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.
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