Orange Slovakia has chosen live production technology specialist Appear to support a new centralised operational model for its Video Assisted Referee (VAR) content delivery.
The project supports Orange Slovakia’s live coverage of the Slovak First Football League, enabling the Slovak Football Association to move from on-site to a centralised VAR operation. Appear’s X Platform is to manage delivery of the VAR feeds from the stadium to the VOR, and back to the venue for the on-pitch referee to call the decision. Appear’s local partner, Sunteq, provides System Integration services for Orange Slovakia.

Martin Lednár, IoT, TV and service platforms manager at Orange Slovakia, said: “The most important element of centralised VAR is having all the camera and video delivery feeds time aligned. Appear’s X Platform provides the robustness and scalability needed to meet the standards of the Slovak Football Association, meaning referees can call a free kick or an offside goal with zero delay.”
The remote VAR project is an extension of Orange Slovakia’s existing X Platform capabilities, which now support live contribution and remote VAR operations.
Thomas Bostrøm Jørgensen, CEO at Appear, said: “Live sport is the most time-intense and critical type of content to produce, and VAR applications only amplify the need for best-of-breed media processing and delivery solutions. Being chosen by Orange Slovakia to support its centralised VAR further solidifies Appear’s standing as a trusted technology partner for major live sporting events. We’re committed to ensuring Orange Slovakia has all the tools needed to deliver an exceptional and seamless experience to its football fan customers.”

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