SEAT Global Magazine - Exclusive Interviews of Global Sport Executive Issue 09 March/April 2018 | Page 54

USE CASE IPTV & DIGITAL SIGNAGE The K is one of baseball’s most beloved ballparks. Hardware instability and restricted campaign creativity were limiting an otherwise extraordinary fan experience. We selected VITEC’s EZ TV IPTV and digital signage solution because it delivered incredibly reliable and high-quality, low latency streams and digital signage creation tools that can support our goal of making all aspects of coming to a game at The K unforgettable. We’re able to really use our screens to add value and a new dynamic that we didn’t have before. Brian Himstedt Senior Director - Information Systems Kansas City Royals. VITEC’S EZ TV IPTV and Digital Signage Platform a Grand Slam for Kansas City Royals and Kauffman Stadium Background - Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, is home of the Kansas City Royals. Built in 1973, “The K” has a proud baseball legacy, and has served as the home of World Series champions; one in 1985 and another in 2015 - exactly 30 years apart. The most recent win brought a resurgence in baseball fever to the stadium, hosting more than 2.7 million fans during its 2015 title season. The 37,903-seat stadium underwent a $250 million renovation in 2009, which included an expanded concourse, new amenities, and state-of-the-art technology that make game day even more exciting. This renovation also amped up the visual experience on and off the field, installing more than 450 displays for back-of-house support, in the luxury suites, and around the concourse. The displays are fed by an IPTV system, delivering live game feeds and digital signage campaigns to engage fans out of their seats and bring in additional revenue. The Challenge - Although the prior IPTV system was only seven years old, the media players were beginning to fail and were no longer being manufactured. Evaluation of an upgrade showed it to be cost-prohibitive, so the organization had to look elsewhere in an attempt to find a cost-effective, durable replacement that would eliminate the media players’ high failure SPORTS.VITEC.COM rate and reliably support live, in-venue video streaming and digital signage-wall into the future. This also presented them with a unique opportunity to address other system shortcomings. The digital signage system was cumbersome in creating and dynamically updating digital signage content. The team wanted a solution capable of delivering low latency video around the concourse TVs and suites, feature easy-to-use interface for efficient digital signage creation as well as the flexibility to address any arising content demands. The Solution - After considerable comparisons of the IPTV products on the market, the team determined VITEC’s EZ TV Platform cost effectively delivered on all of the team’s requirements, and more. Offering unparalleled value and performance while using the existing IP infrastructure. EZ TV is the industry’s first broadcast-grade solution that combines IPTV distribution with powerful digital signage capabilities into an all-in-one integrated platform. EZ TV‘s flexible, open-architecture is ideal for the ever-changing video, marketing and sales of today’s sports venues. With proven reliability, superb video quality and under one second of delay streaming 1080p Full HD content to any screen; TVs, PCs and Mobile Devices, EZ TV seamlessly integrates to existing network environments and is able to manage any type of video content including streams generated by 3rd party encoders. V I D E O I N N O VAT I O N S