RT Software partners with Alston Elliot for SuperSport International virtualised advertising solution

Real-time graphics solutions provider RT Software has partnered with Alston Elliot South Africa and Mo-Sys to deliver a virtual advertising solution to SuperSport International, South Africa’s premium pay-television sports broadcaster.

The broadcaster selected Alston Elliot, a leading sports television graphics company, to supply a virtual advertising system to replace the traditional method of painting sponsor branding onto the playing surfaces of the stadiums. The solution is used to deliver an improved experience to one of SuperSport’s main sponsors – mobile communications company Vodacom – during coverage of Super Rugby franchise games in South Africa across six venues.

The solution combines six RT Software virtual advertising systems with camera tracking technology from Mo-Sys, a developer of camera technology products. The project was overseen by Alston Elliot South Africa’s commercial and technical director, Andre Abrahams.

“This is a first for both Alston Elliot and the South African broadcast space — deploying a virtualised advertising system. It’s an ingenious and highly innovative solution that not only met our requirements, but that was delivered according to a very tight deadline,” says Abrahams. “It was also ideal from SuperSport’s point of view as a Super Rugby production with virtual branding requires no extra cabling or specialised camera heads. The tracking technology provided by Mo-Sys is retrofitted onto existing kit in SuperSport’s outside broadcast facilities.”

Abrahams also emphasised the importance of staffing and training — the latter provided by RT Software.

“Part of the project also included employing and training a group of aspiring junior broadcast engineers from some of the poorer previously disadvantaged communities in South Africa. As this projects grows, so we will look to expand the team, thereby growing local expertise and building opportunities which has always been at the forefront of our wider strategy in this region.”