MUMBAI: Screenz has announced its collaboration with Google to host the Screenz Real Time Platform, a global, live, interactive infrastructure for television shows enabling broadcasters and format owners to transform programs into live events.
The first show to use Screenz Real Time Platform is ‘Rising Star’– Keshet International’s hit TV show that first aired in Israel in September 2013, and will be launched in over 25 countries around the world including on ABC in the US on 22 June.
‘Rising Star’ is a trailblazing interactive TV format that marks a new era in home entertainment. The show enables real-time voting by viewers from their sofas via an innovative mobile app, fully integrated to the program. It is the first talent show where the viewer is the judge from start to finish. The show features performers making their debut on stage alone, from behind a giant wall of TV screens. They can only make their entry to the studio round by securing more than 70 per cent of the viewers’, judges’ and live audiences’ vote. The audience can see the results of their vote in real time and if they vote positively, have a chance that their picture will be shown on the giant wall. If a contestant achieves 70 per cent of the votes, the wall dramatically lifts revealing the studio audience and expert panel.
The collaboration between Screenz and Google delivers the scale to process a huge number of interactions per second and has been successfully employed so far to support the show in Brazil, Portugal and Israel. In testing the Real Time Platform processed a remarkable 100 million interactions per minute.
Screenz is working with broadcasters and TV production companies worldwide to leverage its unique Real Time Platform to create and support innovative new formats. The proven benefit of the Platform for broadcasters is the way it hikes up the level of engagement a viewer has with a show at the exact time when it is aired. The system also enables sophisticated audience targeting allowing broadcasters and brands to effectively identify viewer demographics and interests.
“Broadcasters and producers are constantly looking to introduce new formats which enable them to engage directly with TV audiences. By working with the Google Cloud Platform, Screenz will empower them to rip up the rule book and combine compelling live content with real time viewer interaction” said Screenz CEO Eli Uzan.
Google Cloud Platform director Daniel Powers said, “Screenz is at the forefront of a revolution which is changing the way we watch television. We are delighted that they have chosen to build their game-changing products on Google Cloud Platform. Our job is to make sure that the technology behind the Real Time Platform works effortlessly so that all viewers need to worry about is which way they are going to vote.”
Keshet International general manager production Granit Noham added, “We are very pleased that our partner Screenz is collaborating with the digital prowess of Google Cloud Platform to provide a robust platform and safe pair of hands for each and every international version of ‘Rising Star’.”
Screenz’s Real Time Platform utilises Google Compute Engine, Google Cloud Storage and Google BigQuery, which are part of Google Cloud Platform. The application is deployed globally on Google’s cloud infrastructure, to provide scalability and robustness. The needs of the local broadcaster and audience will always be met, even if multiple countries are broadcasting the live show simultaneously. By utilising BigQuery, Screenz is able to provide broadcasters with the ability to analyze the large amounts of data collected.
