BARCELONA—TVU Networks and the public broadcaster betevé have launched a 24/7 live, pop-up channel to cover the four-day La Mercè Festival using the cloud-native TVU Channel scheduling and playout solution.
The launch, which took only a few hours, required no additional infrastructure and was available via the broadcaster’s website as the Mercè 24h channel as well as via the betevé app.
“La Mercè is a huge event in Barcelona,” said Oriol Icart, technical and innovation director at betevé. “We wanted to cover it all, not just highlights, and for the first time ever, we did. Plus, we reached a global audience far beyond Barcelona.
“Our coverage was flawless, running 24/7 for four days over our app and website without any issues. Because TVU Channel operates entirely through the cloud, we were able to spin up our La Mercè pop-up channel quickly without adding infrastructure or significant cost. We set it up in minutes and began using it the same day.”
The broadcaster currently is planning its next use of TVU Channel, he added.
TVU Channel, designed initially for a large broadcaster, makes it possible to schedule live programming for digital platforms, including connected TV (CTV) channels, such as Free Ad-Supported Television (FAST) channels, and over-the-air (OTA) TV using a web browser, the company said.
No extensive training is required. The solution provides for adding SCTE markers to programs for ad insertion. It allows breaks to be scheduled, or manual breaks can be inserted with the click of a mouse to accommodate schedule changes on the fly. TVU Channel also supports pass-through of SCTE decoration, it said.
“betevé created a specialized channel to cover one of Barcelona’s biggest events exactly the way they wanted without incurring the cost or resources typical with this kind of broadcast initiative,” said Rafael Castillo, vice president EMEA and Latin America at TVU Networks. “We’re thrilled that our technology came through for them and that the city of Barcelona and the world got a true taste of the La Mercè festival – no matter where they live.”
More information is available on the company’s website.
