
Andy O'Neil, regional head of sports, Vizrt, explains how billions of eyeballs around the world will be tuning into tournament coverage with graphics powered by his company
By TVBEurope Staff
Published: December 1, 2022 Updated: December 5, 2022
Andy O'Neil, regional head of sports, Vizrt, explains how billions of eyeballs around the world will be tuning into tournament coverage with graphics powered by his company
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
What is your company's role?
Vizrt is providing technology that will underpin much of the graphical output that fans will see on their screens during the World Cup in Qatar, like AR graphics, virtual sets and more, driven by Viz Engine. Many rights holders for the broadcasts will use Vizrt tech, as well as our service providers and partners who also playing crucial roles during the event. With expectations that billions across the globe will tune in this year, there will be a lot of eyeballs on graphics powered by Vizrt!
How many people will be involved in the operation; remote vs on-site?
While our broadcast clients, partners and service providers will no doubt be deploying a significant amount of effort to the World Cup, our role is merely to support them as best we can whether they are on-prem or remote.
We will have local support on the ground in Qatar, as well as from our regional office in the neighbouring UAE. However, we know that many broadcasters are staying at home and using facilities already at their disposal instead opting to engage viewers with enhanced graphics, to save on cost of travel and carbon emissions. To support all our customers, whether at their bases or on-site, our 24/7 global customer success and support team is on high alert to ensure all clients receive the support required during one of the most important sporting events of this year.
What technology are you deploying on the project?
A broad range of our technology is being deployed as part of our clients' World Cup projects. Of course, at the core of it all is the powerful Viz Engine, which will be driving not only CG graphics, but also video walls, augmented reality, virtual sets, and mixed reality set extensions.
Our user-friendly control applications in the form of Viz Trio and Viz Arc will also be seen on-site for productions across the globe. Our Viz Libero analysis software is another must-have tool for events such as the World Cup, whether it be for simple analysis for broadcast, digital or social, or more advanced studio-based analysis with 3D flights and AR elements.
We also have a few clients adopting cloud production workflows of which Vizrt are part of, and it is great to see the trust being put in cloud for such a massive event.
Is any of it new?
As always, the FIFA World Cup is a marquee event and broadcasters always want to bring new innovations and amplify the wow factor' for fans. Viz Engine 5 with its Unreal integration and Adaptive Graphics, Viz Trio 4 with Data Centre and Viz Libero 8.1 with new enhanced graphics and the World Cup Stadium models have all been launched in the last few months in time for the World Cup, so expect to see some great looking graphics, data visualisations and studio analysis in the coming weeks.
What are the stand-out USPs of your company's role in terms of sustainability, cloud usage, remote production?
Whether it be remote production or cloud production, Vizrt's robust products and solutions can promote sustainability without compromising content quality. We are making a major push into cloud live production, with software such as Viz Engine, Viz Trio and Viz Mosart all available in the cloud. With the launch of Viz Now, our easy-to-use automated cloud deployment tool, we have also added Viz Libero to the cloud for file-based workflows.
Our tools are there for our clients to use in the cloud should it fit in with their productions, and some are using them actively for the World Cup. Sustainability is obviously a topic which everyone in our industry should be considering, especially around such a large global event. The recent proof of concept between UEFA and BT Sport shows how much a production carbon footprint can be reduced with the cloud, and that was just on one OB.
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
08/07/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr is applauding the passage of President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill and provision...
08/07/2025
SYDNEY RTS has announced that Channel 7 Sydney has deployed a new comms system from RTS as part of a larger ST-2110 upgrade....
08/07/2025
ATLANTA & CINCINNATI Gray Media, Inc. and The E.W. Scripps Company have entered into agreements to swap television stations across five mid-sized and small mark...
07/07/2025
SBS Farewells Chair George Savvides AM
7 July, 2025
Media releases
Born of Greek Cypriot parents, Mr Savvides joined the SBS Board as Deputy Chair in Febru...
07/07/2025
Advanced vision solutions deliver more than reliable night vision for tactical-edge warfighters. Today's technological advances can provide the capability f...
07/07/2025
BALTIMORE Sinclair has named Narinder Sahai its executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective immediately....
07/07/2025
Riedel Communications today announced the launch of RefSuite, a powerful new Managed Technology solution tailored to professional sports workflows. RefSuite com...
07/07/2025
Regional base will foster client engagement, partner collaboration, and executive touchpoints
Skandha Media Services, a leading provider of cloud-native media ...
07/07/2025
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, announced its Against All Odds - ASG Builds Cutti...
07/07/2025
Agreement secured on the strength of Skandha's proven track record in delivering reliable managed services across the full content life cycle for existing h...
07/07/2025
1-2 Punch: The Cloud, Generative AI, and the Future of Sports-Content Distributi...
07/07/2025
Tests and decisions: Formula E host broadcaster Aurora on launching new AR graph...
