Civolution SyncNow Solution Keeps the Channel 4 Grand National nd Screen App Right Up with the Action

NAB Show, Las Vegas, April 10, 2013 - Civolution, the leading provider of technology and solutions for identifying, managing and monetizing content, today announces that its SyncNow 2nd Screen solution has been deployed to ensure that the Channel 4 Horse Tracker 2nd screen app was in perfect sync with the world famous John Smith's Grand National, which was broadcast live from Liverpool's Aintree Racecourse on Saturday.

To maximize the enjoyment for the millions that watched The John Smith's Grand National on TV, event broadcaster Channel 4 launched the Horse Tracker', a companion screen app which for the first time allowed viewers to track the position and speed of the horses in the UK's biggest horserace. The free app, which was available to download from the Apple App Store, utilized Civolution's SyncNow for 2ndscreen to ensure that the Channel 4 Horse Tracker synchronized perfectly with the action on the viewer's TV, critical in a race with a large number of entrants and where positions can change so quickly.

James Rutherford, Channel 4's Multiplatform Commissioner for Sport, explains: Innovation has always been at the heart of Channel 4's sports coverage and this was a great opportunity to give our viewers a whole new perspective on the world's most famous horse race .

In the heat of the live action it can often be difficult for viewers to track the position of their horses. Using real time data from the course combined with the latest audio-watermarking technology from Civolution allowed us to give viewers the chance to exactly track their horses alongside the television coverage.

The Horse Tracker app uses Monterosa's LViS second screen technology and TurfTrax data to allow users to access live race information synchronised with their TV coverage of the race - including the position of horses, as well as the speed of their selection; distance to the next horse and to the finish.

By ensuring that the Channel 4 Horse Tracker app is in sync with the live race on the TV, Civolution's SyncNow solution really enhanced the personalised consumer experience, providing second-accurate horse position updates to users regardless of whether they were enjoying Channel 4's live broadcast via terrestrial, satellite or cable TV, said Alex Terpstra, CEO, Civolution. The fantastic features of this app, supplemented by real-time sync made Horse Tracker a real hit.

We are delighted to be involved with one of the highlights of the UK sporting calendar. I look forward to working with broadcasters of other major sports events to ensure that fans using 2nd screen apps are right up-to-date with the on-screen action, concluded Terpstra.

Through the Channel 4 Horse Tracker app users can choose to track one horse, a multiple selection, or track the live positions of all the horses in a race - helping the viewer to more clearly understand where their horse is positioned in the field. The app covered 12 of the 15 televised races from the 2013 Grand National meeting, including the iconic John Smith's Grand National, which was broadcast live on Saturday 6th April with a peak audience of almost nine million viewers, securing a 61% share of the UK's television audience.

LINK:	http://www.civolution.com/2013/civolution-syncnow-solution-keeps-the-c...
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