Oak View Group Inks Deal With Ticketmaster To Provide Ticketing Services Across Its World-Class Venues
Oak View Group (OVG) has announced a long-term partnership with Ticketmaster, the global leader in ticketing, to employ their latest venue and ticketing technology for six of OVG’s new world-class arenas including New York’s UBS Arena, Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, Austin’s Moody Center, Coachella Valley Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., Savannah Arena, and Co-op Live in Manchester, England.
“OVG is setting a new standard for arenas with world-class hospitality and state-of-the-art technology. Their portfolio boasts some of the most modern and progressive new venues in the world,” said Mark Yovich, President, Ticketmaster. “Through our leading-edge ticketing technology, Ticketmaster will help OVG deliver premium fan experiences for sports fanatics and music lovers.”
Continuing a longstanding NHL partnership, Ticketmaster will expand its relationship with the New York Islanders as they make the move to UBS Arena. In addition to serving as the official ticketing partner for the team, Ticketmaster will offer fans a seamless ticketing experience for all UBS Arena events. Ticketmaster will further extend its NHL support by partnering with the league’s newest expansion team the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. When the state-of-the-art venue opens in October 2021, Ticketmaster will provide its innovative ticketing solutions for the Kraken as well as the WNBA’s Storm in addition to the arena’s exciting concert events.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to partner with OVG at UBS Arena and continue to support our long-time partners the Islanders as they return to Long Island and welcome fans to a beautiful, custom-built facility,” said Marla Ostroff, Ticketmaster North America Managing Director. “And, we are very much looking forward to seeing the puck drop at the first home game for the Seattle Kraken as they take to the ice in the world’s most sustainable arena.”
OVG and Ticketmaster will broaden their partnership further across a number of music-forward facilities including Coachella Valley Arena, which is also home to a future AHL Palm Springs team; Moody Center, Austin’s multi-purpose arena specially-designed for headline entertainment; and Savannah Arena, a music, sports and entertainment destination that will be home to a future ECHL hockey team.
Ticketmaster will also support OVG’s international growth by providing digital ticketing technology at Co-op Live in Manchester, the largest arena in the UK that is set to debut in 2023.
Across many of these venues, OVG may utilize Ticketmaster’s digital technology to provide the industry leading tools needed to operate and adapt to the needs of concerts, games, and other events. Ticketmaster’s digital ticketing will provide fans with the safest and most seamless experience across their ticket buying journey from the moment of purchase all the way through to entering one of these state-of-the-art venues. This may include offering fans features such as instant ticket delivery and transfer right from your mobile device.
“Ticketmaster is the best ticketing system in the world, and we’re pleased to offer their industry-leading technology across all of our world-class venues,” said Tim Leiweke, CEO, Oak View Group. “We know what a strong partner Ticketmaster is when it comes to bringing that premium ticketing experience to fans, and we look forward to partnering with them to bring the biggest artists and sporting events as we return to live.”
Evoking a premium feel across all aspects of the experience, the venues may be equipped with “Ticketing Concierge,” a contactless box office powered by Ticketmaster’s TM1 product suite which enables all ticketing transactions, account support, refunds, or will-call to be handled digitally, reducing the need for physical interactions between fans and staff. Fans may simply enter the event through contactless scanners, accessing digital tickets on their mobile device, providing faster entry for a more seamless event-going experience. Going forward, the venues may also implement new capabilities for contactless payment, mobile ordering, and in-venue experiences via the Ticketmaster app. As this technology rolls out, the venue may be able to provide full autonomy for services like in-seat concessions as well as merchandise pre-order and delivery to dramatically reduce wait times at pick-up windows in the venue and allow fans to enjoy more of the event.
Pixotope Appoints new VP Sports for Global Business Development
Pixotope, the world’s leading mixed reality solution for live media production, welcomes Sam Leadsom as its VP for Global Business Development in Sports. The highly strategic appointment outsets the company’s new vertical focused on sports, showcasing its continued efforts to deliver state-of-the-art virtual production solutions for global broadcast sports.
