Fincons Group Whitepaper Reveals Must-Have Technologies Now at Bat for Sports Content Owners
Fincons Group, an international system integration consultancy with offices in Italy, Switzerland, the UK, France, the U.S. and Germany, has released a new whitepaper analysing the revolutionary role of Machine Learning, VR, Gamification, AI and Next Gen TV technologies in driving the sports entertainment revolution.
A link to the full “Next Gen technologies now at bat: Machine Learning, AI and Next Gen TV Technologies drive the sports entertainment experience revolution” whitepaper is available here.
The Covid-19 pandemic has thrust the digitalisation of the sports sector firmly into the spotlight. Although emerging technologies had been ushering in a new age of personalisation and interactivity through gamification and eSports for some time, the fact that players are now competing in empty stadiums is accelerating the need to reinterpret the entire sports experience.
Machine Learning and AI, in combination with Next Gen TV convergence-based new interactive TV standards, such as HbbTV in Europe and ATSC 3.0 in the US, are reinventing the way sports content owners understand and leverage data. The opportunities for targeted, even personalised, advertising and monetization now within reach are unparalleled: sports content owners can have access to near-real-time data analysis and prediction capabilities that deliver an in depth understanding of sporting action, but are also able to analyse their audience preference and behaviour in greater detail than ever before.
The whitepaper “Next Gen technologies now at bat: Machine Learning, AI and Next Gen TV Technologies drive the sports entertainment experience revolution” analyses the enabling technologies being trialled and deployed by leading sports entertainment players and their future potential to achieving competitive advantage. The whitepaper focuses on four main areas of emerging technology:
· Data Analytics
· Gamification
· Smart Watching
· Targeted Advertising and Ecommerce
It is critical for this forward thinking industry to remain constantly poised towards the future by harnessing these new technologies and introducing an expanded Sport Supply Chain with production-ready software frameworks to accelerate transformation ahead of competitors.
Oliver Botti, Head of International Business Development and Innovation of Fincons Group, comments: “Fincons has played a critical role in the development of Next Gen TV standards both in Europe and the US enabling us to experience first-hand the disruptive potential that emerging technologies can have on all types of entertainment. The sports market has always been highly competitive and open to exploring secondary avenues for revenue and engaging with fans but current social distancing measures have made this the ideal playing field for these scenarios to accelerate.”
Greg Jarvis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Fincons.US, adds: “We’re excited to be working with key industry players in sports and entertainment helping them evolve their engagement models to meet a more convergent future. Never before has the role of innovation been so critical to the evolution of the sports market, so we hope this whitepaper helps form an understanding of the state of the art and drive decision making.”
TSL Products Improves Production Quality for Freaks 4U Gaming
Freaks 4U Gaming GmbH, a full-service marketing agency specialised in targeting PC and console gamers worldwide, has produced some of the most vital and vibrant gaming and eSports events in the industry. With the demand for gaming productions rapidly increasing, Freaks 4U recently expanded its complex, building an additional three 4K studios and three control rooms. The company was looking to integrate control solutions that could both improve production quality and simplify operator workflow. With these needs in mind, Qvest Media, the project’s main technology and product supplier for 4K slow motion operation, audio and video routing, IP KVM systems, studio lighting and grip equipment, introduced Freaks 4U to TSL Products. The company integrated three units of TSL’s TallyMan TM1+ Broadcast Control and four licenses of its Flashboard Technical Display systems into Freaks 4U’s new facility.
“For Freaks 4U Gaming, the most beneficial feature of the TallyMan system has been its ability to control multiple routers, vision mixers and multi-view displays in one place, keeping all routers connected with the option to deploy an automatic update if there are any signal changes,” said Timo Krey, senior broadcast engineer at Freaks 4U Gaming GmbH. “Since we are working with a large router with 160x160 SDI channels, we need to be able to manage routing on a device with over 5,000 sources and destinations. TallyMan makes it easy to keep an overview of everything on one display and offers significant workflow improvements for the production crew.”
TSL’s Flashboard has also improved operator workflow at Freaks 4U Gaming. “With the Flashboard system, we can easily change routes and settings for the multi-view display without investing much time or having to involve a technician,” said Timo. “It also helps to simplify the production process, whilst providing a user-friendly solution with an intuitive display.”
TSL’s control systems have helped Freaks 4U to produce high-quality gaming and eSports content for its clients and audience, and the company is excited to expand the system in the future. “Not only do we create shows on site, but we also produce content outside of our studio,” said Timo. “We plan to integrate additional TSL devices in our production equipment flight case to be able to bring TallyMan and Flashboard along wherever we go. Now that we know how helpful TSL solutions are, we never want to be without them.”
