12 December 2013
Vizrt Ltd. today announced a deal worth USD 1.4 million for the implementation of broadcast graphics (BG) and media asset management (MAM) products with Thai Rath in Thailand. The deal is a continuation of a project by Thai Rath for a new TV channel.
The deal includes an enterprise MAM version of Viz One, Vizrt’s complete end-to-end solution for the creation, management and delivery of media assets. Vizrt will also deliver several Viz Engines, Vizrt’s real-time compositor, as well as Viz Virtual Studio for the broadcaster to expand its virtual set capabilities.
The Vizrt Social TV solution was purchased to give journalists a tool for moderating and distributing social media content for on-air use. Viz World is adding editorial capabilities that will allow the journalists in the newsroom to create local street maps for Thailand, as well as animated maps for the rest of the world.
Thai Rath is preparing to launch a TV channel in 2014 with a comprehensive Vizrt solution, designed for easy multiplatform distribution of content.
Martin Burkhalter, CEO of Vizrt, stated “Vizrt continues to be a strong partner for Thai Rath in Thailand. This new deal testifies to their trust in both Vizrt product lines: BG and MAM. It also gives testimony to the trust of Thai Rath in Vizrt’s Thailand-based sales and support team, to deliver the solutions to help them become a successful broadcaster.”
Thai Rath, is a Thai-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok and distributed throughout Thailand, with a distribution of more than 1 million copies per day. Founded in 1962, Thai Rath is the oldest and best selling newspaper in Thailand.
25 November 2013
Vizrt Ltd. announced today a contract worth USD 260,000 for the implementation of Broadcast Graphics products with a major broadcaster in China. The broadcaster is an existing Vizrt customer, and the new purchase is an add-on to already installed systems.
The deal includes several Viz Engines, Vizrt’s real-time graphics and video compositing engine. The Viz Engines will increase the broadcaster’s capacity to display on-air graphics for channel branding and add another graphics channel for their news character generator.
13 November 2013
Vizrt Ltd. announced today that it has entered into an indicative non-binding term sheet with TV2 Gruppen AS for the purchase of all of the issued share capital of Mosart Medialab AS (“Mosart”), a Norwegian private company active in the field of development and licensing of newscast automation software.
Mosart helps broadcasters streamline their workflow, automating a number of TV production tasks through software. The solution enables the creation of complex production with just a few operators through an easy-to-use software interface. Mosart takes input from the newsroom computer system to control systems and devices, while human resources remain in control and add the human touch.
“I am excited about the possibilities this proposed transaction can bring to Vizrt and our customers. Mosart’s technology is a perfect complement to our smart workflow solutions and will enhance our offering to broadcasters on a global scale. Vizrt continues to innovate and with this acquisition we further strengthen our position as the dominant player in the broadcast software market.” stated Martin Burkhalter, Vizrt’s CEO.
Burkhalter added, “This transaction makes sense for us both strategically and financially. Mosart has shown strong growth and we expect our due diligence to show the acquisition will be accretive.”
“Mosart’s technology will enable us to simplify content production for our current and future customers. The proposed joining of forces will not just add products to our portfolio; it will also enable us to develop new integrated products and workflows that have the potential of being highly disruptive for the broadcast technology market. Integrating Mosart’s technology with Viz Engine, for instance, would offer the market a very powerful and efficient tv-in-a-box-solution,” stated Vizrt’s CTO Petter Ole Jakobsen.
In consideration for the purchase of 100% of the issued share capital of Mosart, VIZRT shall pay, at the closing of the transaction, an amount of NOK 105 million (approximately £10.5 million). In addition, the sellers have an earn-out mechanism should the revenues for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 exceed certain thresholds.
As part of the transaction, TV2 Gruppen AS shall continue to be granted a license for Mosart’s software, in accordance with the current annual license fee charged by Mosart, of NOK 2.6 million per year for 7 years.
The indicative term sheet entered into is non-binding. The transaction is subject to a legal, financial, technical and operational due diligence review. Assuming the due diligence review is to Vizrt’s satisfaction, subject to board of directors’ approval, agreement on transaction documents, including a final share purchase agreement and receipt of all required approvals, including regulatory approvals, the parties aim to conclude the transaction by December 31, 2013.
