Ligue 1 returns to Canal+ with lots of new features

On Saturday 11 August, the French football Elite championship kicked off once again. There will be many new features for the Ligue 1 this season, thanks in particular to its main broadcaster, Canal+.

“This season, HBS will no longer be producing the matches, as Canal+ will be doing so themselves,” says François-Charles Bideaux, director of sports production for the channel. “We will set up 22 to 30 cameras to ensure the best possible production of our matches. We have also signed a new four-year contract with Euromédia to produce the images for our twice-weekly Ligue 1 matches.”

Another important piece of news is that Canal+ has spent almost a year secretly developing a tablet application, Canal Football App, specifically dedicated to all its football programmes.

As the second screen has turned out to provide real added value, it will be possible for all Canal+ subscribers who own an iPad (the Android version will be available in September) to replay in-match images from different angles (aerials, close-ups, long slow-motion scenes), to tweet, and to access specific content related to the match, both before and after the event.

The second version of the application will also enable tablet owners not only to access all the statistics available to coaches but also to evaluate players and play on-line.

Canal+ developed its application with EVS and its C-Cast software and with Symah Vision (Euromédia subsidiary) and Netco Sports for application design.

“We have already checked the correct functioning of our application during the last European Cup,” says Bideaux, who was involved with ensuring the successful outcome of the project. “It’s a real contribution for football fans. During the live broadcast, we will be unable to use all our image content, but, with this application, the subscriber will be able to view many things.”

In the Euromédia mobile unit, a clip producer will use the C-Cast software to choose the scenes and send the videos. At the editorial offices of the Canal Football Club, the chief editor will edit content before and after the matches. On the eve of the first Ligue 1 match, the application is already proving to be a success in the Apple Store.