Additionally, Freaks 4U Gaming plans to use TSL’s Flashboard functionality to route information and PGM (program) previews to display screens outside of every studio and control room. “Integrating TSL equipment into our studios has provided awesome results as it greatly enhances our production quality and makes configurations easily accessible for our employees by simplifying their show preparations,” said Timo. “It’s been great to learn all that TSL can bring to the table, and we will keep that in mind for additional studios in the future.”
Dan Shihata, regional sales manager for Europe, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand at TSL Products added: “Thanks to our comprehensive list of freely available device protocols, the TallyMan control system allows customers to deploy a best of breed approach for all production equipment, without needing to worry about how this impacts the cost of a central control system. Its user-friendly GUI helps develop customisable panels, which allows Freaks 4U to take full ownership of their system and they can be confident to make changes to the system when they need to, saving a considerable amount of time and money.”
Purview's Facial Recognition and Thermal Imaging Innovation Helps Safely Repopulate Stadia
Purview has unveiled an attendance track and trace system that uses facial recognition and thermal imaging to detect those with high temperatures and infection, giving rise to the hope that sporting stadia across the globe may soon welcome back patrons and supporters.
The thermal imaging system – capable of scanning 30 people per second - will indicate those at higher risk of Covid-19 infection, so that they are swiftly detected and contained as they enter the stadium.
The technology was developed by Reddy Punna, the CEO of Edinburgh-based enterprise technology specialist Purview Services and himself a Covid-19 survivor, having caught the virus on a business trip to India.
He commented: "Immediate protection from The Covid-19 pandemic requires compliance with test, trace isolate and protection strategies and we’ve done this through the development of our optical attendance and access system. The facial recognition and thermal imaging system can detect people’s temperature, the presence of a face mask and social distancing as they walk past the scanning technology at a rate of up to 30 per second and within a range field depth of 9 metres.
Those entering the venue with a raised temperature can be identified and then diverted to be helped by stadia officials to stop any potential spread of Covid-19. Moreover, the system can be linked to any season ticket holders’ database which further tightens the identification management process. Containment through an attendance and access system with zero contact and temperature measurement can be a key to avoiding easy spread of the virus that can take place with a biometric access system.”
Purview’s Facial Recognition and Thermal Imaging technology will manage footfall, as people file into the stadium. The system checks and gives access (e.g. light goes green from red) to one of 2 routes - one leads straight in for those with no alerts, the other leads to a quarantine area where stadium officials can take further action.
For example, if there is a temperature alert on the system, a person can be re-checked with handheld thermal imaging. The reading can then be conveyed to the individual and they would then be advised to return home. The reading can also trigger the tracing process to find who the identified person has been in contact with.
Equally, if a non-season ticket holder tries to gain access to the stadium, via a season ticket holder's entrance, the technology will divert them to the right entrance, or if a person is barred from entry, it will forbid access.
The strategy is to have free flowing footfall with access control to both routes allowing people to move into the stadia without congestion and unnecessary delay.
With still little sign of stability in the rise of Covid-19 infection around the world, sporting venues, together with conference venues and similar facilities where there is sizeable footfall traffic, need assurances that risk of infection in crowd management can be completely minimised and controlled immediately a case is flagged by the facial recognition and thermal imaging software.
Whilst stadia remain closed to the public until most governments around the world have the spread of Covid-19 fully contained and see a wholesale decrease in infection, facial recognition and thermal imaging will give assurances to stadia operators that there are solutions available to help minimise further infection rates.
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Vaudoise Arena
Vaudoise Arena is a new multisport indoor arena located in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was built to host the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics, with the large-scale complex including three ice rinks (the main ice rink, a training field and an outdoor ice rink), four swimming pools, fencing and table tennis centres, as well as conference and seminar rooms.
For all of these spaces, Insitual designed, manufactured and installed different arena seating solutions, including the equipment for press areas, which were designed and customised specifically for this venue. This project was a challenging installation for the Insitual team for many reasons. Insitual is a brand of Daplast, a well-known specialist company involved in stadium seating for sports facilities. Insitual offers turnkey project management comprising integral solutions, managed with own resources, from the analysis of the project to the installation itself.
https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/mondostadia12
Images: Insitual
Opel Arena
Opel Arena, Mainz, was built in 2011 as the new home of 1. FSV Mainz 05. The distinctive, red-arched stadium has recently held various games as part of the 2020 Bundesliga championships, as well as becoming an event venue and a new figurehead of the city. It was constructed to provide panoramic views of Mainz and its surrounding nature with four steep one-tier stands and open corners – these features making Opel Arena a standout venue in German football stadium design. The 34,000-capacity arena aims to unite the spirit of traditional football, while providing a modern functioning sporting venue for fans.
