Melbourne-based Champion Data is a leading provider of sports data, analytics and broadcast graphic design, known for its long-standing partnership with the Australian Football League (AFL) since 1999. Specializing in delivering real-time data and analytics to enhance sports broadcasts, its services support broadcasters, media outlets, sponsors and sports organizations to help better engage fans and optimize broadcast strategies.
In 2006, Champion Data and Vizrt first joined forces to address new demands coming from broadcasters across the region. With a desire to transform graphics-based broadcast capabilities, these requests saw Champion Data first utilize Viz Artist 2.8 to provide live, data-driven insert graphics for Australian Rules Football. It marked the beginning of what was to be an exciting partnership between Vizrt and Champion Data for the next two decades.
Choices that influence change
In 2006, Champion Data brought on Viz Arena as one of the tool’s first users. This enabled them to provide augmented, image-based or mechanical-tracking solutions to their clients and partners for live sports and studio broadcasts. This formed a foundation that would see them work on Horse Racing, Motor Racing, AFL and Football within the first decade of utilizing the tool.
It was a pivotal choice that subsequently began to influence change among broadcasters in Australia, with many following suit to adopt Viz Arena as the broadcast render engine of choice. This included some of Australia’s most recognizable names: Fox Footy, Channel 7’s AFL and Nine’s Netball coverage all adopted Viz Arena to help tell the story behind the game.
Despite the historical focus on sport, Champion Data leverages Vizrt tools across diverse settings beyond linear broadcast and sports settings. From scoreboards and live music productions to iconic events like New Year’s celebrations and popular reality TV shows such as Australia’s Dancing with the Stars, the team delivers cutting-edge visual solutions Their portfolio also includes live finales for reality shows across various TV networks, voting counting events, and Channel 7’s annual Good Friday appeal, which raises several millions for charity. All visuals for this event are driven by Vizrt technology, including the LED walls in the background.
Flexibility in sports production
With a long history of using Viz Arena since its days of mechanical tracking, Champion Data now leverages the benefits of the tool’s image-based feature tracking solution, allowing for tied-to-field graphics without needing mechanical tracking heads.
“When creating our AFL production hub six years ago, we knew we wanted to move away from sending mechanical data streams to the Hub. Viz Arena’s image-based feature tracking was a game changer for us in this regard,” comments Jerome Guzzo. “We’re now able to support field graphics off any camera that we want, not just one that had a mechanical tracking head.”
With a desire to drive further innovation, the team was able to use Viz Arena’s 4K video graphics capabilities to push the boundaries of production. “We’ve been at the leading edge of driving 4k virtual graphics through Viz Arena, and we are one of the only teams doing so in the country,” adds Jerome Guzzo.
But the desire to deliver high-quality feeds was not the only challenge Champion Data overcame with the partnership of Vizrt. Via consultation with their dedicated Customer Success/Account Management teams, Champion Data were able to create a seamless customized graphics solution for the AFL using Vizrt technology based on ever-changing field dimensions. “AFL games aren’t played on a standard-size rectangular pitch but an oval field that can vary in size depending on location. Each ground can have a five-to-ten-meter difference, either width-wise, length-wise, or both, which throws up a challenge when it comes to on-pitch graphics. But with the support of the Vizrt team, and the flexibility of the Vizrt graphics toolkit, it’s no issue,” shares Jerome Guzzo.
Show stopping performances
With the flexibility of Vizrt graphics capabilities, Champion Data have been able to push the boundaries of broadcast creativity. Utilizing their pre-existing AFL Match Day graphics set up, the team rendered Katy Perry’s show-stopping virtual reality-enabled performance at the 2024 AFL Final without needing to rebuild the infrastructure from the ground up.
Utilizing Viz Engine 5‘s seamless 4K Unreal Engine graphics integration, the broadcast team effortlessly blended live augmented reality graphics into live broadcast streams, lifting premade graphics created by Katy Perry’s production team, Silent Partners Studio, in Unreal Engine.
The result was an elevated broadcast experience for fans tuning in at home, providing them with a unique show of galaxy-like graphics interwoven with Katy Perry’s performance. It was a production that smashed audience records, with 4 million people tuning into the show via Seven Network.
“Despite the AFL Final being an elaborate, live show with multiple camera inputs and extensive graphics overlays, the Vizrt tools very much enabled us to ‘set and forget’ when it came to production programming. We had such confidence in delivering Katy Perry’s production knowing that Viz Virtual Studio and Viz Engine formed the technical backbone. We didn’t need to tweak too much – whether it be for her performance or our standard game day graphics – it all came together perfectly,” remarks Jerome Guzzo, Champion Data.
Spectacular venue-based graphics were once only reserved for select high-end projects using specialist equipment, but the Champion Data team have proved that Vizrt ecosystems can be used to unlock the same incredible results, broadening access to show-stopping graphics capabilities to everyone.
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