CANAL+ Kicks Off with Canal Football App Using EVS’ C-Cast

The new app, conceptualised by CANAL+ Sports with the help of the engineering department at CANAL+ and the NetcoSports group for the design and the interface, is the first of its kind providing up-to-the-minute statistics, multicam video clips of all the highlights and bonus material such as Super Slow Motion action replays in full length. It also features filmed reactions from the commentators and special guests from Canal Plus’ live football programme, Canal Football Club, as well as the possibility to interact via social networks. The app is available on iOS for iPad users, and since the beginning of this month on Android for those using Samsung Galaxy tablets.

All of the app’s content is fed through EVS’ C-Cast; its automated hardware and software solution. C-Cast instantly processes and transfers live multicam media recorded on EVS’ XT/XS production servers, along with descriptive metadata and third-party items (graphics and statistics), direct to web-connected tablets with the Canal Football App.

C-Cast was easily integrated into our existing EVS live production infrastructure, and coupled with the added value that it brings, marginal production costs can be quickly recovered,’ explained François-Charles Bideaux, director of sports production at Canal Plus. ‘With this new tool and our experience in live football coverage, Canal Plus is setting itself apart by providing expert analysis from those who know and love the game, while also providing a unique multi-screen football experience that will increase the engagement of the fans and give them more control over the content they want to see. CANAL+ is providing this new service during the live coverage of all 76 headline matches per season for the next four seasons.’

During the match, Euro Media France, who were in charge of the production process, created clips and associated metadata, such as keywords describing the action and timecode references, using EVS’ content production management suite, IPDirector. Key action shots and their references were then automatically transferred to C-Cast’s central database, where they were available in multiple angles, and in a proxy file format - made possible by EVS’ synchronised multicam recording process. Graphics showing match statistics - created with Symah Vision technology - were also integrated into the database using the system’s advanced API architecture. As a result, the C-Cast database could feed the linked web interface with the packaged media, in less than two minutes, direct to the football fans.

‘C-Cast truly personalises the viewer’s experience,” added Nicolas Tissier, project manager of the Canal Football App at Canal Plus. ‘Just seconds after a clip has been created it’s instantly available on the app’s timeline for review. Users can then select any camera in the stadium or on the pitch to view the action from their preferred angle.’

About EVS 
EVS designs leading broadcast and media production systems for sports, news and TV entertainment. Its innovative Live Slow Motion system revolutionised live broadcasting and its reliable and integrative tapeless solutions are now widely used for non-linear editing and 3D HD productions across the globe.
The company's dedicated systems offer a complete production platform: live slow motion (LSM), super and ultra slow motion, clips creation, fast turnaround editing, production and archive asset management, time delay, multi-camera and multi-feed recording, logging, live graphic analysis, digital transmission, multi-format ingest and play-back, second screen delivery. Main software applications like the IPDirector® or MulticamLSM® are designed to control the industry's most robust and flexible production platform, the XT series server. The world's leading broadcasters, such as NBC, BSkyB, FOX, RTBF, RTL, NHK, CANAL+, ABC, ESPN, TF1, CCTV, PBS, CBS, BBC, ZDF, Channel One, Channel7, RAI, TVE, NEP, MEDIAPRO, EUROMEDIA, BEXEL, ALFACAM and many others use EVS' solutions.
The company is headquartered in Belgium and has offices in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America. Approximately 400 EVS professionals from 20 offices are selling its branded products in over 100 countries, and provide customer support globally.