More recently, the venue’s lighting was renovated to fully enhance the fan experience and implement the modern mantra that FSV Mainz 05 is focussed on. Thorn Lighting – a member of the Zumtobel Group – was tasked with the installation of the new LED floodlight system and main stand lighting addition. The progressive lighting upgrade, which was implemented as a turnkey solution, fulfils the raised requirements for the German Football League (DFL) in time for the 2019/2020 season as well as UEFA Elite Level A. For Thorn, the challenge involved designing and implementing alighting solution that would serve the club well into the future.
https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/mondostadia12/74
Photos: Zumtobel Group
Pliant Technologies Launches New Webinar Series
Pliant Technologies announces an upcoming free webinar series for existing and potential Pliant partners and customers to learn more about the company’s wireless intercom solutions. The first in the series will be held on Wednesday July 8, at 10 a.m. (CDT) and Thursday, July 9 at 4 p.m. (CDT), and will focus on its MicroCom M and MicroCom XR intercom. Pliant’s Vice President of global sales, Gary Rosen, along with Market Development Manager, Art Gonzales and Regional Sales Manager, Mark Rehfuss, will cover the features and benefits of these new and affordable wireless intercom solutions.
“We are excited to host our first webinar, as part of our new webinar series, which will provide an overview of the intercom possibilities that now exist with MicroCom professional wireless intercom products,” says Gary Rosen, Vice President of global sales for Pliant Technologies. “At Pliant Technologies, we are always looking for new opportunities to connect with our customers to help them learn how to get the most out of their Pliant intercom solutions. The MicroCom webinar, which launches on July 8, will be repeated live on July 9, so mark your calendars for the day that works best for you.”
The interactive sessions allow attendees to post questions during the live presentations, where the Pliant team will go into detail regarding the setup, best practices, and operation details of its basestation-free MicroCom systems. The webinar will focus on the MicroCom M and MicroCom XR units as well as Pliant’s complete line of SmartBoom and specialty headsets. In addition, the Pliant team will cover some real-world applications and suggestions on how to select the best Pliant SmartBoom and specialty headsets for your application. To register for the MicroCom webinar, free of charge, please click here.
“Simple and affordable, MicroCom is an ideal intercom solution for any application where quality intercom was not previously a viable option,” adds Rosen. “Hands-free, full-duplex intercom featuring high-quality audio and excellent range is now available without breaking even the most modest of budgets.”
In addition to the MicroCom webinar, Pliant will host a range of educational webinars throughout the month of July. These will be hosted on Wednesdays (for Eastern time zone customers) at 11 a.m. EDT/10 a.m. CDT and Thursdays (for Western time zone customers) at 2 p.m. PDT/4 p.m. CDT. Topics include CrewWare LIVE! on July 15 and 16, HOW Applications on July 22 and 23, and Out of the Box on July 29 and 30.
Guild Esports to Launch with David Beckham as Co-Owner
Guild Esports (Guild), a new global esports business headquartered in London and co-owned by David Beckham, has announced its global launch amid a booming global esports market which is seeing unprecedented growth in popularity and cultural relevance as a leading form of competitive sport and entertainment.
The global esports market, which has enjoyed tremendous support in Asia and is now fast establishing itself as a mainstream entertainment globally, is currently valued at US$1.1bn and is projected to grow by 42% to US$1.56bn by 2023[1]. The number of esports fans is estimated to be around 495m and is largely comprised of millennials – this number is projected to hit 646m by 2023[2].
Guild is developing a talent pipeline in the UK based on the traditional academy model, which will see the most able players coached and nurtured by industry leaders in order to attain the skillset required to compete professionally. A roster of scouts will continually find and sign the best young talent.
Guild is well placed to enter this market having established a management team of esports veterans with experience as professional players, coaches and in the esports media. Guild Executive Chairman, Carleton Curtis, is an industry heavyweight and architect of the Overwatch League and Call Of Duty Leagues. Prior to joining Guild he held senior esports roles at Activision Blizzard and Red Bull. His expertise dovetails with David Beckham’s leading position in the world of mainstream sports to create a unique esports proposition.
Guild will scale into various esports disciplines over the course of the 2020/21 season, its inaugural team will make its debut in autumn this year and its professional athletes can expect to compete in the most popular titles including Rocket League, EA Sports FIFA, and Fortnite. The Guild Esports brand will celebrate and harness the diverse and tribal loyalty of esports enthusiasts on a global scale. The Company's ambition is to build a culture of excellence around its brand and digital presence.
