TV2 Norway, Vimond deliver second screen sport experience

The focus on second screen applications has led to the development of a series of new services for viewers at TV2 Norway with technology provider Vimond that offers everything from chat functions to rough cuts and highlights of football coverage and more.

The “Live Center” offered by TV 2 Sporten allows subscribers to follow football (both international and national matches), handball, ice hockey, cycling, equestrian, and more, all live.
Bjørn Talesen, TV2, head of Sports, says the Vimond technology is used to develop content online, via mobile platforms, smartphones, tablets, and more.

“From a commercial viewpoint, it is of the utmost importance with increased subscription sales, higher advertising rates through sponsorships and combination products, as well as prolonged, individual viewing of the main TV broadcasts,” he says.

Talesen says the live center solution also delivers a vast amount of additional information. For football, this includes rough cuts and highlights package, live chat functions, fixtures and results, as well as added commercial content.

For the 2012 edition of TdF, TV 2 Sporten, Vimond, Knowit, and Never.no collaborated on developing a second-screen module that was available as web-view layer in a hybrid TdF-app. (Combination of native and web-view).
“The information that was delivered during the race was team and rider info and stats, competitions like polls, quizzes and duels, cultural content in text and VOD format, clips from previous stages, tour manager invitations, and more,” says Talesen. “In addition, social media functions were fully integrated.”

Henriette S  Sæther, Vimond, director, Marketing & Communication, says the live sports framework has helped Vimond’s clients dig into the core of the cravings of sport fans during live events.

“The Vimond Live Center has cool features like camera chooser, team lineup module, player information, possibility to watch highlights whenever you like, and so much more,” she says. “The end user can follow parallel matches in a championship, watch several feeds at once, share information related to the games with friends, like on Facebook and Twitter feeds and chat is included in overlaying boxes.”

Talesen says the difference in content developed for the TV and second screen is that the second screen is all about additional and relevant information for the broadcast.

“The primary goal is to deliver a heightened viewing experience, with the transfer of information done through polls, quizzes, and statistical information,” he adds.

The Tour de France, for example, offered rider information.

“With its extensive airtimes of up to six hours of live broadcast, additional information and VOD are a crucial part of the package,” he adds. “And the full integration of social media is vital to the second-screen user, as a shared viewing experience is highly valued.”