Vizrt and Infront release Viz Eclipse

Vizrt and Infront release Viz Eclipse, the world’s first non-intrusive virtual overlay solution, at European football club

Viz Eclipse allows sports rights holders and broadcasters to virtually replace field-side advertising boards. Vizrt will demonstrate Viz Eclipse 1.0 at IBC 2017.

Vizrt, the world leader in advanced real-time 3D graphics, and sports analysis tools, and Infront, the most respected full service sports marketing agency worldwide, rolled out the first version of Viz Eclipse for the 2017-2018 football season. Viz Eclipse is the pioneering tool that allows sports rights holders and broadcasters to virtually replace field-side advertising boards. The unique and non-intrusive technology utilises a fully software and image-based approach, and therefore, does not require any modifications of the cameras or the boards on site. Vizrt will show Viz Eclipse at IBC 2017 on its booth (7.A20).

Infront is exclusively distributing Viz Eclipse as part of its sports services portfolio, enabling rights holders to regionally tailor and streamline their marketing and commercialisation of sports events on a global basis.
 
“Infront is always looking to be at the forefront of industry innovations and together with our partner Vizrt, we are now introducing the next disruptive market innovation. Viz Eclipse is a game changer in regards to how our partners can monetize their rights, enabling them to sell inventory regionally and allowing brands to deliver targeted messages,” said Claude Ruibal, Executive Director Digital Production and Sports Solutions at Infront Sports & Media AG.

Vizrt and Infront release Viz Eclipse, the world’s first non-intrusive virtual overlay solution, at European football club

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“We tested Viz Eclipse live during a major football tournament this year and the performance was remarkable,” said Stephan Würmlin Stadler, Chief Product Officer, Vizrt. “The positive feedback from the tests and the maturity of Viz Eclipse lead to the first installation at VfL Wolfsburg, a German Bundesliga club, that begins this 2017-2018 season.”

The non-intrusive technology of Viz Eclipse gives content owners the ability to insert region-specific ads into television feeds. This generates new revenue streams for rights holders through additional regional advertising sales. Additionally, the virtual board content can also be created interactively based on the most powerful real-time graphics engine in broadcast, and thus adding an additional dimension to the targeted marketing.

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The initial focus of Viz Eclipse is on soccer and it can be applied to matches in any stadium with perimeter advertising boards. The entirely image-based technology provides maximal flexibility and is minimally invasive for the integration in any broadcast setup, without requiring any modification to the boards nor camera. Viz Eclipse can be fully operated out of the studio, while still having the full flexibility of replacing static or LED boards. Operations based in the studio help to further optimize stability, facilitate and standardize workflows, and maximise failsafety and redundancy. 

About Infront:
Infront Sports & Media, a Wanda Sports company, is one of the most respected sports marketing companies in the world, managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Led by President & CEO Philippe Blatter, Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events – including distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production, event operation and digital solutions – and has won a reputation for its high standards of delivery. As the number one player in winter sport and with a leading role in football, summer and endurance sports, Infront enjoys long-lasting partnerships with 170 rights-holders and hundreds of sponsors and media companies. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 900 experienced staff working from over 35 offices across more than 15 countries, delivering 4,100 event days of top class sport around the world every year. In November 2015, Infront was integrated into Wanda Sports Group, part of the Chinese conglomerate the Dalian Wanda Group.

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About Vizrt:
Vizrt is a worldwide market leader in the areas of real-time 3D graphics, studio automation, sports analysis and asset management tools for the media and entertainment industry. This includes interactive and virtual solutions, animations, maps, weather, social media, video editing, compositing, and multiplatform VOD and live playout tools. Vizrt has customers in more than 100 countries worldwide including CNN, CBS, Fox, BBC, BSkyB, Sky Sports, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, Al Jazeera, NDR, ITN, ZDF, VICE, The Washington Post, TF1, CCTV, NHK and the list keeps growing. Vizrt has nearly 600 employees and operates in 40 offices worldwide. Vizrt is a privately owned company by Nordic Capital Fund VIII.