David Beckham’s move into esports is a natural progression given his experience developing sports businesses, most recently through his co-ownership of Inter Miami CF in the MLS; and his passion for guiding youth talent to achieve excellence. His involvement in the launch of Guild offers a powerful opportunity to introduce his level of professional sports acumen to the world of esports and further strengthen this evolving sport.
Guild has secured the talent of London-based artist Fergus Purcell, creator of the iconic identity for skate wear label Palace, to design its brand and develop a unique lifestyle apparel line with an aesthetic that is authentic to the esports community and infused with his streetwear-inspired design philosophy. Fergus has a recognisable and distinctive design style influenced by pop culture, streetwear and skate culture and collaborated with a diverse roster of fashion designers and music artists from Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith and Alexander McQueen to 2manydjs.
Carleton Curtis, Executive Chairman, commented: “The meteoric rise of esports shows no signs of slowing down and this is the perfect moment for Guild Esports to enter this exciting market. We have built an experienced management team and I am proud to have David Beckham as co-owner in this venture as his professionalism and deep experience of developing high-functioning sports teams aligns with our core strategy of building the best in class esports teams. At Guild Esports, David will be instrumental in helping shape the coaching programme implemented at our academies and we welcome his valuable mentoring as well as the inspiration he gives the younger generation of athletes. Esports is already one of the most popular spectator sports on Earth and will continue to grow globally as excitement, accessibility and knowledge of the sector soars. Guild looks forward to playing a big role in the future of this growing community.”
David Beckham, Guild Esports Co-owner, said: “Throughout my career I’ve been lucky enough to work with players at the top of their game, and I’ve seen first-hand the passion and dedication it takes to play at that level. I know that determination lives in our esports athletes today and at Guild we have a vision to set a new standard, supporting these players into the future. We are committed to nurturing and encouraging youth talent through our academy systems and I am looking forward to helping our Guild Esports team grow.”
Amon G. Carter Stadium
Texas Christian University’s (TCU) Horned Frogs football team has enjoyed a rich history since its inception in 1896, including national championships in 1935 and 1938, as well as eight former players having been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Nowadays, the TCU Horned Frogs compete in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, which is recognised as the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the USA. The Horned Frogs have been members of the Big 12 Conference since 2012, too.
This year’s Big 12 conference football season was much improved for the Horned Frogs, with the team’s home ground – the Amon G. Carter Stadium - having been subject to a $118M expansion. The venue has seen a number of improvements, with the first phase of what is a multi-year project welcoming an upgrade of the audiovisual technology.
https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/mondostadia12/60
Photos: L-Acoustics
SportsMax Powers Live Sports Streaming with Harmonic
Harmonic has announced that SportsMax, a leading sports channel in the Caribbean and a subsidiary of the Digicel Group, is using Harmonic’s VOS360 Live Streaming Platform to cost-effectively deliver premium sports events from popular leagues across the world. Leveraging the cloud, Harmonic’s VOS360 platform enables SportsMax to dynamically scale channel lineups based on the schedules of premier sports associations, such as La Liga, NBA, Caribbean Premier League, Women’s Tennis Association and the English Premier League, while providing exceptional quality of experience to viewers.
“Our sports schedule is dynamic; consequently, having an elastic solution for live video streaming is critical. At the same time, service continuity is absolutely essential for us,” said Oraine Godfrey, head of digital media at SportsMax. “The VOS360 platform offers unmatched flexibility and provides real-time scaling for handling peak viewing, which is important for live sports streaming. It also assures total service continuity and the best video quality, ensuring our fans are satisfied with their viewing experience. By allowing us to live stream from source to screen, Harmonic’s platform dramatically increases our efficiencies.”
Harmonic’s VOS360 Live Streaming Platform simplifies all stages of media processing and delivery for SportsMax, providing end-to-end capabilities including live and file transcoding, packaging and origin, dynamic real-time CDN selection, VOD and time-shift. The VOS360 platform is built with unparalleled uptime to keep channels on air. Dynamic dual cloud instances synchronize video and keep streams fully aligned, while Harmonic’s worldwide team of DevOps experts provides round-the-clock assistance to ensure high reliability for subscribers.
“Professional sports events are starting to return without spectators, placing an even greater relevance on streaming. High-quality, scalable and resilient streaming enables fans from all over the world to watch their favorite teams, leagues and players online,” said Alvaro Martin, vice president, sales and services, Latin America, at Harmonic. “With our VOS360 Live Streaming Platform, SportsMax can cost-effectively deliver coverage of the top sports leagues, over the top, to the Caribbean market. On-the-fly scaling capabilities on the VOS360 platform will ensure that millions of viewers can watch the events simultaneously with the reliability and exceptional quality of experience that Harmonic is known for.”