A senior executive with 30 years’ experience in delivering editorial and commercial success across the media industry, Sam’s career is deep rooted in sports broadcasting. His previous roles have included positions at IMG, Fox Sports, and Sky Sports. Most recently, Sam acted as Broadcast Director at Sail GP, where he oversaw the media strategy and commercialisation of the sports championship, leading broadcast content, sales and distribution operation.
At Pixotope, Sam will be responsible for driving global and integrated new business opportunities in the sports broadcasting marketplace, working closely with sector leads and partners to further improve the delivery of Pixotope’s service excellence across the live sports industry.
He says, “This new role opens up a whole new business vertical for Pixotope focused on sports broadcasting and showcases the company’s commitment to delivering outstanding solutions to partners and distributors in the live sports industry. Pixotope’s powerful technology is already the go-to solution for augmented reality in sports broadcasting, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to join this venture during such an exciting period of growth".
Pixotope’s cutting edge tech is currently disrupting sports entertainment, having collaborated with global sporting events and brands with the likes of Super Bowl and the MLB. Its software offers native Unreal Engine rendering with WYSIWYG editing, providing the highest quality photo-realistic graphics that can be modified in real-time and broadcast live on-air. Another of Pixotope’s key features is its standalone, high-performance Tracking Server, connecting Pixotope with all of the major real-time camera and object tracking systems. These features give studios new ways to produce engaging live sporting coverage and events, from CG crowds filling empty stadiums to interactive visuals detailing the routes of extreme athletes.
David Dowling, Pixotope’s Chief Revenue Office, comments, “Augmented reality and real-time game engines are transforming how audiences engage with and consume live content, particularly broadcast sports. These modern content production tools are expected to impact ticket sales and create new revenue streams exponentially. By opening up this new business vertical, we position Pixotope’s software at the forefront of the revolution. I’m thrilled to have Sam on board to guide us through this journey and confident his breadth of experience and skills will drive Pixotope’s use industry-wide”.
Olympisch Stadion Refines Audio Setup With Powersoft
Although Antwerp’s Olympisch Stadion was built as the main location of 1920’s Summer Olympics, it remains one of the city’s landmarks today, thanks to its status as the home base for local football team, K.Beerschot V.A. When the stadium’s management came to a point where they could no longer continue with their outdated sound system, they called on audio experts PFL and FACE PROJECTS, to assist.
“PFL – one of our preferred dealers – came to us for advice on their design and budget in reference to renewing the stadium’s existing sound system, which was about 25 years old at the time,” said Steven Kemland, manager at FACE PROJECTS. “Beerschot wanted to have an installation to improve quality of speech and to be able to play a good ambient sound; the latter of which was not really possible with the old system.
“From the first design we were able to answer all their questions within the budget they had in mind, so we were not forced to make any backup plans.”
The system would need to transmit both speech and energising music, with volume and fidelity key aspects in setting the right ambiance, allowing spectators and football team to perform at their best.
The team chose 3 x Powersoft’s Quattrocanali 8804 DSP + Dante to drive the 25 x Martin Audio CDD15-WR and 17 x CDD10-WR (which are used as delay). This is controlled by a Dynacord Matrix made up of an MXE5 mix engine and a pair of TPC-1 touch panel controllers, as well as Van Damme LSZH Speaker Cables.
“We love Powersoft and the people involved,” said Kemland. “We know that this great range of products can serve all projects with in a very professional way. Between the Quattrocanali, Ottocanali, Mezzo, and T Series, we have solutions for everything, from very simple projects to more complex installs. With the Quattrocanali 8804, you have a lot of power, on-board DSP, and Dante, all in compact format; not only regarding size of the unit, but the necessary current and cooling too. To have all of this – for a price you can defend to a client – is invaluable to a company like ours.”
The system is also useful for security support in crowd control and public address applications, thanks to its easy-to-use zoning capabilities via the pre-programmed TPC-1 touchscreens that communicate with the Dynacord MXE5 Matrix processor.
The team made good use of Powersoft’s proprietary ArmoníaPlus software, which they used to tune the entire system. “In ArmoníaPlus you have all the parameters you need to adjust and secure the system as much as is necessary. In this project it was strange to be able to replace a complete 42-unit rack filled with 20-year-old amplifiers with just three units and still have the 12 zones in the stadium with a total power of 20,000 Watts.”
