Sports fan engagement and Creators' Cloud
Aiming to elevate the quality and quantity of content by enhancing the efficiency of video production
As a digital transformation (DX) measure intended to improve the workflow for video production and deliver content to fans with speed, Kashima Antlers F.C. and Sony Marketing tested a workflow using the service suite belonging to Creators’ Cloud, a cloud-based video production solution by Sony, in a pre-season match before the official start of the 2024 season*.
* Ibaraki Soccer Festival 2024 Kashima Antlers vs. Mito Hollyhock (February 10, 2024)
Q: What led to you performing these workflow tests?
A: The Kashima Antlers F.C. Communications Team engages in duties to communicate a myriad of information on the Kashima Antlers pro football club. We conduct filming in locations such as the team clubhouse and the Kashima Soccer Stadium. We make frequent communications of numerous forms of content that includes practice and official matches by top teams, tickets, merchandise, special plans for fans and supporters, and even the Antlers Academy initiative for junior and youth players. The tendency with such information is that the more timelier it is, the better reaction it produces in fans. We had developed a genuine sense of how high such fan needs are. At the same time, because personnel for operation were limited, the situation needed to be improved.
M2-Live makes experimenting with new content production possible
In addition to containing training pitch and a gym as well as a café and shop, the Kashima Antlers Clubhouse serves as a location that could also be called a base for communicating information to the team’s supporters across Japan. At this location, we tested the M2 Live Cloud Switcher using PXW-Z280 and PXW-Z150 XDCAM Memory Camcorders and Xperia PRO Smartphones.
Q: Why did you perform cloud switcher tests?
A: Usually, at the Clubhouse, we mainly film scenes of the top team training and post short-length content on social media such as X and YouTube. However, where live streaming is concerned, establishing a production environment has been difficult up to this point. The fact of the matter is that we have often had to give up on live streaming at the planning stage. Our view was that if we could effectively utilize cloud switchers in the future, we might be able to transmit more diverse content with the use of live streaming. We tested M2 Live in order to verify that possibility.
Q: How did you find using M2 Live?
A: We learned that the PXW-Z150 that we regularly use can transmit video to the cloud when used in tandem with an Xperia PRO. We are accustomed to the PXW-Z150 camera due to using it regularly and are comfortable with operating it. As setting the smartphone was also a cinch, we were able to use it in no time. We also tested the transmission of video that we filmed with the Xperia PRO, and successfully conducted it with ease. For the network environment, we were able to confirm that we could operate that environment on the training grounds and other locations outside the Clubhouse building with low latency. Still, because we had not built a dedicated network environment for video production inside the building, we felt that we needed to prepare a wired environment for live streaming.
Q: How do you expect to use live streaming in the future?
A: Once a communications environment for streaming is in place, we believe we will have the ability to stream forms content that had not been available until now. If we can offer new content, we can also expect the level of satisfaction of fans and supporters will grow again. Moreover, as M2 Live does not need to be installed in proximity to cameras, we may be able to realise a streaming system that keeps local staff to a minimum by leveraging the advantages of the cloud switcher’s remote operation to switch from streaming from camp areas and other remote locations to streaming in Tokyo. We believe that will also help curb business travel and other costs in the end, as well as enable us to make effective use of those curbed costs, such as by allocating them to increasing the amount of content. Based on these tests, we intend to look at a system that will enable us to produce a considerable amount of high-quality content with small numbers of people.
Using C3 Portal and A2 Production to elevate the value of content with speed
The Kashima Soccer Stadium aims to become a state-of-the-art “smart stadium” with the introduction of ANTLERS Wi-Fi, 5G, and other technologies. The tests conducted at the stadium consisted of AI-based automatic editing using C3 Portal, which realises the transmission of footage over the cloud, and A2 Production, an AI-based video analysis service. In tests using A2 Production, we filmed matches that actually took place, used an AI engine to cut out scenes when voices swelled in excitement, and compiled them into a highlight reel. We verified what kind of changes come about with respect to the operation flow starting with filming, moving on to editing, and ending with streaming.
