Election Results Over MPS
Reporting Election Results Over Multiple Platforms
Extending TV Channel Reach and Branding to the Web. Powered by Viz MPS for MCOT Channel 9 Thailand.
The Early Bird Gets the Worm
For the 2008 Bangkok election, MCOT Channel 9 vaulted to the forefront of technological innovation in Thailand, being the first to extend its broadcast graphic branding to the World Wide Web.
About MCOT
MCOT Public Company Limited is a Thai media conglomerate. Its origins date back to the creation in 1955 of Thailand's first television broadcaster. Concerned about keeping abreast of technological developments, MCOT Channel 9 decided to take the plunge and be the first broadcaster in Thailand to use Viz MPS to replicate their live coverage of the 2008 Bangkok election on the web. And not just as a simulcast: MCOT Channel 9 repurposed its Viz election graphics, complete with live data feed, for an interactive live web experience never before seen in Thailand.
Why MPS?
Media convergence means that people are watching TV differently nowadays. Users are more accustomed to on-demand programming. They want interactivity. To keep abreast of these seismic changes, live interactive programming is seen a strategic measure. Moreover, MCOT Channel 9 understands that their website needs to feel like a natural extension of the TV experience.
The idea is to lock younger viewers in and create brand loyalty. Encouraged by the early success of Viz MPS with Norway’s TV2, Channel 9 decided to reap the benefits of being the first out of the gate in Thailand.
Workflow
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Data feeds
Using the same election results data feed, along with the Viz Artist scenes, slightly modified for Vizky interactivity, MCOT Channel 9 lent the exact same look-and-feel to its in-studio touch-screen monitor, video broadcast for TV, and simultaneous live results on its interactive website, powered by Viz MPS. Although not used in this configuration, a Video Wall could have been employed in the studio as an addition to, or even replacement for the touch-screen monitor.
The Web Experience
There were a total of five pages. For the purposes of the Vizky client, a page is a collection of viewports with scenes and JavaScript providing a layer of logic. Three pages were scenes published straight from Viz Artist 3 containing only static data, and two pages were fed live data.
Static Data Pages
The main menu page was produced with a single viewport. It served as the portal to the other pages in the election website.
Live Data Pages
The main election results were shown in a complex page consisting of five viewports:
- Top bar
- Main map
- District results panels (two viewports - show/hide)
- Current date/time and sponsor panel
The graphics were identical to the ones used on-air.
The other live page had candidates “running” towards a proverbial finish line. Candidates would push ahead or fall back in accordance with the current results, as they came in. This scene consisted of two viewports: the main scene and the current date/time and sponsorship panel. Once again, the main scene was also used on-air.
There was some unfamiliarity with creating the logic for the website interactivity, but Vizrt helped build the scenes and logic and transferred the knowledge to Channel 9.
This was a fairly straightforward configuration, yet there was some concern regarding the expected large number of simultaneous log-ins. Nevertheless, everything worked perfectly on election night.
The Gift that Keeps on Giving
As it turns out, the Bangkok election was just weeks before the US presidential election. The infrastructure was already in place. Channel 9 just built new scenes and was able to use Viz MPS again to the same effect. What’s more, within a month of winning reelection, the governor stepped down, causing a rerun of the entire electoral process. Channel 9 was ready.
MCOT Channel9 now has a complete Viz MPS server infrastructure up and running. They are presently investigating the creation of their own branded programs, such as for sporting events and other live programs.
Media Convergence
MCOT understood the value of being an early adopter. Conscious of the need to innovate, and grasping the reality of media convergence, Channel 9’s coverage of the Bangkok election was the one to watch. Viewers made full use of the new paradigm of the laptop-on-the–coffeetable. Interestingly, once the TV broadcast went off the air, the hits to the website went up.
Furthermore, the investment in Viz MPS was leveraged by the proximity of Bangkok’s election to the US presidential poll, where the same feat was repeated a few weeks later. And when the Bangkok election had to be rerun, Viz MPS was ready for action.