To ensure the team was prepared for special events, an external connection port with a Radial Engineering interface has installed near the field to be able to plug analogue signals into the Dante network and use the main sound system without any hassle.
Although technical design was done by FACE PROJECTS on behalf of PFL, both teams worked together on installing the new setup, and support and maintenance will be followed up solely by PFL.
“The stadium won’t be at full capacity until September, but everyone at the smaller (100-capacity) games so far has been really happy with the new system,” said Kemland. “Overall, this has been a great project, and Powersoft can rest assured that they have a proud dealer and another happy customer.”
League of Legends
League of Legends’ World Championship 2020 Finals was staged at the new Pudong Football Stadium in Shanghai, China. It was a high-profile, high-energy event notable for many things, which - in addition to being an eSports calendar highlight - included a spectacular production lighting design by Mat Stovall of LampedUp and his team who helped produce dazzling opening and closing ceremonies plus seat-edge atmospheric engineering, boosting the buzz of the gaming action.
https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/mdst18_digitallr/44
Fulcrum Acoustic Delivers An Efficient and Compact System for Polar Park
When the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, relocated from Rhode Island to Massachusetts, the city of Worcester built Polar Park as the home field for the now Worcester Red Sox.
The Polar Park design team hired consulting firm WJHW to design the needed sound system. Central Communications was awarded the installation contract and they selected Fulcrum Acoustic products for the bulk of the project.
Polar Park requested an efficient system with a full range of sound and strong intelligibility.
WJHW created a distributed design, requiring high output, high fidelity, and good pattern control from a compact system.
Solution
Central Communications mounted seventeen of Fulcrum Acoustic’s FH1566 Full-Range Coaxial Horns along the sunshade, wrapping around the stands from first base to third base. The FH15s produce extremely high output using a single amplifier channel, creating an efficient method of providing coverage to the lower level of seating within the bowl.
Their coaxial design produces broadband pattern control to contain sound within the stadium and focus coverage directly on the fans for superior intelligibility while minimizing size. Three of Fulcrum’s FH1565 loudspeakers covered the left field lawn seating from their position above the scoreboard.
“Fulcrum Acoustic’s FH is easy to power and offers great low frequency response,” says Vin Maiuri from Central Communications. “Polar Park wanted full range sound from their system and the FHs are more than enough to make the stadium come alive.”
The compact enclosures of Fulcrum’s CX Series deliver coverage for the handicap and bar seating shaded by the overhang of box seats above. Other fill coverage was provided by JBL and Bose products.
TF1 France Delights UEFA Euro 2020 Audiences with Vizrt XR
TF1, a private broadcaster in France has been using Vizrt XR (Extended Reality) Playbook for post-match analysis for its coverage of UEFA Euro 2020.
Vizrt XR Playbook gives in-studio and outdoor broadcasters the ultimate creative potential in visual storytelling capabilities and sports analysis including virtual, augmented, mixed, and extended reality graphics and video wall control. Using Vizrt XR Playbook, TF1 audiences are taken on a journey into fully rendered virtual stadiums and immersed into critical game action where analysts control the replay, viewpoint, and other cutting-edge graphics features with a set of easy-to-use tools, further enhancing audience understanding of the action.
Daniel Nergard, President of Vizrt, said: “To compete in the modern media marketplace, you must engage your audience with spectacular visuals. By any measurement, Vizrt XR liberates TF1’s analysts and commentators to unleash their boundless creativity and insight into the game with speed, efficiency, and high quality. Their immersive and compelling extended reality shows delight fans and viewers alike signaling a new era of storytelling for sports.”
Vizrt XR provides a range of capabilities allowing broadcasters to extend the visualization of their stories to tell them better. Video or virtual studio walls and floors as well as the pitch and stands within sports arenas or any other outdoor environment become blank canvasses allowing for interaction between presenters and graphics objects on scales ranging from finely detailed to gargantuan.
Vizrt XR is one of five software Solution Suites made available exclusively through Flexible Access, allowing customers to adapt and scale their production software up and down to meet rapidly changing production needs.
