Viaplay uses Viz Mosart studio and device control automation to assist live production, improve show quality and establish scalable workflows for consistent, reliable productions.
Viaplay subscription VOD streaming service is available in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and the Netherlands. Its content options include a diverse line-up of premium live sports, available on a direct-to-consumer basis, or through telecom and TV operator partnerships.
For this year's Premier League season and football matches, as well increase content output and improve show quality, Viaplay aimed to establish more scalable workflows with a greater level of automation. Automating repetitive tasks can help result in more consistent, reliable productions and expand their team’s opportunities for creative storytelling by making it possible to deliver more content with the same resources.
Studio and Device Control Automation
Viaplay chose to work with Vizrt’s Viz Mosart studio and device control automation to assist live productions. Viz Mosart is deployed at the centre of production workflows across the Viaplay studios. It has the features and functionality needed for each production team, and is also used to produce localised content for different audiences.
It makes gallery and studio features readily available to operators, with templated actions controlling lighting, graphics playout, robotic cameras and video walls simultaneously, so that a single operator could now run an entire show. Viaplay's teams across Denmark and Norway use the system to design and create consistently on-brand live content they deliver to entertain and inform football fans before, during and after the Premier League matches.
As well sharing automation templates, Viaplay’s teams can configure the user interface with customisable layouts to match how they want to work for different events. For instance, live video sources are displayed in the interface, with timing and status for stories, elements, production output and next events, so that multiple studios may be controlled from one interface. Multiple operators can work together, with touch screen operation.
Consistency and Adaptability
Viaplay subscribers across the Nordic countries and the Netherlands can tune in to the streaming service's pre-match build-up, halftime debrief and post-game analysis. For all live Premier League matches, football fans in each territory can hear commentary in their own language, giving them access to expert insight and coverage of the game.
"This is an important step in our journey to future-proof our sports productions, and without the reliable system and expertise we receive from Vizrt as our partner, it would not have been possible for this project to go live in such a short time," said Robin Gerbino, VP Production, Sports Operations at Viaplay Group.
"Production automation needs to be flexible to make a real difference. Adaptability is as important as reliability, especially in live sports, where so much of the excitement comes from not knowing what will happen," said Andrew O'Neil, VP Sports, Strategy & Growth at Vizrt. "The purpose is to free up your time, while keeping the production process efficient. With Viz Mosart, the show is under the users’ control to create and change as desired."
Sports Coverage throughout the Year
To effectively implement the Viz Mosart automation system across the Viaplay studios, Vizrt made full training available to team leaders, including training in show design to help make the shows as creative as possible.
After successfully launching the system for Premier League content production, Viaplay plans to expand its use to more markets and other sports coverage during the year – including premium rights such as the Champions League, Formula 1, Superliga, FIS Skiing and others.
"With our new partnership with Vizrt, centred on implementing Viz Mosart to strengthen our productions, we are very pleased with the collaboration and the support we have received making it possible to go live in the new football season kick-off. This is a first step, and we are very much looking forward to what the collaboration can bring in the years to come," Robin Gerbino said. www.vizrt.com