Q: Why did you test transmission and automatic editing?
A: The Kashima Soccer Stadium is the home stadium of the Kashima Antlers. In addition to official matches, pre-season matchups such as the one held today and numerous other matches take place there. For matches for which the football club has live broadcast rights, if we can make highlight reels out of good plays and post them with high fidelity on social media, we believe that will be enough to elevate the value of that content. Additionally, because events and the like are also conducted at the stadium, there is a considerable amount of information that can be posted. Given that, we made the decision to test the two services of transmission and automatic editing in the stadium.
Q: How did transmission tests using C3 Portal go?
A: Currently, after completing filming at various locations inside and outside the stadium, we physically bring the footage to the editing site and perform editing after loading it in. C3 Portal enabled us to conserve the work that goes into the footage transport process and transmit in a stress-free manner the footage we filmed using smartphones. Right away, we could genuinely sense the advantages of being able to transmit content while it was still highly fresh. In fact, simply by using transmission rather than physical transport, we think we managed to shorten the time between filming and posting on social media by what felt like 30 minutes in the tests we conducted. Our members lauded C3 Portal’s compatibility with smartphones’ vertically-oriented videos as well. With the ability to film exciting content in the stadium such as events conducted and F&B and merchandise offered there and post about it in a timely manner, we imagine that fans will enjoy the time they spend in the stadium even more.
Additionally, our experience with C3 Portal has led us to the conclusion that as a service, it is effective not only at the Kashima Antlers’ home stadium, but also at away stadiums. For example, we can put together a system in which a single interviewer travels to a local area to conduct filming, and help with editing the resulting footage supplied from Kashima. Furthermore, in addition to its transmission service, C3 Portal includes a function that allows video to be cut out, including vertically-oriented video filmed using smartphones. This gave us a sense of the convenience C3 Portal offers in simplified editing as well.
Currently, videos of matches at away stadiums invariably take time until we are able to transmit them. We believe that becoming able to transmit them almost right on time will cause the value of that content to rise considerably. In addition, because that process can be conducted by small numbers of people, C3 Portal also holds many possibilities in terms of work efficiency.
Q: How did AI-based automatic editing using A2 Production go?
A: The ability to automatically extract scenes of goals and the like using voice-based detection astonished us. A2 Production was able to readily prepare a reel of highlights from the first 45-minute half of a match in roughly twenty minutes. At the same time, there were instances when the automatically-detected video contained footage that we wanted to exclude from highlights. Still, that did not pose a significant problem. Because multiple cutscenes are generated simultaneously, selecting the scenes we want to use and editing them solves the problem. We felt that AI-based automatic editing would also be of use to us in advance preparations for editing work. Additionally, while we did not test it this time, our understanding is that A2 Production allows services to be customized so that live footage can be edited in real time. This fueled our expectation that we would also be able to boost the speed of highlight reel production for matches like this one, where the football club owns the rights to the match video.
Examining new content plans that take advantage of a cloud service
Q: What were your takeaways from these tests?
A: If we become able to send video and photos with the use of the Creators’ Cloud service, a system for providing editing support remotely for match video production conducted all across Japan, be it home or away, would be possible. In turn, this will also enable us to realise measures that had previously been difficult due to time and distance constraints, and will surely allow us to further increase the amount of video content originating from the football club. Moreover, we can also count on shorter work times, enabling us to transmit content faster than we do now. We believe the value of that content will improve as a result. Also, while we did not use them in these tests, if we use a new communications product (the PDT-FP1 Portable Data Transmitter) that is scheduled for future release, we can anticipate improved streaming and transmission stability as well. Through these tests, a great number of ideas for content that would likely enable us to realise higher-quality communication with fans and supporters came about. Going forward, we intend to constructively examine plans that further tie into the improvement of engagement.