07/07/2025
Building tension: Using new AR graphics for storytelling at the Formula E penult...
07/07/2025
Altitude Sports' Matt Krol on the Success of the RSN's In-Arena Postgame...
07/07/2025
SVG Rewind: Four NFL Clubs Bring Us on Set of Respective Media Day Shoots An in-depth conversation with 49ers Laura Johnson, Ravens Jay O'Brien, Las Vegas R...
07/07/2025
Cosm To Build Fifth Shared Reality Venue in Cleveland as Part of Bedrock's ...
07/07/2025
Back to All News
She Walks in Darkness, Agust n D az Yanes New Film, Premieres ...
07/07/2025
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA As Apple Music marks its 10th anniversary this year, Apple unveils its most ambitious creative project to date: a brand-new state-of-the...
07/07/2025
RT has announced that Mark Bignell has been appointed Commissioning Editor for Comedy following a public competition. This senior editorial position will drive...
05/07/2025
Back to All News
Superestar, the Story of a Star Who Never Changed. Premiering July 18
Entertainment
05 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Dis...
04/07/2025
By Lucy Spicer
Editor's note: We are deeply saddened by the passing of Robe...
04/07/2025
The Summer Reading Challenge has inspired children across the U.K. to embrace a ...
04/07/2025
Introducing CVP Auctions: Trusted Tech, At Auction-Only Prices
Brie Clayton July 4, 2025
0 Comments
A New Destination for Film and Broadcast Gear at U...
04/07/2025
Unveiling China's Ecological Wonders with URSA Mini Pro 12K
Brie Clayton July 4, 2025
0 Comments
Nature Documentaries Freeze Epic Momentsin Extrem...
04/07/2025
Create Any Planet in After Effects
Graham Quince July 4, 2025
0 Comments
The Advanced 3D renderer in After Effects makes it really easy to import 3D o...
04/07/2025
Custom Gradient Colorize for Resolve Fusion
Simon Ubsdell July 4, 2025
0 Comments
Digging into the theory of the gradient colorize process to build ou...
04/07/2025
Watching live sports on TV these days is a delicate balance for broadcasters how much information is too much?...
04/07/2025
WASHINGTON As Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr works to achieve his goal of a very busy, productive summer at the FCC, the agency has rele...
04/07/2025
Other World Computing Launches OWC Guardian USB-C Hardware-Encrypted Portable SS...
04/07/2025
CANAL Brings MotoGP to Vision Pro with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton July 3, 2025
0 Comments
Experience MotoGP like never before as CA...
04/07/2025
Friday 4 July 2025
Watch the trailer here https://youtu.be/Od5WpvWmDr8
Further...
04/07/2025
The Pitch comes to RT Radio 1 airwaves this Sunday at 7pm. The Pitch is a brand...
03/07/2025
For our Vario-Jib, as well as for a repertoire of weights, we now have carts that make transport easier...
03/07/2025
One of our latest innovations: Slider Drive Unit!
Our Vario Slider not only comes with improvements and new features, but also with its own drive unit!
Our i...
03/07/2025
The 360 EVO lives up to its name: 360-degree rotation not only on the pan axis, but also on the roll axis, enables filmmakers to take their creative visions eve...
03/07/2025
What a buzzing few days at BSCExpo in London!
We were thrilled to connect with so many talented professionals from the world of cinematography.
A huge thank ...
03/07/2025
ADOLESCENCE - Shot with Panther Tower"The whole rig had to be detachable mid-episode
Netflix limited drama series Adolescence has been gaining attentio...
03/07/2025
To achieve a true level of decisive overmatch, communication systems must be as ...
03/07/2025
The Broadcasters Foundation of America has named Ray Hopkins, president of U.S. distribution at Paramount Global, to its board of directors....
03/07/2025
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. In his first major policy speech, Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr outlined his Build America Agenda for the agency'...
03/07/2025
As the industry is making a major push to transition to NextGen TV and develop new businesses that will fund the next generation of broadcasting, TV Tech's ...
03/07/2025
Despite enabling its subscribers to watch films and TV shows in the highest possible resolution, Netflix has revealed it is taking things old school with the in...
03/07/2025
WASHINGTON In response to news that Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit by President Donald Trump, Democrats and other administra...
03/07/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications today launched RefSuite for professional sports workflows....
03/07/2025
WEITERSTADT, Germany LYNX Technik, a provider of modular signal processing solutions, has announced that founder and longtime CEO Winfried Deckelmann is steppin...
03/07/2025
WASHINGTON Representatives from six trade groups representing tech, pay TV, broadband, LPTV and other sectors recently met with Federal Communications Commissio...
03/07/2025
PLYMOUTH, Wis. Dan Whealy has acquired Heartland Video Systems and will be its new owner and president, the systems integrator said....
03/07/2025
Acclaimed filmmaker, educator, and industry veteran Jay Holben has released his most ambitious work to date: The Director's Guide to Everything a sweeping...