Sky News using Vizrt Viz Content Pilot for ‘news openers’

Each hour’s live news broadcast on Sky News now features a 3D graphic opener, entitled ‘Top of the Hour’, executed with the assistance of Vizrt’s Viz Content Pilot template-based video and graphics management system.

The opener – designed to quick convey details of the breaking news and top stories currently being followed by Sky News – includes video clips and screenshots from all Sky News online platforms as 3D video windows within the intro package.

Viz Content Pilot allows the editorial team to grab content from each of the Sky News online services and insert it into the pre-built 3D animated graphic in real-time, while preserving fonts and screen layouts. The system automatically feeds both SD and HD Sky News channels.

Brent Jones, head of 3D/VFX for the network, comments: “This animated opener allows us to take our television viewers on a journey through our entire branded environment. The system is easy to set-up and use. The latest content from our online platforms is automatically integrated with our 3D environment in a very efficient workflow that benefits both the design and our daily operational processes.”

Petter Ole Jakobsen, CTO of Vizrt, adds: “We’re gratified to see that Sky News is using Viz Content Pilot to integrate video, graphics and data from all platforms—SD, HD, Web, iPad, and mobile—just as we envisioned when we engineered the product. In addition to Viz Content Pilot, Sky News is also making great use of our broadcast news-oriented products, Viz Artist and Viz Weather.”