Deltatre and Prime Focus Technologies partner after delivery of their first joint project in India

Global digital media and technology firm, deltatre, and, Prime Focus Technologies (PFT), the technology arm of media and entertainment industry services leader Prime Focus, have signed a new partnership agreement after the successful launch of starsports.com their first joint project. The STAR India network comprises of close to forty channels in eight languages received by more than 400 million viewers every week across India and 100 other countries.

Dae Ramirez, Communications Manager at deltatre, spoke with the Sports Techie community blog Q&A about their sports business and technology partnership with PFT and forging into cricket friendly India, the second most populous country on the planet behind China.

CLEAR, Forge and Diva

PFT’s award winning CLEAR Hybrid Cloud technology platform and digital content services can now be integrated with deltatre’s digital media technologies including their market leading CMS, Forge, and world renowned data integrated video application, Diva. You can search this blog in the box located in the upper right corner for past blogs about deltatre, this is a first about PFT or India.

Says Ramki Sankaranarayanan, Founder, President and CEO, Prime Focus Technologies, “Our customers have been urging us to develop a solution that effectively addresses their need for Over The Top (OTT) platforms and an enhanced consumer experience. We are thrilled to join hands with deltatre to offer our customers a solution that will allow direct consumer outreach and enhanced viewer experience. In this area we are targeting a business of Rs. 100 crore in the next three years”.

PFT and deltatre have shared local human resources to ensure both teams understand the technologies and have the expertise across the relevant platforms, allowing the best possible coordinated solutions for clients.

“This new partnership with PFT and our successful Starsports project marks our entry in to the Indian market. By working so closely together, our companies benefit from sharing international experiences and knowledge while providing local manpower and expertise to our clients,” says Paul Bristow, CCO, deltatre. “The strategic partnership will mean we can offer more clients engaging digital content solutions through personalization and interactivity.”

Q&A

Can you explain what kinds of added personalization and interactivity fans will have from the morphing together of CLEAR, Forge and Diva technologies?

PFT are providing all the video services to the Starsports project, these operations in conjunction with FORGE and DIVA features combine to bring functions such as built in live commentary, social media sharing tools, controlled PVR features (with instant replay) as well as play-by-play and timeline navigation.

Because this is the first time deltatre has worked in India, was having local manpower and expertise a must for this strategic partnership to be successful and why so in terms of delivering BCCI and IPL cricket?

From their existing operational activities, PFT has an expertise and an invaluable network of contacts in the Indian marketplace. Furthermore, PFT’s relationship with Starsports was the impedance that brought the three parties together on this project. For clarification, the existing deltatre agreement is with Starsports and PFT, not the BCCI or IPL. Starsports in turn have individual agreements with the governing body for cricket.

Is having Adobe Flash a must to watch video in this joint venture?

Adobe Flash is required to watch on a desktop machine via the website.  However, there is an HTML5 fall through offering basic video functionality for mobile devices that support HLS streaming.

Is the following correct? – The non-video sections of the website pages will work on all tablets. The Live streaming and Video content will playback on select iOS devices and Android OS version 3.0 and above.

Currently, yes that is correct.   However, we will be launching mobile applications on iOS and Android in late 2013 to enhance and widen the availability of the video experience on these platforms.

Are Fox Sports and ESPN involved with this Over The Top (OTT) platform joint venture? (I asked this because the STARSports.com mailing address is ESPN Software India Private Limited, while the web site other sport content and TV Schedule launches to Fox Sports).

deltatre and PFT are providing services to STAR to support their digital media ambitions in sport and are ambitious to work with PFT on other opportunities. However, deltatre has no involvement with the abovementioned broadcasters on this project.

How long can fans enjoy free online access to all the cricket action at StarSports.com, and why is there a delay on the live feed?

Questions about the subscription service is best address to the STAR organisation. With reference to delayed live feed, any delays would be minimal and are attributable to existing technology constraints.

Will StarSports.com Video Hub, Fixture & Results, and Match Centre, be available in the United States for the ICC Championship Trophy or are we geo-blocked?

Again, this is a question best addressed by STAR, as we are not in a position to comment on any of STAR’s global broadcasting agreements that would affect broadcasts in specific markets.

About Prime Focus Technologies

Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) is the technology arm of Prime Focus, the global leader in media and entertainment industry services. PFT brings together a unique blend of Media and IT skills backed by a deep understanding of the global media and entertainment industry.

CLEAR™, our award-winning Hybrid Cloud technology enabled enterprise digitization platform and digital content services help broadcasters, studios, advertisers, sports bodies, news agencies, the government and service providers drive creative enablement, enhance ecosystem efficiencies & sustainability, reduce cost and realize new monetization opportunities.

PFT works with major content owners like News Corporation-owned STAR TV, EROS International, SONY Music, Viacom 18, SONY MSM, BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), IPL (Indian Premiere League), Hindustan Unilever Limited, The Associated Press, A & E TV Network, Netflix, Schawk! and WPP.

Prime Focus’ worldwide network of studios and WorldSourcing® model supported by a Global Digital Pipeline allows PFT to offer customers transformational solutions that help them manage their business of content better.

Prime Focus is listed on the NSE and BSE in India and AIM of LSE in the UK.

For more information visit: www.primefocustechnologies.com

CLEAR and WorldSourcing are registered trademarks of Prime Focus Technologies. All other trademarks acknowledged.

About deltatre

There is a way to make sport events come to life for audiences everywhere. Using innovative technology, creativity and total commitment, the people at deltatre do exactly that.

With staff in Torino, London, Manchester, Lausanne, Paris, Munich, New York and Portland, deltatre has over 27 years’ experience at the highest level of international sport. Always striving for the next level of interaction, we consider the future of global sport engagement to be multi-platform and social. Today, the greatest sport events on earth are more immersive, collaborative, and inclusive thanks to our cutting edge technologies. Sport fans become an active part of the event, connecting socially and sharing their passion, wherever they are. By harnessing our experience, technical skills and passion for sport, we are always one step ahead.

For more information, please visit www.deltatre.com

Sports Techie, It is so true that you learn something new every day and here we learned about PFT and deltatre forging ahead with a fast developing sportsbiz partnership to deliver their proprietary CLEAR, Forge and Diva technologies to the many sport fans of India and beyond.

According to the deltatre and PFT press release, “The working relationship between the two media companies will provide clients with the most innovative digital solutions using an efficient global workflow at competitive local rates.”

In order to better understand what that means in local terms, I asked Dae the following question derived from the quote by Ramki:

What does the following mean? “In this area we are targeting a business of Rs. 100 crore in the next three years.” 

“A crore is 10m Rupees (about £12m).”

Sports Technology makes companies rupees, dollars or pounds but in the end, fans win too because they have the type of engaging sports tech they want. Sponsors win as well because they now have new and exciting opportunities to be where the fans are for their marketing and branding initiatives. Using a CMS to improve your sports business process is a no-brainer.

The transparency of sports technology across cultures is remarkable. Tools such as instant replay ability or a social media interface on your TV or mobile device have become fundamental for viewers all over the world. It is an exciting time when cricket big data becomes available for the masses in terms of real-time or on-demand content, statistics, analysis, and social networking, using CLEAR, Forge and Diva.

Good Sports Techie people, animals and robots of India and the Internet, look forward to your new global workflow at starsports.com with what Dae says has, “built in live commentary, social media sharing tools, controlled PVR features (with instant replay) as well as play-by-play and timeline navigation,” thanks to deltatre and PFT working together to make it so.

I will see ya when I see ya, THE Sports Techie – http://twitter.com/THESportsTechie

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