Vizrt signs USD 2 million deal for a complete news production package with a news channel in the Middle East

 
Bergen, Norway, March 26, 2014, Vizrt Ltd. (Oslo Main List: VIZ).

Vizrt Ltd. announced today a deal worth USD 2 million for the implementation of a complete integrated video and graphics production package for a news channel in the Middle East. The customer currently has multiple news studios broadcasting in several languages using Vizrt products. The channel is expanding its capacity with a new newsroom, control room and studio for which the new Vizrt components will be used.

“Vizrt excels in tools for news production.  This new deal shows that our offerings continue to match the requirements in this market,” stated Martin Burkhalter, Vizrt’s CEO. “We are very pleased to grow with this customer as they expand their global broadcast capabilities.”

The deal includes tools that empower the journalist to tell stories in new ways in the studio, where an interactive video wall will be installed.  Graphics and video will be created and entered into the workflow with Viz Engine in the studio. Additional graphics and video interaction with the video wall by the journalist will be implemented through the Viz Anchor iPad app. News and sports content will be run on the video wall, along with maps from Viz World and weather data from Viz Weather.

In the newsroom, journalists will have the ability to fill templates with graphics and video content using a combination of Viz Pilot, Vizrt’s content and control application, and Viz One, Vizrt’s media asset management (MAM) system. The systems are integrated as part of the customer’s newsroom control system (NRCS). The graphics created become part of a playlist for playout in the studio’s video wall or from the control room.

Editors will also access graphic templates with the NLE plugin, part of Viz Pilot. The plugin allows them to edit graphic templates and place them on a timeline in their native non-linear editor for pre production.

In the control room Viz Pilot control the playlist of graphics and video and triggers them live for on-air use and to the video wall. Multiple Viz Engines composite the video and graphics to create the on-air signal.

The News Channel will be able to have consistent and automated channel branding across multiple platforms and channel using Viz Multichannel. The system takes content from the customers promotions department and automatically triggers the scheduled branding based upon timing and commands from an automation system. Viz Ticker will also be continually scrolling on the screen featuring continuously updating news, weather, finance and sports information.

The customer’s design team will be supplemented with multiple seats of Viz Artist, Vizrt’s design platform. Daily graphics that are not part of the templates for the newsroom are created with Viz Artist then saved to be played back from Viz Pilot in the control room. Vizrt’s Creative Services team will assist in the creation of the customer’s graphics package and templates.

The News Channels Engineering department will be able to monitor the system using Viz Secure. It can supervise both on-air and content preparation systems, provides continuous visual status updates, reports failures, suggests remedial and preventative actions, and logs every system event, enabling statistical and trend monitoring.

Investor and media contact:

Martin Burkhalter / CEO / +41 22 365 75 01 / MBurkhalter@vizrt.com

Tomer Wald / CFO / +44 20 3289 6415 / TWald@vizrt.com

Frank Schwarz / Schwarz Financial Communication / +49 611 1745 398 11 / schwarz@schwarzfinancial.com

 
About Vizrt:

Vizrt provides real-time 3D graphics, studio automation, sports analysis and asset management tools for the broadcast industry - interactive and virtual solutions, animations, maps, weather, video editing and compositing tools. Vizrt's products are used by the world's leading broadcasters, including: CNN, CBS, Fox, the BBC, BSkyB, Al Jazeera, ITN, ZDF, Star TV, Network 18, TV Today, CCTV, and NHK. Furthermore, many world-class production houses and corporate institutions such as the Stock Exchanges in New York and London use Vizrt systems.

Vizrt is a public company traded on the Oslo Main List: VIZ, ISIN: IL0010838154. For further information please refer to www.vizrt.com

Copyright © Vizrt. All rights reserved. This press release contains forward-looking statements with respect to the business, financial condition and results of operations of Vizrt and its affiliates. These statements are based on the current expectations or beliefs of Vizrt's management and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or performance of the Company to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties relate to changes in technology and market requirements, the company’s concentration on one industry, decline in demand for the company’s products and those of its affiliates, inability to timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and applications, and loss of market share and pressure on pricing resulting from competition, which could cause the actual results or performance of the company to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements. Vizrt undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.