Advanced Television

TF1, Viaccess-Orca broadcast 360° football

April 5, 2016

Viaccess-Orca, an expert in the protection and enhancement of content services, and the French TV channel TF1 have announced the broadcast of the world’s first live stream of a football match in 360 degrees and Ultra HD (HEVC-encoded), showcasing a premium TV experience with virtual reality (VR) technologies for a test audience.

On March 29th, this private audience enjoyed a football match between France and Russia in real-time, from three remote locations, using VR headsets. A recording of the live broadcast will be shown for the first time as part of Viaccess-Orca’s “Virtual Arena” demo at the 2016 NAB Show.

“Viaccess-Orca and TF1 are ushering in a new era for sports entertainment. At the event, our audience experienced an actual stadium ambiance, feeling immersed in the game. This was made possible by our best-of-breed, end-to-end solution for streaming of 360-degree video,” said Alain Nochimowski, Executive Vice President of Innovation at Viaccess-Orca. “Pre-integrated with an ecosystem of technology partners and compatible with existing industry standards, Viaccess-Orca’s ‘Virtual Arena’ offers a premium 360-degree television experience for the emerging VR environment. We are thrilled that, together with TF1 and our technology partners, we are shaping the future of television and paving the way to the ultimate immersion quality and viewer engagement experience.”

The unique experience was powered by an end-to-end ecosystem of technology partners, managed by Viaccess-Orca, and includes video compression and delivery company, Harmonic; OTT streaming specialist, Keepixo; 360-degree stitching and image processing specialist, VideoStitch; expert in production process for live programmes, AmpVisual TV; and specialist in filming and post-production of 360-degree videos, Digital Immersion.

Olivier Abecassis, Chief Digital Officer at TF1 Group said, “At TF1, we work every day to prepare the future of TV and develop new immersive experiences for our audience. This is the reason why we are very happy to be the first TV channel to experiment with the live stream of a football match in 360 degrees in Ultra HD with our partner Viaccess-Orca.”

Categories: Articles, Content, UHD, VR