Viasat Makes Viewers Part of the Broadcast with never.no Interactivity Suite
OSLO, Norway — Sept. 8, 2011 — never.no today announced that MTG Viasat Broadcasting, the largest free- and pay-TV operator in Scandinavia and the Baltic States, relied on never.no’s Interactivity Suite (IS) and Broadcast Add-On for Harris RTX™ to display Twitter and Facebook feeds and synchronize a Facebook polling application during its live broadcast of the UEFA® Champions League playoff games. never.no’s technology gave Viasat sports viewers a direct way to interact with the broadcast, allowing Viasat to capitalize on its massive Facebook and social media following.
never.no’s IS and the Broadcast Add-on for Harris RTX enabled Viasat for the first time to synchronize the efforts of its online and broadcast departments, making it possible to get social media content onto the screen with a single tool. Sports editors and producers used the tool to integrate social media content into the broadcast graphics in real time and push dynamic polls via a synchronized Facebook application.
“Social media is fast becoming an integral part of our service offering, so we needed a way to manage that content and get it on air. The never.no Interactivity Suite bridges the gap between our playout center and our highly active social media sites,” said Stian Kleppo, head of sports at Viasat. “They are no longer two disconnected departments. Now they function seamlessly, and one can control the other with a single tool.”
The never.no IS is a toolkit for creating the technical backbone of interactive broadcasts and digital marketing campaigns. IS supports true participation TV by enabling viewers to influence a broadcast in real time, and allowing them to interact with one another and the rest of the world. With IS, a broadcaster can effortlessly aggregate user-generated content from social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook into programming, and even build synchronized companion apps that enable viewers to interact with their televisions using an iPad® (or tablet), PC, or smartphone.
The Broadcast Add-On for Harris RTX is a software module that provides an unparalleled level of integration and master control for the Harris RTX infrastructure. Also known as Dynamic Content Scheduler (DCS), the module sits between the moderation and control platform and the playout systems, synchronizing and coordinating the variety of dynamic content and other media assets. DCS for RTX handles all necessary micromanagement – such as queue and play videos, release chat messages or images in a configured tempo, and run transitions between scene changes – while the format is running. DCS Broadcast Add-Ons use standard protocols to integrate with content editorial systems, video servers, automation systems, ad-inserters, station clocks, and more.
“Viasat Sports is renowned for its great sports coverage, and now they are raising the bar for viewer experience,” said never.no CEO Lars Lauritzsen. “We are convinced the addition of social content in their coverage is something their viewers will love, and thus will build strong viewership and retention.”
More information about never.no products is available at www.never.no or by phone at +47 22 01 66 20.
About Viasat
Viasat Broadcasting is the largest business area within the international entertainment broadcasting group Modern Times Group MTG AB. MTG Viasat Broadcasting is the largest free-and pay-TV operator in Scandinavia and the Baltic States, and operates its own free-TV channels in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Ghana. In addition, MTG has a DTH platform in Ukraine, as well as pay television channels in Central and Eastern Europe and the United States.
MTG is the largest shareholder in Russia’s biggest independent broadcaster CTC Media, and MTGs TV channels reach 125 million people in 30 countries. MTG also operates the largest commercial radio network in the Nordic and Baltic region. MTG is listed on Nasdaq OMX Stockholm.
Viasat’s channels reach out to 100 million people in these countries. Viasat’s satellite TV service includes multichannel TV packages of more than 50 self-produced and third-party channels of entertainment. MTG also operates the largest commercial radio network in Northern Europe.
About never.no
never.no’s award-winning interactive “TV. Mobile. Social. 1Framework.” technology connects fragmented media platforms across broadcast TV systems, mobile, and social media platforms — enabling real-time viewer participation, social TV, and synchronized companion apps. In operation since 1999, never.no has a global customer base including top brands such as BBC, CTVglobeMedia, Danmarks Radio, Etisalat, Music Choice, TV Norge, TV 2 Norge, TV 2 Danmark, and Viasat. More information about never.no products is available at www.never.no.
