be able to offer to their existing and potential new clients.”