Proximus teams up with On Rewind for interactive UEFA Champions League football coverage

On Rewind contributed a new plug-in to Proximus’ Pickx app and website based on its interactive video player technology

Belgian telco Proximus has worked with Euro Media Group (EMG) company On Rewind, the developer of a gamified live video streaming platform, to provide subscribers of its All Sports TV pack a new and innovative experience on its Proximus Pickx app and website.

The launch of the new interactive video player functionality, timed to coincide with the resumption of UEFA Champions League football, gives viewers live access to team line ups, match statistics and the possibility of watching all the highlights again in one click, whether live or for up to seven days on replay.

On Rewind contributed a new plug-in to Proximus’ Pickx app and website based on its interactive video player technology. The plug-in feature takes the form of an interactive layer, which allows fans to: navigate through the videos streaming thanks to the ergonomic timewheel; watch all the key moments easily by clicking on the action tags; filter the periods or the actions to watch; display additional information such as statistics for both teams, line ups, and the ranking of the competition.

Plug and play interactivity

On Rewind’s concept was interesting to Proximus because, “they didn’t have to change their pre-existing Pickx App or website and their video architecture,” said Romain Violleau, co-founder and CEO at On Rewind, speaking to SVG Europe.

“They just had to implement our plug-in after we personalised it with the features they wanted. For a broadcaster it was very important to keep all their architecture and security and our plugin solution allowed this,” he noted.

Violleau noted: “Although Proximus had this idea to provide fans with new user experience before COVID-19, this feature now answers a real need from the fans who sadly cannot go to stadiums anymore. COVID-19 has changed the way a lot of us consume sports nowadays. We need to find new ways to engage sports fans and we think that our technology can contribute to fan engagement. They don’t have to watch a match passively: they can directly engage with the content and especially watch and rewatch the best highlights in a match.”

Rémi Chasles, co-founder and co-CEO at On Rewind, commented on how long it took for the company to develop the plug-in: “We already had a patented solution which takes less than a month to implement, but Proximus wanted a customised solution matching the Pickx branding, so it took a bit longer. We also made the integration of their data provider iDalgo to display the action tags automatically in real time.”

“Our product can work with any type of sport,” Violleau said. “We have a lot of different features available. For example, for the clients who want to, we can allow fans to share on social media or comment on specific actions of the match, or even chat with each other while watching the content.

“The pandemic has changed the way we consume sport; it can’t be in big groups anymore,  but fans still want to share during a match as they would do it in a stadium, in their living room with friends or in a bar.

“We are also looking to include features allowing fans to not miss a thing,” he said. “Our multicam functionality allows fans to change camera angles by themselves to see action from another angle. We’ve also developed the multiplex feature which allows fans to watch several games simultaneously and thereby not miss any highlight.”

This is a new viewing mode available now via Proximus Pickx on the web or via the application. An icon in the TV guide will identify programmes that include the new interactive features.

More sport on the cards

While the technology will initially be deployed for football, the player may also be used to enhance coverage of festivals, TV shows and other sports events, according to Proximus.

Jim Casteele, chief consumer market officer at Proximus, commented: “I am very proud to announce this new partnership with On Rewind. This partnership is an excellent example of Proximus’ strategic mission “Think possible”, which reflects our determination to open up a world of digital opportunities for our customers. This enriched experience injects a new dynamic into our Proximus Pickx service and allows us to offer our customers a novel high quality experience focusing on the content they love to watch.

“It will first be applied to football as the experience is already available, for all our sports subscribers, at all UEFA Champions League matches,” Casteele added. “We look forward to receiving feedback from our customers, as I’m convinced that this technology will offer them a unique experience.”

Chasles said: “This experience on football games is a success at every level of our collaboration with Proximus. From Champions League to Belgium league games, we can now keep the fans in an interactive viewing for every key moment of the games. For all the work done, I would like to thank the whole Proximus team again, this collaboration is incredible.

“On top of that, from a company point of view, I’m also very proud that we are building new innovative products for TV Channels and broadcasters. Our assumed strategy is to support our customers with their need for disruptive tools for their subscribers, to allow them to stand out of their competitors and gain younger fans. We can definitely say that our contracts are fulfilled with our customers,” Chasles concluded.

To see Proximus Pickx enhanced with On Rewind’s technology in action, click here.