As clubs in Spain’s top professional football league attempt to remain ahead of the game when it comes to evaluating not only their play – but that of their rivals – technological advances in sophisticated player performance analysis is making that job much easier.
LaLiga announced recently that it is set to equip all 42 teams in the LaLiga Santander and LaLiga 1/2/3 with AutomaticTV as its technological solution to produce the tactical signal for matches.
AutomaticTV, developed by Barcelona-based MEDIAPRO, will be installed soon in all LaLiga stadiums to broadcast tactical game footage in full HD.
With the cameras in place, all matches played in Spanish football’s two top divisions will enable the league’s coaches to perform live analysis as the match is being played. The cameras, as well as the software developed by MEDIAPRO, provide clubs with the capability not only to gain access to live video analysis, but also allows them the added benefit of being able to edit videos once the match is over.
“LaLiga continues striving to be at the forefront insofar as audiovisual and technology is concerned,” LaLiga President Javier Tebas said. “We are constantly seeking new ways to benefit the clubs and sports companies and this technology will be extremely useful – not only for the teams themselves but also for their fans – by going the extra mile in what is delivered to them as is the case with technological innovation in broadcasting.”
AutomaticTV offers a high definition, multi-camera system that enables live sporting events to be recorded without human involvement. As opposed to more traditional operations that rely on human camera operators to work from various vantage points around a sporting venue, Automatic TV offers a much more cost effective method for capturing events – such as LaLiga matches – as they are happening.
In the case of LaLiga, once matches end, tactical footage collected by the cameras is imported and uploaded to the Mediacoach system, the innovative video analysis tool developed by LaLiga and MEDIAPRO, and is readily made available to the league’s clubs. The footage aids the clubs in improving performance, by providing the most sophisticated match and player performance video analysis possible.
The high-end, HD footage comes at a much lower cost than if collected by normal recording methods.
As opposed to other options, AutomaticTV requires a local server and the cameras themselves. Technology specialists at MEDIAPRO have developed sport-specific strategies, which allow the cameras at venues to switch between themselves automatically. In doing so, the cameras pan, tilt and zoom when needed to provide a presentation in HD – all without camera operators. The system also automatically switches cameras and captures ambient sound to provide the best coverage of live events and to provide the users with a professional, HD video product.
In turn, AutomaticTV offers sports clubs and professional leagues, like LaLiga, a much more affordable option when it comes to providing in-game action to its fans and teams. This has allowed for lower-tier sports leagues to have access to technology being utilized by leagues with bigger operating budgets.
AutomaticTV, which began development in 2013, already has agreements in place in 18 countries where local distributors are using the technology among professional and amateur clubs to provide coverage of soccer, basketball, handball, volleyball and hockey.
Before signing on with LaLiga, Automatic TV already had deals in place with European soccer sides FC Porto, Valencia, FC Koln as well as the football giant in its own backyard, FC Barcelona.
While European premier football leagues have taken advantage of the tactical game footage, MEDIAPRO business unit manager, Mauro Margenat, said AutomaticTV is catching on with amateur sports clubs and leagues, a previously untouched market that is just now realizing the impact of live broadcasting.
The technology can also be utilized by colleges and universities, as well as other sporting ventures looking to provide live coverage and the ability to use the resulting footage in a variety of different methods, including use on social media.
“It’s progress,” Margenat said. “The market is starting to wake up and say, ‘We need to produce this content and we need to produce it efficiently.’”