Out of all the extreme sports distributors interviewed, all pointed to males aged 12 to 34 as their key demographic. Most of the viewers tend to be on the younger end of that spectrum. The reason behind the broad range in production costs can be linked to a multitude of factors. The events usually require many more cameras than a team-oriented game, because the playing field is usually much more vast. To cover a boarding event, Doug Allen, executive producer of Board Wild, uses up to 16 cameras, covering the course from both the ground and in the air with helicopters.
Travel is another expense associated with alternative sports.
As a genre, individual sporting events are spread out across the globe. The only team sport that approaches this magnitude is FIFA's international soccer competition. Another factor that drives cost for extreme sports programming higher is obtaining rights for the latest music to accompany a broadcast. Music is an important part of the show, as it helps to draw in the culture that has grown out of this sport. For many distributors of this genre, music may be the single, most important ingredient.