West Bromwich Albion Introduces Blockchain-Secure Mobile Tickets with SecuTix and TIXnGO
West Bromwich Albion FC has appointed the cloud-based ticketing engagement platform SecuTix and mobile ticketing application TIXnGO as its new ticketing technology partners. The systems will be in place for the 21/22 season, with season ticket renewals and sales currently on sale. In using TIXnGO, WBA will be pioneering the use of blockchain-secure mobile tickets in football.
TIXnGO’s blockchain technology creates a unique, encrypted ticket for smartphones that is completely traceable. This removes the risk of counterfeit tickets and makes it easy for fans to transfer or resell securely. Additionally, it includes an option for COVID self-certification.
The mobile app will integrate with the SecuTix 360° platform, which will manage both ticketing and hospitality for WBA. Using SecuTix’s in-built audience management and business intelligence tools, the club aims to improve the fan experience as well as drive WBA’s continued commitment to innovation. The platform will manage stadium tours, coach travel, some merchandise and support The Albion Foundation, the club’s charitable arm.
“Fan experience and engagement sits at the core of the SecuTix platform,” said Mark Miles, West Bromwich Albion’s Operations Director, “and it’s this connected nature that really appeals to our values. We’re excited about working with SecuTix over the coming years to improve the all-round ticketing experience for our supporters – existing and new.”
“We are thrilled to welcome West Bromwich Albion to our growing list of sports clients in the UK,” said David Hornby, UK MD of SecuTix & TIXnGO. “The club, like us, is committed to embracing the latest technologies to improve the fan experience. As football clubs learn to live alongside Covid, having a mobile ticketing tech solution that can be agile and respond efficiently to last-minute changes will help both the club and fans. Combining this with our CRM tools, we can help the Albion connect systems, supporters and partners like never before.”
INFiLED Relocates EMEA HQ and Opens Dubai Office
INFiLED has relocated its EMEA headquarters from Venlo to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, as well as the opening of a new office and showroom in Dubai. The expansion aligns with the company’s long-term strategy to focus on and invest in meeting industry customers’ growing needs and expectations across EMEA.
The 1,300m2 HQ facility located in Europe’s largest seaport, Rotterdam, offers a more prominent and perfectly equipped working space for the entire team of engineers, technicians, and sales managers to offer excellent and fast service.
“We value being close to our EMEA partners and customers. We have listened to them and decided to invest in a bigger space at an easily accessible location,” said INFiLED EMEA CEO, Yabin Li. “We believe that the LED market will recover soon with more and more countries getting reopened, and we are ready to support our customers to develop their business.”
Following INFiLED’s enhanced presence in the Middle East, the company recently opened a brand-new Office and Showroom in the center of Dubai, UAE.
“The office is not only a working space for our fast-growing team but also an opportunity to be closer to the market,” said Samer Otaibi, Business Development Manager of the Middle East. “We are proud and delighted to have a local office to invite customers and show them our latest products for fixed and rental installations.”
“The team is growing, and I am delighted to receive so much positive feedback from our partners,” said INFiLED EMEA Sr. Vice President, Marco Bruines. “After a period of long and extensive travel restrictions, we believe it is our duty to be closer to the market to maintain long-term relationships and support our global customers and partners.”
The company maintains and continues to invest in its 500m2 EMEA Showroom in Barcelona, which opened in February 2021 and where customers can see first-hand INFiLED’s latest LED technologies and products.
Pixotope Generates Live AR Graphics for PSG vs AS Monaco Final
Pixotope successfully delivered 3D recreations of Paris and Monaco during France TV’s live broadcast of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) vs AS Monaco in the French Football Cup final. XD Motion’s X fly 3D with mechanical tracking AR recorded live footage of the Stade de France opening and at halftime, with Pixotope graphics covering the stadium’s pitch with real-time augmented reality regenerations of iconic city landmarks.
The Stade de France is the country’s national stadium and stands as one of the biggest venues in Europe. However, in light of the crowd being absent due to continuing social distancing restrictions, producers at France TV had ambitious plans to cover the entire pitch with AR graphics. World-renowned landmarks such as the Port de Fontvieille in Monaco and the Eiffel Tower in Paris were generated in real-time beneath giant logos of each respective club – covering both the grass and disguising the players during halftime.
