GMA Network uses Viz Virtual Studio & Social TV solution for live election coverage

GMAs' Eleksyon 2013 garnered the most TV viewers of any Philippine network, driven by its visually dynamic graphics.

GMA Network, one of the premier commercial broadcast television networks in the Philippines, led the ratings for its live Eleksyon 2013 coverage on its flagship TV channel GMA-7. As one of several GMA media outlets covering the country's mid-term elections, GMA-7 together with its news channel GMA News TV, provided a total of 28 straight hours of live coverage beginning at 4:30am on election day, May 13 2013.

GMA News and Public Affairs' Eleksyon 2013 garnered the most TV viewers of any Philippine network, driven in part by its innovative use of visually dynamic graphics technology from Vizrt. GMA acquired new Vizrt graphics technology, including aViz Virtual Studio with camera tracking hardware and the Vizrt Social TV Solution purchased expressly for Eleksyon 2013 coverage. These Vizrt graphics systems complement GMA's existing Viz Trio character generator and Viz Ticker system. 

The Vizrt Social TV solutions gives broadcasters intuitive social media tracking, editorial, and production tools to help them manage their social media initiatives both on-air and online as well as incorporate user generated content into their traditional Vizrt graphics pipeline.

GMA built an immersive two-story 3D Viz Virtual Studio for Eleksyon 2013 that enabled GMA anchors to give their reports while walking around virtual objects such as 3D charts. The studio was filled with expansive video projections of live feeds from GMA news teams at 47 remote locations nationwide, video packages, and real-time data-driven graphics. There were also hologram effects, such as a dozen senatorial candidates appearing to stand alongside the anchor during live reports from the immersive 3D set.

The Vizrt Social TV solution grabbed and converted social media content from two custom GMA web applications for use in live TV graphics including Kandidato Buzz Index, which sifted through Twitter and Facebook posts to determine how senatorial candidates were trending in the social sphere. The other web application, GMA News Online's Voting Experience Poll, displayed the results of polls asking people about their voting experience. These web applications were powered by Mass Relevance, a social engagement platform that aggregates, captures, filters, and analyzes real-time social media content.

"Our goal was to take our live elections coverage to a whole new level," said Felipe L. Gozon, GMA Network Chairman and CEO based at the company's Quezon City, Philippines headquarters. "This investment in Vizrt graphics presentation technology enabled us to incorporate social media buzz about the candidates, colorful insight into the voting process, and comments about key issues into dynamic live graphics to give viewers a richer understanding and perspective of the day's election results."

"We're extremely pleased that GMA's Eleksyon 2013 coverage was both a technical and ratings success," said Petter Ole Jakobsen, Vizrt's CTO. "Integrating real-time social media and user-generated content into live broadcast graphics has become a valuable tool for providing in-depth reporting of any live broadcast news event, such as the recent Philippine elections."