31 October 2013
Vizrt Ltd. announced today a deal worth worth USD 720,000 for the implementation of broadcast graphics products with a broadcaster in the Middle East. The broadcaster’s parent company has been a Vizrt customer since 2009, and this purchase will allow the customer to share resources, including a common graphics package, templates and image library, with other broadcasters in the group.
The deal includes products for creating a complete news graphics workflow from the newsroom to the control room. In the newsroom, journalists access and edit graphics templates and maps from their native newsroom management system using Viz Content Pilot and the Viz World template-based mapping system. This allows them to easily edit and add graphics and maps to a playlist for a news broadcast. The graphics are then played back in real-time during the broadcast using the playlist control version of Viz Content Pilot in the control room.
Additionally, journalists will also use Viz Ticker3D to create and control messages to be displayed on a live ticker.
The customer purchased multiple Viz Engines, Vizrt’s powerful 3D rendering platform to render all graphics live on-air and provide the journalism staff preview capabilities in the newsroom.
5 September 2013
At IBC 2013, Vizrt, booth 7.A10, will showcase several new solutions for sports broadcasters to enhance their live sports coverage with virtual graphics as well as analyze key plays of the match.
Image-based camera tracking for live sports enhancements
Vizrt will demonstrate a new live image-based camera tracking technology and integration with its live sports enhancement product Viz Arena. Based on state-of-the-art image processing technology that is also applied in Vizrt’s sports analysis system Viz Libero, Viz Arena tracks cameras in real-time based on a clean video feed. This makes it possible to apply graphics to the field without the need of mechanical tracking heads. Live sports enhancements include virtual advertisements, distance measurements, record lines, player pointers, team badges or starting grids. Replay effects are possible using the new EVS integration.
The Harvester – Bridging studio and remote
Another new Vizrt technology showcased at IBC is the Harvester: A component that enables studio access to multi-angle footage of a live production, seamlessly integrated with Viz Libero, Viz Engine, and Viz Media Engine in the broadcast center. The Harvester allows events to be logged of a sport game together with the desired camera angles – from the stands, the studio or from home using a tablet or mobile device. Multi-angle footage will then be instantly encoded and transferred to the studio where it is directly ingested into Viz Libero for rapid and synchronized processing of 3D analysis. Multi-angle data can also be smoothly used by other Vizrt applications, such as Viz Engine for enhanced, multi-angle interactive highlights shows or for archiving the multi-angle data with Viz Media Engine. As a one-box solution in a fully automatic workflow, the Harvester can be easily integrated into any existing OB truck.
Virtual Presenter
The Virtual Presenter will be part of the Viz Virtual Studio demonstration at IBC. The Virtual Presenter places your talent among the players and action on the field of a sport analysis clip and as a unique solution for interactive and immersive post-game shows. It is easily implemented on top of an existing Viz Engine and Viz Libero installation and creates a new way for presenters to be literally on the pitch with the players.
Interactive studio solution for World Cup 2014
The World Cup 2014 in Brazil is fast approaching and at IBC 2013, Vizrt will display an interactive package that covers all aspects of a studio show for the tournament. An interactive Viz Artist scene will be controlled from a touchscreen and iPad and will include pre-game elements like team formations and stadium maps for Brazil, in-game content, such as highlight and analysis clips with telestration, post-game elements like player and team statistics, and the tournament schedule. A series of 3D World Cups stadiums, created by Vizrt partner Rakete, will be part of the Viz Virtual Studio presentation. The complete set of scenes on display at IBC are available for broadcasters to use and are easily customized for a unique look and feel.
Latest sports analysis enhancements
Vizrt will present the new features and workflow improvements in Viz Libero. Viz Libero now offers Virtual SloMo, which uses an advanced image-based algorithm to generate ultra-slow motion (up to 1500 fps) footage rather than relying on high-speed camera systems. Virtual SloMo and other Viz Libero 3D replay tools can be used on any live camera image or remote video feed. Viz Libero also includes in-game 3D virtual sports toolsets geared to motorsports, tennis, cricket, field hockey as well as Australian football. The system already supports many others, such as football, American football, ice hockey, baseball, basketball, and volleyball