One of Pixotope’s key features is its standalone, high-performance Tracking Server, connecting Pixotope with all of the major real-time camera and object tracking systems. This isn’t just passing a signal, allowing users to adjust and transform signals in a robust way, working in alignment with graphics and video.
For this project, this real-time application of AR graphics was made possible by direct integration between Pixotope and XD Motion’s cameras. Attached with multiple fibre ropes and suspended in mid-air, the X fly 3D with mechanical tracking AR tracked the eighty thousand-seat stadium in three dimensions. The digital recreations of Paris and Monaco, created by Post Logic, were then inputted directly into the frame, live on air to millions of viewers.
Benoit Dentan, CEO at XD Motion said, “It was incredible to see the new integration between Pixotope and XD motion work so effectively during one of the biggest broadcast events in French football. All of the graphics were broadcast live on-air, demonstrating the seamless implementation of real-time augmented reality in live sporting events using Pixotope. The combination of XD Motion’s live tracking and AR transforms the viewers’ experience”.
This latest use of AR technology is a further testament to Pixotope’s rapid expansion across broadcast sports, providing television studios with new creative ways to produce immersive live sporting coverage and events.
David Dowling from Pixotope said, “Recently, we've seen an exciting expansion of mixed reality technology in live sports broadcasts. For example, The Super Bowl successfully implemented on-screen mixed reality using Pixotope that combined live-action from multiple moving cameras with augmented virtual stages and graphics. This latest example during the French Football Cup final is another huge achievement for Pixotope, providing an excellent presentation of AR technology on one of the biggest stages in world football. The end result also showcases our seamless integration with XD Motion’s cutting-edge camera technology – the X fly 3D with mechanical tracking AR is perfect for the live coverage and tracking of large-scale sports arenas".
ASM Global and Ticketmaster Expand Major Strategic Partnership
ASM Global has extended its agreement with Ticketmaster to continue serving industry-leading digital ticketing technologies to many of ASM’s premiere North American stadiums, arenas, convention centers and performing arts facilities.
ASM’s venues produce a vast array of events with partners ranging from professional sports to family entertainment and premier concerts with the world’s top promoters including AEG and Live Nation. ASM Global is also expanding its relationship with Ticketmaster by enabling the company to conduct ticket sales for Live Nation-promoted shows at other ASM Global venues throughout North America.
The partnership will give the more than 8 million fans that come to ASM’s venues each year easy access to the most sought-after live experiences in the U.S. and Canada. Ticketmaster is focused on creating solutions that help venues and event operators make the event-going experience easier for fans. With digital tickets, fans receive the benefits of state-of-the-art venue access with contactless entry, mobile box office support, instant transfer when sending a ticket to a friend or selling it to another fan, as well as anti-counterfeiting features, which eliminate ticket fraud by using an encrypted barcode that refreshes automatically every few seconds. Ticketmaster’s foundation of digital ticketing enables the rollout of regular upgrades and innovations.
ASM Global President and CEO Ron Bension said, “With amazing content in all of our venues as a powerful foundation, we continue to discover imaginative new methods that leverage breakthrough technologies to create unparalleled consumer journeys including innovative food and beverage and premium VIP treatment for fans. Aligning with industry leaders like Ticketmaster is a critical component in providing millions of people with the most seamless and secure live experiences.”
“ASM is our largest partner in North America, and we are proud to grow our great work together,” said Michael Rapino, president and CEO, Live Nation Entertainment. “We are committed to supporting ASM’s efforts to provide fans with best-in-class ticketing and fan-engagement now and into the future."
Ticketmaster’s Live Analytics dashboard will enable ASM to build stronger relationships with its fans. The analytics platform will provide ASM with insights and tools for better fan engagement across events of all kinds.
“We are committed to helping ASM deliver world-class events where the ticketing process elevates the entire fan experience,” said Mark Yovich, president, Ticketmaster. “Like Ticketmaster, ASM cares deeply about the customer journey and the value of building strong relationships with fans from the moment they purchase a ticket to well after the event ends.”