Stations want the viewer to (virtually) join the talent on the set leading to new ways of telling a story that engages and informs the audience.
For television stations, keeping viewers interested in a news story has always been a challenge. It's even more so in today's multi-channel, multi-platform video consumption world. Indeed, the traditional static anchor desk with immobile on-air talent is clearly a thing of the past.
Using interactive screen to examine election results in various regions.
Traditional news studio with two anchors at the news desk.
What we're seeing globally is that designers are able to get more use out of the same studio space, led by a reduction in the size and complexity of the equipment installed and its ability to be controlled by the on-air talent themselves. In addition, changing a stations' on-air look can lead to sort term ratings spikes.
The advent of high-definition production and highly customizable graphics and virtual sets has changed the news game. We see on-air talent interacting with the graphics to tell the story as never before. And that's good for the viewer, who gets a more compelling look, and a better understanding, of a particular news story. It's also good for the station, because longer retention usually means higher ratings and increase and revenue.
However, the production and presentation of these 3D graphics has to be coordinated and they have to be created quickly. Then there's monitors that must be filled with content. Add to that multi-touch screens, virtual sets, immersive graphics and hybrid virtual/physical sets. All are now being used in creative ways to tell a story.
So, a centralized graphics rendering platform, like the Viz Engine from Vizrt, is critically important to keeping these multi-layered graphics fresh and allowing the staff to make changes right up to air. Once the proper graphics system is in place, a wide range of applications can be employed. With the Viz Engine, we're seeing graphics controlled with electronic tablets, infrared devices, foot pedals and even a wave of the hand.
The Viz Engine also allows news staff to merge graphics and video into a single workflow. Journalists search, edit and place graphics and video together in their native newsroom control system. Viz Engine then renders video and graphics together at the moment they are triggered to air. This state-of-the-art, non-conform workflow also enables the journalist to change graphic content up until the moment the video and graphics are played on air. And the graphic and video content can be played in a variety of formats in real-time from the Viz Engine for multiplatform distribution. Viewers on mobile devices, online, and on-air have the best possible viewing experience without the delay caused by transcoding.
News studios are installing off-the-shelf flat panel displays that can be mounted in a variety of ways and add color and graphics capabilities while allowing the anchor to roam around a set. Others are using rear-projection cubes mounted in a monitor wall configuration. This allows the producers to change the backdrop without having to build a new hard set for every newscast.
A combination of touchscreens and Viz Virtual Studio can create informative visual content.
Anchors stand in front of and interact with content as they explain a story.
News studios looking for the cool factor are installing large touch screen plasma and LED displays that allow an on-air reporter to swipe the screen and move on to the next image. Both CNN and Fox News use such technology, supported by a Viz Engine infrastructure, in their main New York studios. The images shown on these flat-panel displays could be live video, a map, a social media thread, animations or a still image.
The Viz Engine has also been enhanced with IP-streaming capability. This allows broadcasters to stream multiple formats and resolutions simultaneously, speeding the creation of online and mobile graphic and video content while keeping viewers of any of these platforms engaged longer. And that's what today's newscasts are all about.
At the end of the day, the trend in TV news studio technology is finding that right mix of presenting a story in its most comprehensive light. The challenge is to keep viewers interested in a multichannel world filled with an increasing variety of on-air looks and capabilities. That's why refreshing a station's on-air look with creative studio space design and graphics enhancements are critical to staying competitive.
Mixing the physical set and a virtual studio opens the door to new ways of telling a story while still being grounded in the studio.
In the past TV stations endeavored to bring the news into a viewer's living room. Today, the opposite is occurring. Stations want the viewer to (virtually) join the talent on the set. That's why anchors roam the set and the anchor desk has been replaced with touchscreen HD LCD panels and virtual elements that an anchor can stand in front of and interact with as they explain a story.
When the viewer is comfortable with the look and feel of a newscast, they watch longer. It's not rocket science, just a wow factor being added to traditional news. And more and more stations are beginning to understand the value of an exciting on-air look and the flexibility a centralized graphics platform can provide.
Most recent headlines
01/01/2026
Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Announces 2026 Noel Schajris Scholarship The scholarship will cover tuition and housing for one Berklee College of Music stud...
01/01/2026
New year, new games, all with RTX 5080-powered cloud energy. GeForce NOW is kicking off 2026 by looking back at an unforgettable year of wins and wildly high fr...
31/12/2025
Back to All News
NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix Scores Again With the Lions-V...
30/12/2025
As the College Football Playoff Enters the Quarterfinals, ESPN Blows Out Its Meg...
30/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Original ArticlesTake a look back at all our coverage of big-time productions, game-changing technologies, and state-of-the-art new faci...
30/12/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., Dec. 30, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its fourth quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, J...
30/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
30/12/2025
It marked the first civilian operational authorization for a HAPS flight in Europe, led by Space42's subsidiary, Mira Aerospace
The flight demonstrated HAP...
29/12/2025
San Francisco 49ers Strike Gold With Halftime Laser SpectacularStunning display caps $200 million renovation of Levi's Stadium techBy Dan Daley, Audio Edito...
29/12/2025
The Cup's Around the Corner: An Inside Look at Broadcast Preparations for th...
29/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Longform VideoWatch the standout keynote conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions from the year for free on SVG PLAY!By Brandon ...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
29/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today!By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
P...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
Stations want the viewer to (virtually) join the talent on the set leading to new ways of telling a story that engages and informs the audience.
