OnePlay Sport:
a sports TV channel built around live operations

Sports television is operationally a different discipline

The story began in 2015, when O2 launched a premium sports channel for customers of its TV platform. What started as a single sports program gradually expanded into a broader portfolio of thematic channels and later into operations linked to the Premier Sport and OnePlay Sport brands.

Compared to standard television, sports broadcasting follows a different logic: live broadcasts change according to what happens in the match, multiple parallel events run at once, pre-match and post-match studio segments are common, and some content must be ready for immediate transmission.

Automate operations that run live

The goal was to simplify the work of the playout desk and move as many decisions as possible into the planning stage. Playlists were meant to be generated automatically from Broadcast Selectors so that operators handling multiple parallel channels would not have to build every broadcast situation manually.

• scheduling of sports channels, ad breaks and self-promotion,
• ingest automation and integration with the client’s existing solution,
• playlist preparation for multiple parallel playout stations,
• live injection of data, odds and graphics from external systems,
• reporting for advertising, operations and financial evaluation,
• backup, mirroring and secure operation for live sports broadcasting.

Broadcast Selector, SmartCASTER and custom integrations

We started with Broadcast Selector software for schedule planning. Over time, we expanded the delivery with custom modules for sports workflows, ingest planning, advertising schedules, reporting, integrations with external systems and playout connectivity.

Alongside software, we also supplied the technology itself: playout servers, passthrough servers for multidimensions, graphics insertion solutions, backup, mirroring and the technical integration of the playout workstation.

Up to seven playout stations in one workflow

At one point, the operation worked with as many as seven playout stations. That is why it was essential for the system to help people in control and playout rather than add more manual work.

• playlists were generated automatically from the scheduling system,
• operators received a prepared operational output for each channel,
• live inputs, ad breaks and graphic elements were tied to the plan,
• backup and mirroring protected the service in case of technology failure,
• training enabled multiple people to work simultaneously.

Long-term evolving technology for live sport

The project gradually moved from a planning system to a broader technology and integration delivery. SAT Plus supplied software, playout servers, passthrough technology, integrations, reporting, backup and operator training.

After years of operation, the original playout solution was replaced by our own solution, which is more efficient, simpler to manage, cheaper to maintain operationally and better prepared for integrations, backup and multichannel transmission of a sports TV channel.