Sony announces full compatibility with DCM®’s new solution PARALLEL ADS®

Sony announces full compatibility with DCM®’s new solution PARALLEL ADS®

Enabling live broadcasters to tailor sponsored content to different audiences, the solution will unlock new revenue streams for rights holders of live events

Sony today announces full compatibility with PARALLEL ADS® a solution by AGS AG (Switzerland), enabling broadcasters of sporting events to simultaneously share tailored advertising content to different audiences around the globe. The solution is based on the DYNAMIC CONTENT MULITPLICATION® technology that can also provide the same benefits for music and other live events. The DCM® technology enables rights holders to broadcast up to four simultaneous feeds for event-based LED advertising from a single camera, helping them unlock new revenue streams by tailoring these advertisements to different markets. This also improves the customer experience by providing relevant content to different audiences. The new technology is part of an ambition from Sony to respond directly to broadcasters’ needs, address new industry challenges and drive efficiencies. 

Unlocking revenue with innovative technologies  

PARALLEL ADS® shows its full potential exclusively in conjunction with live system cameras from Sony, including the HDC-5500, which has the world’s first native 3x UHD CMOS sensors and incorporates Global Shutter technology, a key feature in enabling PARALLEL ADS®. The technology allows broadcasters to share, in real-time, unique advertising content for different markets. For example, on the same perimeter LED screen a viewer watching a broadcast stream in Japan will see advertisements for Japanese products while a viewer of the same stream in France will see French advertisements. In total, four different unique streams can be broadcast simultaneously. The human eye will only be able to detect the venue feed, so the in-person experience is unchanged.   

The technology works by playing all feeds on the LED system in real time. No additional hardware is required, instead synchronisation is simply done by configuring the camera settings and equipment with the OB (outside broadcasting) van. Once a camera is synchronised to PARALLEL ADS®, the multiple feeds are directly available in the vision mixer.  

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As opposed to a virtual overlay, which creates a new advertisement in post-processing, PARALLEL ADS® is capable of directly emitting multiple feeds simultaneously from one camera. Because no post-processing, tracking or other pre/post setup is required, broadcasters can reap the benefits of the new revenue streams without the need for additional staff and with minimal disruption to current workflows.  

“We always work extremely closely with our broadcast customers, whether to enhance their operations to be more effective or to help them gain greater return on investment. DCM® shares our ambition and vision when it comes to adding value to existing processes within the broadcasting industry. Combining our leading Sony system cameras with PARALLEL ADS® is a fantastic demonstration of what joint innovation can achieve. We’re now thrilled to share the result with broadcasters and producers who can use this cutting-edge technology to gain more control over the content they share with global audiences while unlocking new revenue opportunities,” explains Norbert Paquet, Head of Product Management, Sony Professional Solutions Europe. 

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Putting creators and broadcasters in control of content  

In contrast to virtual solutions, external environmental factors such as rain, fog or snow will not impact visual output. Likewise, cameras do not need to be static and they remain capable of outputting in Slow Motion even in additional feeds, meaning the technology is perfect for broadcasters of fast-paced sporting or music events that require freedom of camera movements and angles.  

Enabling live broadcasters to tailor sponsored content to different audiences, the solution will unlock new revenue streams for rights holders of live events

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“We’re extremely proud of our work over the past two years developing the PARALLEL ADS® solution. It fundamentally broadens the horizons of rights holders, allowing them to engage with different sponsors simultaneously or tailor sponsored content to each market; greatly increasing its impact and value. Meanwhile, in conjunction with leading system cameras from Sony, broadcasters now have an ultra-low-latency, real-time solution that doesn’t sacrifice key features such as Slow Motion,” says Karsten Schroeder, chairman, AGS AG.  

A variety of 4K live system cameras from Sony Professional support output to multiple feeds with the PARALLEL ADS® system, including the HDC-3500 and HDC-P50. 

PARALLEL ADS® was in use at the LNR TOP14 final in Paris this summer and will feature at a number of upcoming sporting events. 

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